Whit Downing

Whit Downing serves as the Vice President of Policy and Programming for the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD). Before joining the council as a behavioral health consultant in February, Whit most recently was a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) Trainee and served as a board member for HeadQuarters Kansas.

As a LEND Trainee, Whit was able to participate in an 18-week class where she learned from professionals in the developmental disability field and discussed current I/DD legislative priorities. As a board member for HeadQuarters Kansas, Whit learned more about suicide prevention, the 988 crisis response system in Kansas, and participated in community events surrounding mental health. As a person who is Autistic while also having survived a suicide attempt, one of Whit’s greatest passions is ensuring that neurodiverse people are always included in discussions surrounding mental health and suicide prevention.

Additionally, Whit has attended three annual Mental Health Advocacy Days at the state capitol where she has been able to advocate for increased mental health resources for individuals with I/DD. Whit also went to the 2024 Disability Policy Summit in Washington DC with the KCDD staff, which she describes as the best experience she's ever had in relation to advocacy. During the summit, she was able to learn more about I/DD policy priorities and meet with Kansas members of the US congress to share her story.

Whit’s education background includes two years of college classes at Washburn University and being a Team Member in the Kansas Youth Empowerment Academies (KYEA) advanced leadership training program called Faces of Change. At Washburn, Whit attended classes on a part-time basis. Her major was Psychology, and she minored in Mass Media.

In 2017, upon graduating from KYEA’s Faces of Change program, Whit was offered a job as the part-time Administrative Assistant at KYEA. A majority of the growth that Whit has experienced stems from the mentorship, programs, and services offered to Whit by KYEA. Whit describes Faces of Change as the beginning of her leadership journey. During Faces of Change, Whit started and helped facilitate an Autism Support Group for young adults. The group met monthly for 12 months at the Capper Foundation in Topeka Kansas.

Whit has not always been open about her struggles, her concerns, or her desires. Growing up, most people would have described Whit as a quiet kid. She communicated a lot through gestures and through writing. Having that firsthand experience of feeling misunderstood and unheard is part of what fuels Whit today in the work that she does. Whit wants to not only share her story, but she hopes to empower her peers to share theirs as well. Whit is a firm believer in the nothing about us without us philosophy and says that being able to work for the Council is a dream come true.