AUCD 360 - May 2016

Mark Your Calendars for AUCD 2016!

The AUCD 2016 Conference, "Navigating Change: Building our Future Together," highlights both the change that comes at the end of a Presidential term as well as our need to work together to create a future in which children and adults with disabilities are able to participate fully in all aspects of life as valued members of their communities. Join us to engage in powerful, important, and inspiring personal and professional discourse on December 4-7 in Washington, DC. Read more...

Call for Proposals: AUCD2016

The AUCD2016 is one of the nation's premier places to highlight your work. Over 200 different presentations will be accepted to the conference in several different types of sessions, formatted for maximum visibility and interaction with attendees. Proposals are encouraged from students, self-advocates, family leaders, clinicians, and researchers in over 25 topics. Don't miss your chance: submit a proposal today! Read more...

Thank You for Joining Us! #AUCDautism: Awareness & Acceptance

Thank you for joining AUCD during the month of April as we celebrated neurodiversity, inclusion, people with autism and their families. Across the US and territories, members of the AUCD network have a powerful impact on people with autism and other disabilities on a daily basis. Be sure to check out the highlights posted during April, and watch throughout the year as we continue to post new accomplishments and resources using #AUCDautism. Read more...

Critical Issues in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Contemporary Research, Practice and Policy

Authors Include AUCD Members & Staff

This timely and important publication provides a concise review of what we know about ten key areas in the field of IDD and what that knowledge means for future developments in public policy, research, and practice. This work concisely illustrates the gaps between the existing evidence and what must still be demonstrated, what practices we know to be effective and contemporary strategies for implementing those practices, and where we are and where we aspire to be in our nation's public policy. Read more...

Expanding Our Knowledge About the Science of Autism: Achievements from IDDRCs

Scientists from the nation's 15 IDDRCs continue to make groundbreaking contributions to the ways in which we understand autism. Their work not only deepens scientific knowledge of the genetics of autism but also exposes new forms of ASD and helps identify abnormalities in brain structure and function that may explain behaviors found in individuals with autism. The output of IDDRC researchers forms an essential foundation for those with autism and the communities that support them. Read more...

Meet the 2016-2018 Ambassadors

The Act Early Ambassador program is designed to develop a network of state-level experts who promote developmental monitoring and screening and improve early identification practices. It is a collaborative effort on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP). Act Early Ambassadors serve as liaisons to the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Program and work as community champions with programs that serve young children and their parents, such as Head Start, Early Head Start, WIC, home visiting, and others. The current cohort of 45 Ambassadors represents 41 U.S. states and three territories. Read more...

LEND Audiology Trainees Learn and Shine at EHDI 2016

On March 13-15, AUCD members joined nearly 1,000 diverse stakeholders in San Diego, CA, for the 15th annual Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Meeting, organized jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University.  Read more...

Thank you for Making DPS2016 a Success

During this years Disability Policy Seminar, over 265 members and 175trainees from across the country attended alongside self-advocates, family members of individuals with disabilities and public policy staff to learn about how to engage in policy advocacy more effectively and connect with lawmakers. Visit  http://www.thearc.org/dps for presentation materials and fact sheets. View the photo album here.

AUCD Welcomes New Staff Jennifer Tuell

Jennifer Tuell is a Program Assistant at AUCD. She works across departments to support administrative actions and project activities, as well as assist with development activities of the Association. Jennifer obtained her MA from Gallaudet University in Deaf Studies through the Language and Human Rights program. Within this experience, she was fortunate to gain skills to develop advocacy and policy approaches for disability rights. Prior to getting her masters, Jennifer did a year of service with Americorps and was challenged to build societies through assets-based community development approaches. She acquired her BA from University of Cincinnati in Special Education: American Sign Language Interpretation. These experience have allowed Jennifer to use her passion for human rights to make a difference by developing workshops, fundraisers, and community conversations. Read more...

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Sandy Root-Elledge Named Executive Director of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WY UCEDD)

University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences Dean Dr. Joseph Steiner announced Sandy Root-Elledge, a skilled administrator and advocate for persons with disabilities, has been selected as the new Executive Director of WIND, slated to begin her post this month. Read more...

Elaine Eisenbaum Selected Associate Director at Texas Center for Disability Studies (TX UCEDD)

Elaine Eisenbaum, PhD, has been selected as the Assistant Director for the Texas Center for Disability Studies in Austin, TX, beginning May 1, 2016. Dr. Eisenbaum received her BA in Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master's in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. She recently completed her PhD program at The University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work. Her dissertation was titled "Tobacco Use Among People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities." Dr. Eisenbaum brings with her experience in teaching, research, and evaluation in the area of disability and inclusion in many forms. Read more...

Dr. Liz Perkins Elected Vice President of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (FL UCEDD)

Congratulations to Dr. Liz Perkins, who has been elected by the membership of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) to the Board of Directors. Her term of four years will run from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Over this term, she will serve one year each as Vice President, President-Elect, President, and Past President. This follows the completion of her current four year term as an elected member-at-large on AAIDD’s board. Read more...

MN UCEDD to be Honored by The Arc Minnesota

"We are proud to honor ICI's cutting edge work that ensures that people with disabilities are valued by, and contribute to, their communities of choice," said Don Lavin, The Arc Minnesota's Executive Director. "The research findings, innovative programming, and hands-on training curricula from ICI have touched the lives of self-advocates, families, and direct care staff across the world. Because of the Institute, people have been connected with resources to give them greater independence, direct support professionals and families have been given tools to make life in the community a reality for those they support, and the public has been informed of inclusion's benefits through concrete data generated by rigorous research."
Read more...

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Wolf Wolfensberger Documentary Available from the RTC (MN UCEDD/LEND & PA-Temple UCEDD)

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living for People with Intellectual Disabilities (RTC/CL) has released a film, "Valuing Lives: Wolf Wolfensberger and the Principle of Normalization." The film explores the principle of normalization, an idea that challenged fundamental assumptions about people with intellectual disabilities. It also features the iconoclastic professor whose intense, multi-day workshops trained thousands of human services professionals in the theory and practice of this idea. Read more...

ThinkWork! Projects Appear in NPR and PBS Series (MA UCEDD/LEND)

Two projects run by the Institute for Community Inclusion's ThinkWork! got some national media coverage recently.  ThinkWork! is the hub for the ICI's projects that promote integrated employment for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Read more...

Legal Planning for Young Adults with Disabilities (MD UCEDD)

The Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD) launched a new initiative with the University of Baltimore School of Law. Professor Angela Vallario and attorney Louise Michaux Gonzales delivered a free seminar to Kennedy Krieger young adult patients, students, and their families about estate planning considerations and decision-making capacity. Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law) attorneys, 22 law students, and nine attorneys from the legal community completed 12 powers of attorney, 11 advance directives, and four advance directives for mental health with participants. Each participant also competed a needs assessment regarding other civil legal needs. Read more...

April is Autism Awareness Month, But Should It Be Autism Acceptance Month? (VA UCEDD/LEND)

An opinion article authored by the son of a VA LEND trainee.

Every year on April 2nd, the world celebrates World Autism Awareness Day. In 2008, spearheaded by the state of Qatar, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day "to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society. One of the most highly publicized parts of World Autism Awareness Day is the organization Autism Speaks' Light It Up Blue campaign. Read more...

Kentucky Peer Support Network Project Fosters Friendship and Inclusion for Students with Disabilities (KY UCEDD)

For students with disabilities, it can sometimes be difficult to engage with their peers, both socially as well as academically. The Kentucky Peer Support Network Project aims to assist in connecting these students with their peers through two initiatives: Peer Support Arrangements and Peer Networks. The project is based on the work of Dr. Erik Carter of Vanderbilt University, who acts as the project's primary consultant. Read more...

"Camp Yes And" for Teens on the Autism Spectrum Doubling its Impact in 2016 (IN UCEDD)

Last summer, the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning and the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at IU's Indiana Institute on Disability and Community founded Camp Yes And -- a summer improv camp for teens on the autism spectrum and teachers. In 2016, the camp will double its impact, offering one week of camp in Bloomington (July 11-15, 2016) and one week in Indianapolis (July 18-22, 2016). The Institute has launched a peer-to-peer funding campaign to support the camp's free tuition for all participants. Read more...

HANDS in Autism Model in Practice: Intensive Weeklong Training for School Personnel & Community Providers (IN UCEDD)

An intensive training that focuses on providing hands-on experience and coaching in a simulated community & home environment. While the program includes traditional instructional methods such as lectures and discussion, the emphasis of training is incorporating interactive and hands-on application to foster increased participant knowledge and skill related to the process of making and supporting appropriate programming decisions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders. Read more...

Gov. Daugaard to Speak at USD Center for Disabilities Symposium in Sioux Falls (SD UCEDD/LEND)

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard will speak about his Ability for Hire initiative at the University of South Dakota Center for Disabilities Symposium during the employers' breakfast on April 19 at the Sheraton Sioux Falls & Convention Center. "Employers need workers and people with disabilities want to work," said Wendy Parent-Johnson, Center for Disabilities executive director. "You can find great employees by tapping into an underused workforce, and Gov. Daugaard and Randy Lewis will tell us how." Read more...

Travis Hamil, PATHS Program Assistant (TX UCEDD)

Travis Hamil is a program assistant with the Postsecondary Access and Training in Human Services (PATHS) program housed at the Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University. He has a seizure disorder (successfully controlled by medication) and a mild intellectual disability. During high school, he had many opportunities to gain work experiences through his life skills class. He also gained job skills by volunteering with his church's mission program, which helped elderly community members with home repairs. These experience made him realize how much he enjoyed helping people, so he applied for the PATHS program. Read more...

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This Autism Awareness Month, Let’s Remember that our Movements are Interconnected

By Aaron Bishop and Wade Henderson

We can become stronger advocates for our communities when we recognize the many intersecting experiences and issues that impact a single person’s life, and we can accomplish more in coalition than any one of us could accomplish on our own. Read more...

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National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) Lunch & Learn Webinar Series

Friday, May 6, 2016, 12:00 p.m.ET

On the first Friday of every month, corresponding with the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report, we will be offering a live broadcast via Zoom Webinar to share the results of the latest nTIDE findings. In addition, we will provide news and updates from the field of Disability Employment, as well as host an invited panelist who will discuss current disability related findings and events. Read more...

How to Increase the Research Capacity of Your Center

Thursday, June 30, 2016, 2:00p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET

Do you have a vision to develop your center as a producer of high-impact research? Do you believe your center would benefit by developing an increased capacity for scholarly research? Are you interested in learning from other centers in the network that have recently added capacity to their research operations? Please join this CORE webinar presented by Drs. Andrew Roach of Georgia State University's UCEDD/LEND and Parthy Dinora of Virginia UCEDD. They will share their experiences and approaches and provide some logical paths you may wish to emulate on the journey towards building a strong center for research.  Read more...

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