Kristen Cox
Encyclopedia
Kristen Cox is a blind
American
politician and current Executive Director for the Utah
Department of Workforce Services. Previously Cox served as Maryland
Secretary of Disabilities. Kris Cox was the running mate
of Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich in the Maryland 2006 gubernatorial election
.
. While growing up in Utah
, Cox gradually lost most of her vision starting about age 11 due to a degenerative genetic condition caused by "a rare recessive trait," (Stargardt's disease
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640193209,00.html), so she had to use a white cane
for walking.
She attended Brigham Young University
, where she had to memorize everything because she had not yet learned Braille. http://www.examiner.com/a-134098~An_inside_look_at_Kristen_Cox___Ehrlich_s_advocate_for_the_disabled.html Cox received her B.A. in educational psychology with a certificate in special education in 1995. A devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Cox spent eighteen months prior to graduation as a Mormon missionary
in Brazil
.
In 2001 she was appointed by President George W. Bush
as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration in the United States Department of Education
"where she helped developed national initiatives to promote the employment and independence of individuals with disabilities."
She joined the Ehrlich administration in 2003 as Director of the Office for Individuals with Disabilities. On July 1, 2004 she was confirmed by the Maryland State Senate as Secretary of the nation's first cabinet level Department of Disabilities.
On March 5, 2007, it was announced that she would replace Tani Pack Downing as the Executive Director for the Department of Workforce Services in Utah.
.
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician and current Executive Director for the Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
Department of Workforce Services. Previously Cox served as Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
Secretary of Disabilities. Kris Cox was the running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
of Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich in the Maryland 2006 gubernatorial election
Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006
The Maryland gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. It was a race for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. The winning candidates -- Martin O'Malley and Anthony G. Brown, who defeated the incumbent Gov...
.
Early life, career, and family
Cox was born in Bellevue, WashingtonBellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
. While growing up in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Cox gradually lost most of her vision starting about age 11 due to a degenerative genetic condition caused by "a rare recessive trait," (Stargardt's disease
Stargardt's disease
Stargardt disease, or fundus flavimaculatus, is an inherited juvenile macular degeneration that causes progressive vision loss usually to the point of legal blindness...
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640193209,00.html), so she had to use a white cane
White cane
A white cane is used by many people who are blind or visually impaired, both as a mobility tool and as a courtesy to others. Not all modern white canes are designed to fulfill the same primary function, however: There are at least five varieties of this tool, each serving a slightly different...
for walking.
She attended Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, where she had to memorize everything because she had not yet learned Braille. http://www.examiner.com/a-134098~An_inside_look_at_Kristen_Cox___Ehrlich_s_advocate_for_the_disabled.html Cox received her B.A. in educational psychology with a certificate in special education in 1995. A devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Cox spent eighteen months prior to graduation as a Mormon missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Marriage and family
Currently Cox lives in Utah with her husband Randy and their two sons, Tanner and Riley. In a 1998 article for the National Federation of the Blind, Randy credits her with changing perceptions about blindness. Randy described an experience he had as a highschooler assisting a man who had become almost completely helpless after becoming blind. He contrasted this with meeting Kristen in 1992, and being most impressed with a blind woman who could cross the street easily, order at restaurants, and was a top student and international traveller. Randy stated:- her example changed my perception of blindness forever. Had I never met her, I would probably still hold the beliefs I developed from my high school experience.
Professional life
After graduation, Cox went to work for the Utah chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. In 1998 Cox moved to Baltimore to become Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs for the national organization.In 2001 she was appointed by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration in the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
"where she helped developed national initiatives to promote the employment and independence of individuals with disabilities."
She joined the Ehrlich administration in 2003 as Director of the Office for Individuals with Disabilities. On July 1, 2004 she was confirmed by the Maryland State Senate as Secretary of the nation's first cabinet level Department of Disabilities.
On March 5, 2007, it was announced that she would replace Tani Pack Downing as the Executive Director for the Department of Workforce Services in Utah.
2006 Maryland gubernatorial election
For more information, see Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006
The Maryland gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. It was a race for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. The winning candidates -- Martin O'Malley and Anthony G. Brown, who defeated the incumbent Gov...
.
External links
- http://www.bobehrlich.com/
- http://jobs.utah.gov/edo/dirmsg.asp