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Yes I Can! Awards

Each year the Council for Exceptional Children honors 27 students who have excelled despite their disability.  Since the program’s inception in 1982, more than 30,000 children and youth have been recognized for their achievements.

Senator Kennedy speaks at CEC's 2008 Yes I Can! Awards.

Meet the 2008 Yes I Can! Award Winners

• Yes I Can Awards Flyer (pdf)

The Yes I Can! Awards are given in:

• Academics
• Arts
• Athletics
• Community Service
• Employment
• Extracurricular Activities
• Independent Living Skills
• Self Advocacy
• Technology

Eligibility Requirements

• Candidates must be 2-21 years of age when they are nominated.
• Each candidate is eligible in one category.
• Each candidate must be nominated by one individual (teacher, principal, related service provider, friend, parent).
• International nominations are accepted.

How the Yes I Can! Winners Are Honored

• Recognition at the Yes I Can! Awards Ceremony
• Yes I Can! Statue
• Special Event at the CEC Convention & Expo
• Letter from the President of the United States
• Letter from the CEC President

But, everyone is a winner. Each individual nominated for the Yes I Can! Awards will receive a certificate of achievement personally inscribed with his/her name suitable for framing. Braille certificates are available to those who check the box on the bottom of the nomination form.

• Listen to the Yes I Can! Awards Song (mp3)
  Songwriter and balladeer Danny O’Flaherty wrote the Yes I Can! song in honor of CEC’s Yes I Can! winners. We hope it will inspire your students to say I Can! and succeed in school and life. Buy the Yes I Can! song on Danny O’Flaherty’s new CD.

Deadline for Nominations

Nominations for the 2008 Yes I Can! Awards can be submitted through October 16, 2007.