Employee Spotlight: Jayma Hawkins

APH would not be the organization it is without the people who work here. We are thankful to have employees like Jayma Hawkins who put their heart and soul into their jobs. A caring and devoted person whose passion for helping others is inspiring, Jayma is the director of the National Prison Braille Network (NPBN). 

Jayma was born in Eastern Kentucky before moving to Frankfort as a child. She returned to the eastern part of the state for college where she attended Eastern Kentucky University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology. She later moved to Louisville while her parents and sister remained in Frankfort, but visits them whenever she can. 

Two weeks after moving to Louisville, Jayma began her journey at APH. In 2002, she started her first role in the Cassette Tape Duplication department. As her career progressed, she received her certification in braille and moved to the Accessible Textbooks department where she was a Braille Editor. The longer she worked with APH her passion for braille grew, opening doors she could never have imagined. Soon, she was helping out as a trainer for the NPBN. When the need for a full-time Director arose, Jayma was the perfect fit for the job.  

The new position wasn’t just great for Jayma because of her love for braille, but also because it allowed her to use her B.A. in Criminology in a unique way. She had found a niche that combined two of her biggest interests and is thankful to call it her full-time job. “I found my ‘happy place’ in the company,” Hawkins says. 

That happy place includes giving Jayma a space to nurture others. While never having children of her own, her work with those who are transitioning from their time in prison has given her a chance to guide, teach, and care for those who need it. She is able to set them up with the skills, resources, and confidence they need to return to everyday life after having spent numerous years in a correction facility. Jayma explains that helping with these transitions has given her a chance to “be a part of something bigger than myself.” 

Jayma is proud of the work she is able to do at APH because of how it helps blind and low vision kids across the nation. She is in a unique position to see how NPBN impacts both the recipients of braille as well as the newly trained transcribers. Jayma calls it a “win win” as the transcribers learn a trade that provides them with stability, while the students receiving braille textbooks are now able to pursue higher education and careers.  

Grateful for all that she has learned from others during her time at APH, she is also thankful to have found a community within the company and explains that while the different departments at APH might not have a chance to cross paths, that doesn’t change the end goal. “At the end of the day, it all comes back to the blind or low vision children,” Hawkins says. 

Outside of work, Jayma loves to spend time with her sister, niece, and nephew in Frankfort. She also enjoys travelling with friends, yardwork (sometimes), and spending time with her cat, Pixie. 

Jayma’s love for what she does is contagious at APH. APH is lucky to have employees like Jayma who contribute to their work with their whole heart.