AUCD 360 - February 2017

Apply Today! AUCD Leadership Academy

June 25-30, 2017, Atlanta, GA

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) in partnership with the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University (GSU) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for the inaugural AUCD Leadership Academy. Attend an informational webinar on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. ET to learn more about the academy. Apply Today!

Disability Policy Seminar 2017 and Trainee Summit

March 20 - 22, 2017, Washington, DC

Join AUCD, the Arc, AAIDD, NACDD, SABE, and UCP at the 2017 Disability Policy Seminar as we learn about and advocate for access to health care and community living supports, and bedrock civil rights protections. The first 100 days of any new Administration and Congress are key to setting the agenda, and this year, more than ever, we need you in Washington, DC. Learn more and register today.

AUCD For All 2017 Gala: Celebrating Leadership in Employment  

March 22, 2017, Washington, DC

Join AUCD on March 22 as we celebrate leadership that expands inclusive employment for people with disabilities. For more than five decades, the AUCD network has invested, through research, training, and advocacy, in improving the lives of millions of individuals with disabilities, their families, and communities. The 2017 'AUCD for All' celebration brings together leaders inside and outside our network who develop and sustain inclusive employment opportunities at the community, state and federal levels to foster long-term partnerships and collaborations in support of people disabilities achieving meaningful employment. Learn more at aucd4all.org.

AUCD Welcomes Sheida Khamsi (KS UCEDD) as the 2017 Assistant Virtual Trainee

Sheida Khamsi is the 2017 Assistant Virtual Trainee. She is also a UCEDD trainee at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Kansas. Within AUCD, Sheida's role is to work with the Virtual Trainee to enhance diversity within the AUCD network and generate and implement new ideas for effective communication and connection between all Centers and Programs.
Read more... 

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Shelly Baer Receives Impact Award from Parent to Parent of Miami (FL UCEDD/LEND)

Shelly Baer, LCSW, Director of Leadership Training Initiatives at Mailman Center for Child Development in the Department of Pediatrics, won the Impact Award from Parent to Parent of Miami. The goal of Parent to Parent of Miami's Journey of Dreams Benefit is to honor individuals in our community who are dedicated to improving and promoting initiatives that benefit children and adults with disabilities and their families. Individuals are honored in the following categories: Excellence in Family Advocacy, IMPACT, and Family Empowerment. Read more...

The American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities names Dr. Dalun Zhang as a 2017 Fellow (TX UCEDD)

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) has announced that Dr. Dalun Zhang has been identified to receive the designation of Fellow of the Association (FAAIDD). Founded in1876, AAIDD is the oldest professional association concerned with intellectual and developmental disabilities. AAIDD advocates for the equality, dignity, and human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and for their full inclusion and participation in society. Read more...

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Three UCEDDs Receive Nearly $150,000 in Grants from the Special Hope Foundation

The Special Hope Foundation is pleased to announce that three University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) were selected for funding of their training projects. The grants will support a variety of programs providing training for healthcare providers, interpreters and other health professionals in integrating a culturally responsive framework in healthcare services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. All projects include Self-Advocates as leaders, trainers and in oversight roles. The applications were carefully reviewed and considered by the Foundation's Board and staff as well as the Special Hope Foundation's Self-Advocate Advisory Committee and medical providers at the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD), with whom the Special Hope Foundation partners in all Request for Proposals (RFP) funding cycles. Read more...

VKC TRIAD (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) Supports Community Organizations in Welcome and Inclusion

The Organizational Engagement Program of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) is an innovative partnership with community cultural and civic organizations that works to promote full inclusion of children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.Founded in 2013 under the leadership of Lauren Weaver, M.S., BCBA, TRIAD outreach coordinator, the initial idea for the program came from families attending TRIAD's monthly Families First workshops. There, parents shared some of the challenges they experienced when attempting to take their children with autism into the community. TRIAD staff and faculty quickly resolved to provide training and resources for community organizations to promote welcome. Read more...

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) Investigator's Gene Mutation Discovery May Hold Autism Clues

Researchers at Vanderbilt have identified what may be a genetic "smoking gun" for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - a mutation in the gene for the critical neuronal protein CaMKII. While no single mutation can explain the immensely complicated picture presented by ASD, this study is the first to link a naturally occurring mutation in the CAMK2-alpha gene with a specific neuropsychiatric disorder, said Roger Colbran, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics.
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Report: Indiana Teacher Evaluations Bring Positive Change, But Improvement Needed (IN UCEDD)

Indiana should make changes in its teacher evaluation system to provide more clarity and consistency for schools and stronger support for and engagement by educators, according to a white paper released today by an Indiana University research center. The paper contains recommendations for the Indiana General Assembly, which begins its 2017 session in January. They include revising the teacher evaluation law to put more focus on new teachers; giving districts more flexibility in how they compensate teachers; and rewriting the criteria for Teacher Performance Grants to focus on student growth, not performance. Read more...

Innovative Trainings in Deaf-Blindness (SD UCEDD)

Children who have deaf-blindness miss out on opportunities for learning that other children receive incidentally or naturally as those without sensory impairment have access to the many sights and sounds from their environment. These missed opportunities can result in a sense of isolation from others and problems in communication skill development, concept formation, and overall learning. In the school setting deaf-blindness is considered a disability of access to the visual and auditory information provided in educational environments. Read more...

Talk with Pediatric Dental Students (NY UCEDD/LEND)

Lisa Latten, Family Advocacy Fellow at SCDD/LEND in Rochester NY recently spoke to Pediatric Dental students at University of Rochester Eastman Dental Center about the importance of including families in treatment plans. Lisa is the parent of a child with autism, and a Family Navigator at the Kirch Developmental Center at SCDD.In addition to educating medical students, Lisa provides a family perspective to others through local, state, and national conference presentations, workshops, and committee memberships. Lisa is also a member of a new University of Rochester Medical Center team working on Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO).   Read more...

HDI's National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources: A Critical Time for Essential Information (KY UCEDD)

Given today's sociopolitical climate, now, perhaps more than any other time since the American eugenics movement, it's essential that there be conversations about personal and collective unconsciousness, the nature of prejudice, and scapegoating pertaining to citizens with disabilities. Much is at stake, including decisions made about the rightful place in society for people with disabilities - and in the minds of some, up to and including if there is such a place at all. While we need multiple ways of amplifying the voices of people with disabilities and their allies, accurate information about prenatal testing and its implications represents one critical dimension. Read more...

RTC: Rural Brings National Attention to Importance of Accessible Housing in Rural Communities (MT UCEDD)

The lack of accessible housing is one of the biggest barriers people with disabilities face in their communities. Having a home that suits one's needs facilitates self-care and accessing the community, critical elements of independent living. Living in a home that doesn't meet one's needs can make accessing community more difficult and even impossible.Research by the Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities (RTC: Rural) focuses on the relationship between home accessibility and community participation for people with disabilities in rural communities. RTC: Rural is part of the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities at the
University of Montana. Read more...

Gilson and DePoy Discuss Branding and Designing Disability at Designable 2016 (Maine UCEDD)

Stephen Gilson, Ph.D., and Elizabeth DePoy, Ph.D., University of Maine Professors of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies and Social Work, recently presented, "Diversivate: Branding and Designing Disability" at the inaugural Designable 2016 event in Kings Cross, London. The one-day session was sponsored by Rufus Leonard and Lloyds Banking Group.  Read more...

Relive the Harkin International Employment Summit

In its inaugural year, the Harkin Summit began a tradition of bringing together change agents to develop strategies for increasing disability employment around the world. Relive this important event through Storify. Read more...

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2016 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium & State of the Science Conference

February 13 - 14, 2017, Washington, DC

This conference, Disability Statistics: Lessons in Data Collection and Application to Policy and Practice, will discuss data collection strategies in the morning sessions and practical applications of disability data in the afternoon. Read more...

2017 AMCHP Annual Conference

March 4 - 7, 2017, Kansas City, MO

Don't miss out on an amazing opportunity to connect and network with more than 800 public health officials who share an interest in maternal and child health. Read more...

2017 Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

March 8 - 10, 2017, San Antonio, TX

The Gatlinburg Conference continues its tradition as one of the premier conferences in the United States for behavioral scientists conducting research in intellectual and related developmental disabilities. Read more...

Disability Policy Seminar 2017 and Trainee Summit

March 20 - 22, 2017, Washington, DC

Join AUCD, the Arc, AAIDD, NACDD, SABE, and UCP at the 2017 Disability Policy Seminar as we learn about and advocate for access to health care and community living supports, and bedrock civil rights protections. The first 100 days of any new Administration and Congress are key to setting the agenda, and this year, more than ever, we need you in Washington, DC. Learn more and register today.

AUCD For All 2017 Gala: Celebrating Leadership in Employment  

March 22, 2017, Washington, DC

Join AUCD on March 22 as we celebrate leadership that expands inclusive employment for people with disabilities. For more than five decades, the AUCD network has invested, through research, training, and advocacy, in improving the lives of millions of individuals with disabilities, their families, and communities. The 2017 'AUCD for All' celebration brings together leaders inside and outside our network who develop and sustain inclusive employment opportunities at the community, state and federal levels to foster long-term partnerships and collaborations in support of people disabilities achieving meaningful employment. Learn more at aucd4all.org

HANDS in Autism Intensive 3-Day Transition and Vocational Programming Workshop (IN UCEDD)

Multiple Dates, All dates are from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm ET, Indianapolis, IN

HANDS in Autism will be conducting a series of Intensive 3-Day Programming & Workshop events over the next few months. Our intensive training focuses on providing hands-on experience and coaching in a simulated work environment. Individuals with disabilities participate, facilitating a rich learning environment for all. Read more...

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