2009 Gold Star Award
November 10, 2009
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| Ken DeGraff (center) receives the 2009 AUCD Gold Star Award with AUCD President Michael Gamel McCormick (left) and AUCD President-Elect Tamar Heller (right) |
Kenneth DeGraff awarded 2009 Gold Star Award
Kenneth DeGraff, Legislative Director to Mike Doyle (D-PA), member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and serves as co-chair of the Autism Cacus, received the 2009 Gold Star Award today at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Annual Meeting and Conference.
The AUCD Gold Star Award, established in 2002, is presented to a Capitol Hill staffer who exemplifies a true partnership in crafting strong public policy. This award recognizes the staffer for his/her professional and personal efforts to craft policy and implement programs with input from AUCD and the greater disability community, thus supporting AUCD in achieving its mission to advance policy and practice for and with people living with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.
During the 109th Congress, Kenneth helped to develop and pass the Combating Autism Act, which significantly increased federal resources for research at NIH, surveillance at the CDC, and information dissemination and interdisciplinary training through MCHB, including an expansion of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disability (LEND) network. He also helped to draft and introduce the Expanding the Promise for People with Autism Act.
AUCD thanks you, Kenneth, wholeheartedly for working with our Association and the disability community to advance that public policy. Your work is making a significant difference in the lives of countless individuals with disabilities and their families.
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Established in 1971, AUCD is a membership organization comprised of three national networks of interdisciplinary, university-based Centers dedicated to research, education, leadership training, policy development, and direct service for people with disabilities.
