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2007 Concurrent Sessions

October 19, 2007

Learn more about the Concurrent Sessions at the 2007 AUCD Annual Meeting. Click on a date and time below to jump to that section.

 

Monday 11:30am

Validity Assessment of a Statewide QA/QI System

  • David Rotholz, PhD, Center for Disability Resources, Columbia, SC
  • Kathi Lacy, PhD, South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Columbia, SC
  • Charles Moseley, PhD, National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, Alexandria, VA
  • Meghan Trowbridge, MA, Center for Disability Resources, Columbia, SC

A grant-funded partnership conducted a validity assessment of the South Carolina DDSN QA/QI system in the context of the CMS Quality Framework. The presenters will provide an overview and discuss the methods, findings, and implications for statewide assessment of quality of supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Increasing Employment and Community Participation for Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities: Promising Strategies

  • Erik Carter, PhD, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Laura Owens
  • Audrey Trainor
  • Beth Swedeen, MS, Waisman Center, Madison, WI

We will present initial findings from a three-year research project aimed at increasing the involvement of youth with disabilities in meaningful activities during the summer months. Factors that influence youth engagement in work, volunteer, leisure, and other activities will be discussed, along with recommendations for promising intervention strategies.

Beyond Physical Barriers to Accessing Health Care for People with Disabilities: Culture and Communication

  • Anthony Cahill, PhD, Center for Development and Disability, Albuquerque, NM
  • Brudgid Isworth-Junot, MPH, Center for Development and Disability, LEND trainee, Albuquerque, NM
  • Barbara Ibanez, MA, Center for Development and Disability, Albuquerque, NM

When discussing access to health care for people with disabilities, many people think of physical access. This session will provide alternative definitions of "access" from the perspectives of people with a wide range of physical and cognitive disabilities. It is based on an eighteen month research project funded by the CDC.

Methodological challenges that arise when communities, families, and researchers partner to study and improve services

  • Susan Foley, PhD, Institute for Community Inclusion, Boston, MA
  • Heike Boeltzig, MA, Institute for Community Inclusion, Boston, MA
  • Rich Robison, Federation for Children with Special Needs, Boston, MA
  • Abdiraham Yusuf, Somali Development Center, Boston, MA

This panel presentation brings together researchers, practitioners, and community partners who will share their experiences and lessons learned in implementing two research projects in community settings, the methodological issues they encountered and strategies they used to address and possibly overcome those obstacles.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders: Building Capacity to Serve the Community

  • Nicolette Bainbridge Brigham, PhD, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Nashville, TN

This presentation will describe the diverse training programs provided by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (VKC/TRIAD). These programs represent a unique collaborative partnership between the Tennessee Department of Education and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

Concurrent Theme Session: Violence

Collaborating to Serve Women with Disabilities that are Victims of Violence

  • Ronda Jenson, PhD, Institute for Human Development, Kansas City, MO
  • Charity Hope, BA, Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), Kansas City, MO
  • Lisa Fleming, MSW, Rose Brooks Center, Kansas City, MO

In this session, partners in the Kansas City Collaborative to End Violence Against Women with Disabilities will share their experiences in building collaborative relationships between disability, sexual assault, and domestic violence service providers. In addition, we will share the results of our community needs assessment.

Utah's Collaborative Statewide Council to Prevent Violence and Provide Better Services for Individuals with Disabilities

  • Richard Baer, PhD, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Logan, UT
  • Marilyn Hammond, PhD, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Logan, UT
  • Gordon Richins, BS, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Logan, UT

This presentation will discuss the formation of a statewide council with disability and domestic violence/sexual assault service providers, prevention needs assessment summary and recommendations, and ideas for collaborative partners, prevention of violence and improved services for survivors.

Gaining Name Recognition: How a Local Self-Advocacy Group Became Known to Decision-Makers

  • Rebecca Salon, PhD, Project ACTION!, Washington, DC
  • Ricardo Thornton, Project ACTION!, Washington, DC
  • Lucius Mangrum, Jr., Project ACTION!, Washington, DC
  • Robert Kennedy, Project ACTION!, Washington, DC
  • Germaine Payne, Project ACTION!, Washington, DC
  • Lawrence Vessels, Project ACTION!, Washington, DC
  • Phyllis Holton, Project ACTION!, Washington, DC

This interactive panel of self-advocates will share their experiences from their 18+ year history: becoming a self-advocacy coalition; creating alliances; gaining membership on government, community, and advocacy boards that make decisions affecting the lives of people with disabilities; and becoming a recognized and established presence in metropolitan Washington, DC.

UCEDDs, LENDs, and National and Community Service: Partnerships That Work!

  • Paula Sotnik, BA, Institute for Community Inclusion, Boston, MA
  • Jewel Bazilio-Bellegarde, MA, Corporation for National and Community Service, Washington, DC
  • Mat McCollough, MPA, AUCD, Silver Spring, MD
  • Jason Wheeler, Institute for Community Inclusion, Boston, MA

From California to Vermont, UCEDDs and LENDs have partnered with national and community service entities to ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to give back to their communities. Learn about promising practices and the benefits of these collaborations from partners in their formative stages to those who are well-established!

Strategies for Sustainability: Continuing the Family Support 360 Projects

  • Julie Magelky, MEd, Center on Disabilities and Human Development, Moscow, ID
  • Elizabeth Hecht, BA, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Susan Yuan, PhD, Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, Burlington, VT
  • Tonya Baker-McCue, MEd, Center for Development and Disability, Albuquerque, NM
  • Vyonda Martin, MA, Center for Learning and Leadership, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Angela Martin, Family Support 360 Project, Detroit, MI

Presenters will provide an overview of the current sustainability strategies under consideration by the Family Support 360 Projects. Surveys were distributed to each project to identify different strategies for sustainability. A summary of the surveys will be discussed. The Projects are funded through a five year grant offered by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.

 

Tuesday, 10:15am

Tomorrow is Here Today: Trainee Futures

This session will focus on career opportunities for trainees within both the AUCD Network and the wider disabilities field. A panel of former trainees representing a breadth of career options will describe how being an AUCD trainee directly impacted their career choices and influenced their rise to positions of leadership in the field of disabilities.

  • Download PPT [ppt, 4.7mb]
  • David Morrissey, MPS, AUCD, Silver Spring, MD
  • Aaron Bishop, MSSW, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Washington, DC
  • Aaron Velez, MSW, Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY
  • Georgina Peacock, MD, MPH, AUCD Fellow, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/NCBDDD, Atlanta, GA
  • Cate McClain, MD, PT, FAAP, Center for Development and Disability, Albuquerque, NM

Pediatric Medical Units: Current Status & Implications for Network's Education & Service for Families

  • Rhoda Schulzinger, JD, AUCD, Silver Spring, MD
  • Ylla Nikola-Lisa Bishop, MPA, AUCD, Silver Spring, MD
  • Toni Whitaker, MD, Boling Center, Memphis, TN
  • Scott Lindgren, PhD, Center for Disabilities and Development, Iowa City, IA
  • Sandra Friedman, MD, MPH, Institute for Community Inclusion, Boston, MA
  • Paula Rabidoux, PhD, CCC-SLP, Nisonger Center, Columbus, OH

Presenters will describe Pediatric Medical Units, AUCD's initiative with the Social Security Administration. They will suggest ways that can increase knowledge of the children's SSI program among faculty and trainees, assist state disability determination offices, and expand assistance for children who apply for federal disability benefits.

Results of the Evaluation of the Impact of Katrina Aid to Persons with Disabilities

  • Laura Stough, PhD, Center on Disability and Development, College Station, TX
  • Amy Sharp, PhD, Center on Disability and Development, College Station, TX
  • Curtis L. Decker, JD, National Disability Rights Network, Washington, DC
  • Nachama L. Wilker, BS, National Disability Rights Network, Washington, DC

Evaluation results of the National Disability Rights Network's (NDRN) participation in the Katrina Aid Today project summarizing both quantitative and qualitative data. The outcome of this project has provided data that is valuable in planning and refining case management practices for individuals with disabilities in future disasters.

National Status of Early Intervention/ Early Childhood Special Education Training and Technical Assistance Systems

  • Mary Beth Bruder, PhD, A.J. Pappanikou Center, Farmington, CT
  • Cristina Mogro-Wilson, PhD, A.J. Pappanikou Center, Farmington, CT

Part C and 619 state coordinators were asked about their training and technical assistance systems. This session will provide an overview of the study findings on personnel preparation conducted by the Center to Inform Personnel Preparation in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education.

Concurrent Theme Session: Disability Studies

A Model Mismatch: A Dialogue about the Implications of Housing Disability Studies Programs at AUCD Affiliate Centers

  • Matthew Wappett, PhD, Center on Disabilities and Human Development, Moscow, ID
  • Terri Longhurst, Institute for Disabilities, Laramie, WY
  • Christine Pisani, Trainee, Center on Disabilities and Human Development, Moscow, ID

This session will promote a dialogue about the implications of housing Disability Studies programs that promote the social model of disability at AUCD network centers that operate using a medical and/or rehabilitation model of disability. This session will begin drafting guidelines to meld these seemingly disparate models of disability.

Disability Studies at the University of Washington: Reflections on the Past, Present and Future

  • Sharan Brown, JD, EdD, Center on Human Development and Disability, Seattle, WA

The University of Washington began a multidisciplinary effort to introduce Disability Studies in 1999. This presentation reviews our experiences developing administrative, faculty and student support; current activities among students and faculty; and our future goals. We will also discuss the importance of this curriculum in changing societal perspectives on disability.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Implementing large-scale, evidence-based interventions to reduce child maltreatment

  • Daniel Crimmins, PhD, The Marcus Institute, Atlanta, GA
  • John R. Lutzker, PhD, The Marcus Institute, Atlanta, GA
  • Anna Edwards, PhD, The Marcus Institute, Atlanta, GA
  • Wendy Breitner, PhD, Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY
  • Trupti Rao, PsyD, Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY

Child maltreatment can be both a cause of developmental problems and a consequence of them. This session will feature presentations from two UCEDDS examining the broad-scale development, implementation, and evaluation of parenting interventions to reduce the risk of child maltreatment for families at risk for abuse or neglect, including parents who themselves have developmental disabilities.

Incorporating Research into the UCEDD: Strategies and Challenges

  • Leonard Abbeduto, PhD, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Anne Bradford Harris, PhD, MPH, RD, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Lara Head, PhD, Fellow, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Elise McMillan, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, TN

The 2000 reauthorization of the DD Act expanded the core functions of the UCEDDs to include research. This workshop will identify the issues that UCEDDs must address as they plan research initiatives. We will describe the approaches of the UCEDDs at the Waisman Center and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.

Seminaries, Faith Based Organizations, and Advocacy Networks: UCEDD Based Collaborations to Enhance Spiritual Supports and Develop Congregational Leadership

  • William Gaventa, MDiv, Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, New Brunswick, NJ
  • David Deere, MSW, MTh, Partners for Inclusive Communities, Little Rock, AR
  • Courtney Taylor, MDiv, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, TN
  • Sharon Burniston, Former trainee and current seminary student, Maplewood, NJ
  • Ginny Thornburgh, MA, National Organization on Disability-Religion and Disability Program, Washington, DC
  • Harold Kleinert, EdD, Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute, Lexington, KY
  • Shannon Butler, BA, Trainee, Partners for Inclusive Communities, Little Rock, AR

Congregations and faith-based networks are increasing their roles in building inclusive community supports with people with disabilities and their families. UCEDDs are addressing training, program development, and research needs in a variety of new partnerships with seminaries, advocacy networks, and faith networks. Training, research, service, and policy implications will be explored.

Emerging Areas for UCEDDs: Working with Adults with Disabilities

  • Susan Yuan, PhD, Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, Burlington, VT
  • Arnold Birenbaum, PhD, Rose F. Kennedy Center, Bronx, NY
  • Download PPT [ppt, 132kb]

As adults with disabilities participate in community life, supports from childhood must change and expand. This presentation by a researcher and family advocate highlights the response of two very different UCEDDs to emerging needs: health care transition for young adults and family support for adults with disabilities who become parents.

Autism/ASD Service Guidelines and Promising Practices for Medical Home Primary Care Practices and their Community Partners

  • Christine Breunig, MS, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • William Schwab, MD, National Medical Home Autism Initiative, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Bonnie Strickland, PhD, Children with Special Health Care Needs, Maternal and Child Health Bureau/Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD
  • Grace Pushparany Williams, Parent's Place of Maryland Center/Maryland Family Voices
  • Linda Tuchman-Ginsberg, PhD, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Download PPT [ppt, 1.9MB]

This session will introduce the "Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Service Guidelines for Medical Home Primary Care Practices" to the AUCD network. These guidelines are newly available for broad national dissemination to promote discussion among all stakeholders about promising, cross-system practices for serving children with ASD and their families within the medical home.

Genetic Inclusion: Realities and Dreams in the LEND Network and National Coordinating Center/Regional Collaborative System - Genetic Resources and Services

  • Joann Bodurtha, MD MPH, Partnership for People with Disabilities, Richmond, VA
  • Robert Marion, MD, Rose F. Kennedy Center, Bronx, NY
  • Mike Watson, PhD, American College of Medical Genetics, Bethesda, MD
  • Judith Benkendorf, MS, CGC, American College of Medical Genetics, Bethesda, MD
  • John Moeschler MD, New Hampshire LEND, Lebanon NH

How do genetic services and education fit into LEND training and the AUCD national community? A panel of geneticists share current highlights of national and regional initiatives and ask for input on current challenges and next steps.

 


Tuesday, 1:00pm

Concurrent Theme Session: Family Discipline

Family Discipline Trainees in LEND: Barriers, Strategies and Successes

  • Fran Goldfarb, MA, CHES, USC UCEDD, Los Angeles, CA
  • Terri Abrams, BSN, Family Trainee, Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities, Rochester, NY
  • Ruth Roberts, EdD, Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities, Memphis, TN
  • Anne Bradford Harris, PhD, MPH, RD, Waisman Center, Madison, WI

Family Discipline trainees are a growing trend in LEND programs. This presentation will focus on different models for family trainee participation, identify barriers to participation, and provide strategies to support LEND programs in including family trainees as full members of their training program.

Common Thread for Success: A LEND Family Trainee's Perspective on a Clinical Mentorship

  • Jackie Yingling, MS, Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities, Rochester, NY
  • Liz Baltus-Hebert, MS OTR, Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities, Rochester, NY
  • Terri Abrams, BSN, Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities, Rochester, NY

Through a unique interdisciplinary collaboration, a mentoring experience involving a Family Discipline trainee and a professional was developed. The trainee shadowed the professional in urban, suburban, foster care, and inpatient settings. At the end, the trainee recognized factors increasing family resiliency and identified a common thread of success.

Concurrent Theme Session: Spina Bifida

The Einstein/Montefiore Spina Bifida Clinic at Blythedale (EMSBC): A 20 Year Perspective

  • Robert Marion, MD, Rose F. Kennedy Center, Bronx, NY

In this presentation, the experience of the EMSBC in providing multidisciplinary care to patients with myelomeningocele will be reviewed.

Secondary Conditions and Adaptation in Spina Bifida: Research Results

  • Timothy J. Brei, MD, Riley Hospital for Children Indianapolis, IN
  • Kathleen J. Sawin, DNS, CPNP, FAAN, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
  • Thomas S. Webb, MD, MSC, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

Spina Bifida is a frequent but understudied congenital birth defect. Adolescents and adults are prone to many secondary conditions and poor adaptation as adults. This session reviews findings from recently completed research looking at factors associated with secondary conditions and adaptation outcomes.

Families As Organizational Leaders: Strategies to Fill the Leadership Gap

  • Barbara Levitz, MS, Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY
  • Mitchell Levitz, Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY

Individuals with disabilities and their families have participated for a long time as partners in policymaking endeavors and to serve as trainers in some LEND and UCEED programs and participate on Advisory Councils. But little attention has been given to developing family members for organizational leadership and management roles.

Recommendations for Research, Policy, and Advocacy: A Report from the Sibling Leadership Network

  • John Kramer, MA, Institute on Disability & Human Development, Chicago, IL
  • Tamar Heller, PhD, Institute on Disability and Human Development, Chicago, IL
  • Ann Kaiser, PhD, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, TN
  • Tom Fish, PhD, Nisonger Center, Columbus, OH
  • Katie Keiling, BA, Institute on Disability and Human Development, Chicago, IL

This session will summarize the outcomes of the Sibling Leadership Network, present current research trends focusing on siblings, discuss what UCEDDs are currently doing to reach siblings and suggest a path forward for advocacy.

Concurrent Theme Session: Technology Supports

Meaningful Literacy Experiences through Technology for Part C Programs

  • Mark Innocenti, PhD, Lisa Boyce, PhD, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Logan, UT
  • Vonda Jump, PhD, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Logan, UT

This session describes the facilitation of early language and literacy development by promoting shared conversations around meaningful literacy experiences using technological supports. Digital imagery to illustrate family-created stories in book format is highlighted. Demonstrations of the technology, research results, and Part C program staff case studies will be presented.

Data-driven Assistive Technology Activities in Utah

  • Martin Blair, MS, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Logan, UT
  • Sachin Pavithran, BS, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Logan, UT

Statewide assistive technology (AT) programs exist in every state and territory. Are consumers getting the AT that really makes a difference in their lives? The Utah Assistive Technology Program collects data from a variety of sources to better answer that question. This session will present the results of these data collection activities and demonstrate how data can be used to direct statewide AT services, policies, and practices.

Partnerships for Progress: Implementing the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities

  • Eileen Elias, MD, Office on Disability, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
  • Marisa Brown, MSN, RN, Center for Child and Human Development, Washington, DC
  • Download PPT [ppt, 196kb]

This session will review the strategies to implement the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities and engage AUCD participants to identify partnership opportunities to support this nationwide effort to improve health and health care access for persons with disabilities.

Growth Attenuation: A Panel Presentation and Discussion

  • Frederick Palmer, MD, Boling Center, Memphis, TN
  • Susan Yuan, PhD, Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, Burlington, VT
  • Panelists

This Panel Presentation will review the facts and furor regarding the "Ashley Treatment" (Growth Attenuation) and discuss possible options for action, research, and advocacy that face the network and the disability community at large.

The Key of G: A Film about a Supported Living Environment that Functions as an Interdependent, Inclusive Community

This inspirational will session highlight a successful model of supported living and explores an alternative way to advocate for supported living. Participants will view and discuss clips of The Key of G, an award-winning documentary focusing on the relationship between a young man with severe developmental disabilities and his artist caregivers. The film won a Golden Gate Award for Best Bay Area Documentary at the 2007 San Francisco International Film Festival.

Getting and Keeping People at the Table

  • Margaret Nygren, EdD, AUCD, Silver Spring, MD
  • Vyonda Martin, MA, Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Annie Alonso, PsyD, Puerto Rico Institute on Developmental Disabilities, San Juan, PR
  • Download PPT1 [ppt, 3.4MB]
  • Download PPT2 [ppt, 4.6MB]

The session will address reaching out, serving, and including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in the operations and functions of the UCEDD program, particularly on the CAC.

Learn the Signs. Act Early: A National Campaign to Increase Awareness about Developmental Delay and Referral to Early Intervention

  • Georgina Peacock, MD, MPH, AUCD Fellow, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/NCBDDD, Atlanta, GA
  • Chris Prue, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/NCBDDD, Atlanta, GA
  • Download PPT [ppt, 5.5MB]

CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early" is a campaign that focuses on child development and autism awareness to help identify developmental delays early. The session will also focus on the importance of building partnerships between systems involved in early intervention.

 

 


Tuesday, 2:30pm

Professional Competencies in Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • Cathy Pratt, PhD, Autism Society of America, Bloomington, IN

With the increasing incidence of autism comes the development of professional development and university based programs. This session will highlight professional competencies developed by a consortium of statewide entities and approved through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) process via the Council for Exceptional Children.

Concurrent Theme Session: Alternate Assessments & Credentials
Alternate Assessments and School Reform: The Apple, The Serpent, or Eve
  • Deborah Taub, PhD, Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute, Lexington, KY
  • Melissa E. Hudson, Masters in Severe and Profound Education, Madison Middle School
  • Download PPT [ppt, 6.6mb]

One of the first steps to creating school reform is creating culture change: which can be viewed as the apple, the serpent, or Eve. The presenters outline how alternate assessments can be a useful tool to develop a meaningful curriculum and how to foster culture change in your school.

National Study of Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Students with Disabilities

This presentation will summarize findings and implications of a recent national study on state high school graduation requirements and diploma options available to students with disabilities. Intended as well as unintended consequences and implications of the varied state policies and practices will also be discussed and recommendations presented.

Concurrent Theme Session: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Education and Training on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

  • Mary O'Connor, PhD, Tarjan Center, Los Angeles, CA

Prenatal alcohol exposure is a common cause of developmental disabilities, with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) estimated at 1% of all live births in the U.S. Training materials developed by the UCLA Regional Training Center to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the treatment of individuals with FASDs will be presented.

Prevention of FAS/FASD in Russian Children

  • Barbara Bonner, PhD, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Tatiana Balachova, PhD, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Larissa Tsvetkova, PhD, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Galina Isurina, PhD, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

This presentation will describe the data from a culturally-based approach to the prevention of FAS/FASD in Russian children. Data will be presented from pregnant and non-pregnant women, pediatricians, and obstetricians in Russia.

International Research and Training Partnerships: Benefits and Challenges

  • Erna Alant, PhD, Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
  • Lyle L. Lloyd, PhD, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
  • Diane Nelson Bryen, PhD, Institute on Disabilities, Philadelphia, PA

This presentation describes international partnerships in training and research between industrialized and developing countries in working towards sustainable impact. The paper is based on the experiences of the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication in South Africa in working with American and European partners over the past 17 years.

Concurrent Theme Session: Employment

Improving Integrated Employment Options for People with Disabilities through Partnership between UCEDD and the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant

  • Jacquelyn Wenkman, PhD, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • John Butterworth, PhD, Institute for Community Inclusion, Boston, MA
  • Lisa Mills, PhD, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Download PPT [ppt, 1.7MB]

Representatives from Massachusetts and Wisconsin will present their Research and System Change efforts around integrated employment options for people with disabilities who want to work or work more. Each UCEDD will review its activities and initiatives funded through the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant. The session will focus on the importance of cross-stakeholder approaches to change policy and service provision to ensure integrated opportunities for employment.

Increasing Employment and Self -Sufficiency for Individuals with Disabilities

  • Janice Holland, MS, Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Charleston, WV
  • Joy Mason, MSW, Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Charleston, WV
  • Kellie Gavran, MS, Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Charleston, WV
  • Jennifer Tenney, BS, Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Charleston, WV

Learn how strategic collaboration with the partners at the WORKFORCE One Stop Centers, Medicaid Buy-In and utilization of the Social Security Ticket to Work Incentives can provide successful opportunities for employment for individuals with disabilities.

Concurrent Theme Session: Transition

Community Building through a Collaborative Transition Planning Process

  • Susan Hetherington, MS, Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities, Rochester, NY
  • Martha Mock, PhD, Warner Graduate School of Education, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
  • Jackie Yingling, Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities, Rochester, NY

The session features grassroots effort in one community addressing transition from school to adult life for youth with disabilities through participation in innovative Collaborative Community Transition Planning. Highlights include: the planning process, expert panels' findings (youth, parents, educators, adult service providers), recommendations, and lessons learned. We will provide strategies to implement a planning process model in participants' communities.

Young Adult Perspectives on Effective Health Care Transitions: Pediatrics, Young Adults, and Adult Care Working Together

  • Jeff Sheen, MSW, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Logan, UT
  • Cameron Dolcourt, MS, Utah's Integrated Services Project Young Adult Advisory Committee, Logan, UT
  • Andrea Thomas, Student, Utah's Integrated Services Project Young Adult Advisory Committee, Logan, UT
  • Brandi Dodds, Student, Utah's Integrated Services Project Young Adult Advisory Committee, Logan, UT

This session will present the perspectives of young adults with disabilities in Utah on what it takes to transition effectively from pediatric to adult health care providers. Emphasis will be placed on the role pediatricians can take to assist young adults to make this transition successfully.

Concurrent Theme Session: Educational Advocacy

Together We're Better: Forging New Partnerships to Increase Access to the General Education Curriculum

  • Kathleen Whitbread, PhD, A.J. Pappanikou Center, Farmington, CT
  • Gina Fleming, MS, A.J. Pappanikou Center, Farmington, CT

The presenter will provide an overview of the Coaches Academy and the Student Technical Assistance Response (STAR) Team. Both projects provide families and educators with resources and assistance to help students with disabilities access the general education curriculum. The presentation will include project descriptions, case studies, and future research directions.

Uniform Training of Lay Special Education Advocates: Systematic Development and Evaluation of Core Competencies, Instructional Curriculum, and Practicum Guidelines

  • Barbara Wheeler, PhD, USC UCEDD & The CHILD Center, Los Angeles, CA
  • Denise Marshall, MA, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Los Angeles, CA
  • Fran Goldfarb, MA, CHES, USC UCEDD & The CHILD Center, Los Angeles, CA

A discussion of the development and field-testing of a 230-hr course/practicum, designed to assure uniformity in the preparation of Special Education Advocates working with families, as an alternative to due process. Data were collected on entry level pre-requisites, core competencies for advocates, and the effectiveness of the curriculum in preparing advocates.


Development and Testing of a Program Evaluation Plan for Easter Seals Project ACTION

  • Michael McCarthy, MSW, Oregon Institute on Disability & Development, Portland, OR
  • Karen Wolf-Branigan, MSW, Easter Seals Project ACTION, Washington, DC
  • Marilyn Sue Hartzell, MEd, Oregon Institute on Disability and Development, Portland, OR

The Oregon Institute on Disability and Development developed, tested, and assisted with implementing a comprehensive program evaluation plan for Easter Seals Project ACTION. We present the key steps in developing a consumer/stakeholder-centered evaluation plan, the instruments and technologies developed to evaluate the impact of Project ACTION's activities, and discuss the effort's challenges and successes.

Concurrent Theme Session: Mental Health

TIES Clinic: Partnering to Promote Best Practice Psychiatric Care for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, Mental Illness, and Challenging Behaviors

  • Nancy Shook, MSSW, MSN, Waisman Center, Madison, WI
  • Paul White, MS, Waisman Center, Madison, WI

The Waisman Center TIES Psychiatry Clinic specializes in care for individuals with developmental disabilities. Partnership is key to offering best practice psychiatric care and supporting community living for people with challenging behaviors. Partners include the individual, psychiatric providers, behavioral consultants, support teams, family members, county and other financial providers, environmental modification services, and crisis support systems.

Leveraging Resources: An Inter-Agency Collaboration to Integrate Mental Health Services into a Comprehensive Health Care Delivery System

  • Patrice Yasuda, PhD, The CHILD Center, Los Angeles, CA

Limited referrals, shortages of experienced staff and difficulty with reimbursement often prevent mental health from being fully integrated into a comprehensive system of health care delivery for families with children with special health needs. The CHLA/USC UCEDD conducted a pilot program staffed by a LEND trainee to address these issues.

Concurrent Theme Session: Participatory Research

Exploring the Web-based PAR Toolkit: "Making It Real: Participatory Action Research in UCEDDs"

  • Angela Weaver, MEd, The Center on Self-Determination, OHSU/CDRC, Portland, OR
  • Susan Yuan, PhD, Center for Disability and Community Inclusion, Burlington, VT
  • Cathy Haarstad, Council for Persons with Disabilities, Minot State University, Minot, ND
  • Tanya Baker-McCue, Center for Development and Disability, Albuquerque, NM
  • Bethany Stark, Tarjan Center, Los Angeles, CA
  • G. Denise Lance, PhD, Beach Center on Disability, Lawrence, KS

This interactive workshop provides attendees with the opportunity to explore and experience several of the tools, strategies and resources, including the "PAR in UCEDDs curriculum and PowerPoint", within the web-based Participatory Action Research (PAR) Toolkit (developed by OIDD and AUCD's COCA) as well as provide feedback and share PAR experiences.

Creating an Interrelationship of Community-based Participatory Research, Self-Determination and Quality Improvement to Improve Health Care Coordination

  • David Branding, PhD, Resource One Company, Inc, Kewadin, MI
  • Kay McKay, Resource One Chair, Kewadin, MI

Using community based participatory research (CBPR) to evaluate and improve health care coordination activities is the purpose of the Health Care Coordination Evaluation Team. This session will describe CBPR and key issues in care primary and specialty care coordination, as well quantitative and qualitative findings from this unique initiative.

A Cultural Competence Curriculum for LEND Fellows: From the Personal to the Organizational View

  • Ingrid Allard, MD, MSEd, Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY
  • Karen Edwards, MD, MPH, Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY

Cultural competence and health care disparities education are essential for effective holistic care of children with disabilities and special health care needs and their families. This concurrent session will present a cultural competence curriculum designed for a LEND program: its goals and objectives, educational techniques, challenges, and successes.