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AUCDigest

October 24, 2006 • Volume 6, Number 66

 

Forging New Partnerships for New Challenges Through Research, Education and Service

October 29-November 1, 2006


AUCD NETWORK NEWS

HI LEND Director a Saving Grace for Family and Their Daughter.  Dr. Louise Iwaishi, LEND Director of the Hawaii MCH LEND Program, received a hero's welcome for visiting Rachel Shim and her family during the electrical blackout caused by the recent earthquakes in Hawaii.  Dr. Iwaishi helped push 10-year-old Rachel to Kapiolani Medical Center by wheelchair.  The girl had only about an hour left on the battery that powered her ventilator.  "She's so wonderful," Rachel's mother said of Iwaishi, who makes frequent house calls on Rachel. "She help set up everything for me... I never met that kind of doctor."   Well done, Dr. Iwaishi!  To learn more how Dr. Iwaishi assisted the Shim family, please read, "House Call Saves Girl - A Kapiolani doctor becomes an angel of mercy during the blackout".

Leadership of Long-time CERC Director at Rose F. Kennedy Center (NY UCEDD) Will Be Missed.  On October 1, 2006, Herbert J. Cohen, M.D., long time Director of the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) at the UCEDD stepped down from his position of leadership.  A tireless and strong advocate in the field of the provision of care to citizens with developmental disabilities, Dr. Cohen has been recognized repeatedly for his contributions to the field; he is the recipient of many honors, including, in 2004, the Arnold Capute Award, the most prestigious honor given by the AAP's Section on Children with Disabilities.  Although he will remain on as a member of the staff of CERC, continuing his devotion to patient care and the training of the next generation of professionals, his leadership will be sorely missed by the center's staff.  Although Dr. Cohen will be a tough act to follow, Robert W. Marion, M.D., a medical geneticist, has been named to succeed him in the role of Director of CERC. 

Universal Application System Coordinator Receives CSG Innovation Award.  The Council of State Governments (CSG) recently announced the award of one of eight national 2006 Innovation Awards to Adrienne Akers for her work in the development and application of the Universal Application System (UAS).  The Innovations Award highlights outstanding state programs addressing a trend affecting states and their future policies.  Akers' projects operate through the Center for Persons with Disabilities (UT UCEDD).  The UAS application process was designed to help families apply for multiple state programs, such as Medicaid, CHIP, WIC, BabyWatch, etc., through an integrated, online process.  The UAS is branded as UtahClicks in Utah, and is being replicated in several other states.

Developmental Disabilities Institute (MI UCEDD) Receives Grant to Better Educate Michigan Families, Individuals with Disabilities.  The UCEDD was recently awarded the "Did You Know? Families' and Support Coordinators' Meetings" Grant from the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council.  The Project is designed to inform families and support coordinators about MI Department of Community Health policies and initiatives, promising practices, and strategies for achieving desired services, supports, and outcomes.   Project activities will help families and people with disabilities maximize the full array of services and supports that can foster their self-determination. For more information, please contact Judy Cerano.

Guam CEDDERS (UCEDD) Establishes Partnership with Sister UCEDD Programs to Implement USDOE Special Education Programs.  A partnership, between the UCEDD and projects at sister UCEDDS at the University of Minnesota and the University of Oregon, establishes the foundation for the implementation design of the U.S. DOE, OSEP, IDEA General Supervision Enhancement Grants (GSEGs) recently awarded the Guam UCEDD with $1,298,480.  These grants will serve the Pacific Basin entities of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau by providing technical support to improve capacity for accurately reporting performance and participation of students with disabilities in the jurisdiction-wide assessment system.  For more information, contact Terrie Fejarang.

Research Director from the Center for Development and Learning (NC UCEDD) Receives Education Grant.  Stephen Hooper, PhD, was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education for his "Attention, Memory, and Executive Functions in Written Language Expression in Elementary School Children" project.  This award is for four years with a project end date of 6/30/2010.  The primary purpose of this project is to establish a stronger scientific foundation for educational practice within the writing domain by utilizing recent advances in cognitive science and neuroscience as they apply to the development of writing and writing problems in elementary school children.

Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WY UCEDD) Receives DOJ Training Grant to Battle Against Abuse & Assault.  The U.S. Department of Justice awarded a $450,000 grant to the University of Wyoming to train county officials to stop abuse and sexual assault of older individuals and individuals with disabilities.  The three-year grant, awarded to the UCEDD, is part of the Violence Against Women Act of 2000.  Wyoming is one of eight national pilot programs that will use a train-the-trainer approach.  Judicial, law enforcement and family violence professionals will learn successful procedures while working across disciplines to eradicate abuse.  For more information, contact Deborah Fleming, Project Coordinator, at (307) 766-2719.

Congratulations to the Newest Class of NSIP Awardees.  The Institute for Community Inclusion's (MA UCEDD) National Service Inclusion Project recently awarded four $40,000 grants.  These 18-month grants' primary objective will be identifying the number of individuals with disabilities willing to apply and enroll in national service and describing the support strategies utilized to ensure a positive experience and retention.  To achieve this, the UCEDD must recruit, establish a contractual agreement, and fund the active participation of a consumer-directed disability organization or group that will work in partnership with their respective State Commissions and/or State Office.  Here is a list of UCEDD award recipients:

Center for Disability Studies (HI UCEDD) Receives Funding from National Service Inclusion Project to Implement APPLAUD.  The UCEDD was awarded $40,000 to implement the Action Plan to Include Labeled and Underserved because of Disability in Volunteer Service (APPLAUD).  Staff of the current CDS project Alliance for Inclusion Advancement (AIA)-HI submitted the grant to dovetail with their current goal of building capacity for individuals with disabilities to serve as volunteers within a wide array of community organizations.  APPLAUD will be a partnership between the Hawaii Commission on National and Community Service, the local Self-Advocacy Advisory Committee (SAAC), a newly-developing organization run by individuals with developmental disabilities, and the CDS Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) to identify and enroll people with disabilities in national service (AmeriCorps) programs.  APPLAUD will work to fill 1-2 AmeriCorps slots with prospective members with disabilities during the 18 month period of the grant (October 2006-March 2008).  For more information, please contact Dr. Steven Brown at 808-956-0996.

Awards & Activities from Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (UCEDD)

  • UCEDD Receives $1.3 Million for Service Learning Project.  The UCEDD received a $1.3 million grant to engage youth with disabilities in community service opportunities, including collecting oral histories from veterans with disabilities for the national Veterans History Project. The project is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).  The new programs will target youth ages 14 to 21 in Indiana and two other states to be designated by the Indiana Institute.  The programs will involve schools, and implementation will begin this fall.   Project Co-Director Sandi Cole service learning programs are greatly beneficial to students with disabilities, who may have limited access to early work experiences and opportunities in their community.  For more information, feel free to contact Project Directors Sandi Cole or Teresa Grossi.
  • Professional Development Planner.  A planning guide is available online outlining the conferences, workshops, summer institutes, and products designed for early care and education professionals. For a copy of the professional development planner, give us a call at 800-825-4733 and we'll send one to you.

Honors from the Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (UCEDD)

  • Keynote Speakers.  Drs. Elizabeth DePoy and Stephen Gilson, co-coordinators and faculty members in the CCIDS Interdisciplinary Disability Studies concentration, were the keynote speakers at the Disability & Aging Services Helpline (DASH) conference, Building Customer Service: Working with Seniors and People with Disabilities, on October 10, 2006, in Brewer, Maine.  DePoy and Gilson were also guest lecturers on disability and health careers at a University of Michigan Initiative on Disability Studies class on September 29.  Their presentation was entitled, Disability as Diversity: A Legitimacy Approach.
  • APHA Scholarship Recipients.  B.J. Kitchin, graduate teaching assistant in the CCIDS Interdisciplinary Disability Studies and graduate student in the University of Maine School of Social Work, and Rachel Hutchins, graduate research assistant in the CCIDS Prevention Center of Excellence doing her graduate social work field placement at CCIDS, applied for and will receive the 2006 AUCD-APHA Conference Scholarships.  These awards will provide financial support for both students to attend the upcoming American Public Health Annual Conference in November (see Central Office news).

Honors and Activities from the Institute on Disability and Human Development (IL UCEDD)

  • Grants 
    • Great Lakes ADA Center:  The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research granted the UCEDD another 5 years of funding for the Great Lakes ADA Center, effective October 1, 2006.   The Center will remain committed to the issues associated with accessible information technology and efforts in this area will be expanded to encompass the use of accessible information technology (websites, kiosks, software, etc.) within private business, government and educational entities.  In addition, new directions will include engaging in research activities surrounding various aspects of ADA implementation with a primary focus on employment.  Dr. Robin Jones is the principal investigator and director of the Center and Dr. Glenn Fujiura joined the Center as Co-PI and Director of Research.  
    • Physical Activity and Nutrition Intervention.  Dr. James Rimmer was notified by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention that his project entitled:  Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Effects of a Physical Activity and Nutrition Intervention for Overweight/Obese Adults with Mobility Disabilities:  PEP II competed successfully for funding.  The project is a three-year award (September 1, 2006 through August 31, 2009) for $975,000.
  • Honors and Activities
    • New Advisor for CDC.  James Rimmer was invited to serve as an advisor to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a member of the Health Disparities Subcommittee, Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities.  The Subcommittee offers advice on policy issues and broad strategies that enables CDC to fulfill its mission of promoting health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability.
    • Northern IL Adult Sibling Conference.  The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities at the UCEDD and Pioneer Center sponsored the Sibling Conference in September.  This conference is part of a growing nation-wide movement of siblings who want to know more about long term issues ranging from guardianship transition to employment and residential options for their brothers and sisters with disabilities.  Organized by Nora Fox-Handler, a long time advocate for her three brothers with disabilities, this conference marked the first of its kind for Pioneer Center and was attended by siblings and parents of people with disabilities in the Chicago area.  Plans are currently underway for a conference in 2007.

 

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