POLICY
3/23/2023
Apply Now! Become a 2023 Think College Policy Advocate!
Deadline: April 24, 2023
The Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) and Think College National Coordinating Center (NCC) are happy to announce this opportunity to learn and practice policy advocacy skills is once again available to students and staff of inclusive higher education programs. If you or someone you know works for or attends a postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disability, you can apply to be a Think College Policy Advocate (TCPA).
3/16/2023
NH-ME LEND Spring Kick-Off: Engaging in Advocacy and the Policy Process
In January, NH-ME LEND convened trainees, faculty, and five panelists for a Leadership Intensive: Organizing to Influence Your State's Policy. Panelists represented perspectives on advocacy at the state, local, and personal levels. The Leadership Intensive was the first step in preparing the 2023 LEND cohort for the spring Disability Policy Seminar (DPS) and subsequent meetings with congressional delegations.
3/15/2023
Developmental Disabilities Day at the Legislature Reflection
by Melanie Ong and Martina Penalosa, MCDD Trainees
Every year, the Maryland Developmental Disabilities (MDD) Coalition sponsors DD Day. On this day, participants come together to educate legislators about issues that are important to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families.
2/15/2023
GaLEND Alumna Selected as the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation Public Policy Fellow
Catherine Citta, a 2021 alumna of the Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (GaLEND) program at Georgia State University, has been selected as the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation's Public Policy Fellow for 2023.
6/27/2022
Statement of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities on Reproductive Health
In response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision today in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) issues the following statement. First and foremost, AUCD recognizes the significance and complexity of the impact of the decision on all people, including those with disabilities. For many, this is deeply personal. AUCD fully supports and advocates for people with disabilities to have the right and freedom to make their own decisions about healthcare.
6/27/2022
Statement on Gun Violence and Mass Shootings to Ensure the Safety of People with Disabilities
AUCD is concerned about the increased incidence of mass shootings and gun violence in the past few years, and we are grateful for the bipartisan efforts to address it. We recognize this issue is a complex balancing act of personal freedom and collective safety in the United States. However, we must also acknowledge that among developed economies, the United States has the highest level of gun violence, gun shots are the leading cause of death for children, and many of these deaths occur at home or in other homes and not in schools or mass shootings.
3/10/2022
MI-DDI Community Trainers Talk About Home and Community Based Services (HCBS)
Community Trainers from the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute educate people and families through virtual meetings. Each Community Trainer created a video to share what HCBS mean to them.
3/10/2022
NH-ME LEND Spring Kickoff Event Helps Prepare Trainees for Disability Policy Seminar
In late January, the NH-ME LEND Program hosted a two-state panel discussion and a keynote speaker as part of their virtual Spring Semester Kick Off Event, Organizing to Influence Your State's Policy. The session was designed to help prepare NH and ME trainees to participate in the annual Disability Policy Seminar in Washington, DC on March 28-30, 2022.
12/23/2021
Liz's Top 5 Favorite AUCD2021 Concurrent Sessions
Liz Weintraub from AUCDs hit series, Tuesdays with Liz, shares her favorite concurrent sessions from the AUCD 2021 Virtual Conference. Here are the sessions that attendees should check out via the conference platform!
10/13/2021
AUCD 2021 Hill Day Virtual Meeting Request
We have provided a sample script that you may individualize to set-up a meeting with members offices for the #AUCD2021 Virtual Hill Day. Note: you will need to fill in the editable fields and delete the highlighted text before sending.
5/21/2021
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Organizations Leaders Object to Offensive Language Made by Albert Watkins
AUCD and leading intellectual and developmental disability organizations object to the offensive language made by Albert Watkins. Read our joint statement below
3/2/2021
Georgetown UCEDD Awards Washington Post Journalist Award for Disability Inclusion and Storytelling
In Washington DC, the Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (GUCEDD) is proud to announce that journalist Theresa Vargas was awarded the 2020 Geraldine P. Waldorf Making A Difference Award. Working for The Washington Post, Vargas wrote 38 articles advocating for individuals with developmental and other disabilities and their families last year.
2/22/2021
2021 Disability Policy Seminar
April 19-22, 2021 - A Virtual Event
The Disability Policy Seminar offers the opportunity for passionate advocates, self-advocates, experts, and professionals in the field to come together and learn about key issues that affect them most. After two days of training and learning, attendees head to Capitol Hill for a day of meetings with their Members of Congress.
2/9/2021
AUCD Policy Fellowship 2021
The purpose of the Fellowship is to provide significant experiences in national level activities related to policy and legislative development, advocacy, program development, technical assistance, and AUCD administration. The Fellowship in Disability Policy is envisioned as a mutually beneficial arrangement between the Fellow, the Fellows community, and the AUCD central office.
1/11/2021
Lived Experience and Leadership: Self Advocates and Family Members in the Disability Rights Movement
Each fall, the NH-ME LEND Program conducts a leadership intensive on the history of disability. This year, the session was reworked to cover the history of the disability movement. Trainees were asked to watch the 2020 documentary, Crip Camp, and to reflect upon how this innovative inclusive summer camp for teenagers with disabilities during the 1970's helped to mobilize a generation of disability rights activists and energize the independent living movement.