In early September, a new cohort of trainees from New Hampshire and Maine traveled to the University of New Hampshire (UNH) for the Fall 2021 Kickoff. Faculty and trainees had the opportunity to meet in person, participate in team-building activities at The Browne Center for Innovative Learning (UNH's outdoor educational center), and gather the following day for the Leadership Boost, a core LEND activity

2020-21 Louisiana LEND scholar Natasha M. Lee-Johnson, MSW, MED has been selected for a competitive fellowship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) as a Health Policy Research Scholar.

Daniela Berrios and Molly Smeal, two audiology professionals from the University of Miami Health System, received the Distinguished Early Career Professional (ECP) certificate from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The award was created by ASHA to recognize and identify ECPs in the fields of audiology and speech-language pathology who are making an impact in the areas of leadership, volunteering, or advocacy at the local, state, and/or national level.

I haven't been watching the Olympics. The more I think about it, the more unfair the Olympics become. The Olympics are based on the idea of "equality." Equality means everyone gets the same thing and performs under the same conditions. The Olympics strives to create a controlled environment where the only variable is the athletic talent of the Olympians. But this concept is inherently flawed in that not all athletes are the same. In fact, all athletes,like all people, are a little different. And the challenge with equality is that when everyone is submitted to the same conditions it will inherently advantage some and discriminate against others.

Zephyr James (MN LEND, 2018-19), who has autism, will address the current class of MN LEND fellows in October about deficits/traits. "Any trait can be seen as a deficit if you frame it a certain way," she said. ALT text for photo: Zephyr James (MN LEND, 2018-19).

The Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) is pleased to announce the new vice chairs for the 2021-2022 year. The vice chairs of the Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) will work closely with the co-chairs Brian Be and Dr. Laura Carpenter on SIG activities and events throughout the year.

The Skills and Strategies for Health Care Decision-Making guide was developed by URLEND trainees supported by the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities at the University of Montana. The free guide may be printed or downloaded as a fillable PDF.

In May 2021, the Hawaii MCH LEND Program congratulated 22 long term trainees on their successful completion of the Program. At the final training session, trainee Victoria Murray (Discipline: Self-Advocacy) shared a beautiful poem with the cohort that captured what she learned in the Program. We wanted to share that poem with all of you.

This past April, the Mailman Center for Child Development was awarded an AUCD grant to encourage responsiveness to the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities to increase vaccine confidence. Collaboration amongst network partners to engage in continued conversation around issues is the primary goal, as well the creation of materials and resources to disseminate information about vaccines and the vaccination process.

AUCD is excited to announce (3) openings for the AUCD Emerging Leaders Internship for the 2021-2022 academic year. Ideal candidates are interested in learning more about information sharing, resource development, and stakeholder engagement in a national non-profit organization setting. Interns will represent the AUCD Emerging Leaders Community a network of current and former trainees, including early career professionals, and act as connection points between their respective centers/programs and the broader AUCD network.