March 17, 2022
As you finish the current academic year and look forward to future cohorts, we recognize the importance of delivering relevant information and resources to your MCH training programs. We hope that you find the content of this newsletter helpful in supporting the work of your faculty, staff, and trainees.
You will notice that the newsletter sections mirror the AUCD Strategic Map priority areas. In doing so, we wish to highlight network resources and efforts that guide our collective work and mission.
Grow Diverse and Skilled Leaders
This section will highlight resources/opportunities for leadership at all levels by cultivating and equipping leaders with the skills to engage communities and improve systems.
Newly Added Training Toolbox Strategies
ITAC's Training Toolbox serves as a resource for programs to share innovative training strategies/activities on topics related to leadership and Maternal and Child Health. This Toolbox makes it easy for your program to browse through different, proven methods used by other programs to teach important concepts to trainees. This year, we are adding/highlighting new Toolbox strategies each quarter that align with MCH Leadership Competencies. Click the link above to learn more details about each strategy, associated learning objectives, benefits, supplemental resources/links, and the challenges/lessons learned. There are nearly 120 total strategies to browse!
2022 Disability Policy Seminar Policy Education 101
The Disability Policy Seminar (DPS) will be held March 28-30, 2022 in Washington, DC as well as virtually. AUCD is offering an orientation to DPS on March 23 at 2:30 PM ET. During this event, participants will learn the basics of how the federal government operates and how to connect their experience and expertise to policy.
2022 Post-EHDI LEND Workshop: Adaptability in an Ever-Changing Environment
ITAC is hosting a workshop for LEND pediatric audiology trainees on April 4 at 7:30 PM ET. ITAC’s annual workshop will introduce LEND pediatric audiology trainees to the various challenges of effectively serving children with hearing loss (including those with additional disabilities) and their families. It is a unique, interactive learning opportunity that brings together trainees and faculty from across the country. This year's focus is on adaptability in an ever-changing EHDI environment. Trainees will learn and discuss strategies from multiple perspectives on improving family-centered care.
Nomination for IASSID Awards 2022
The International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of IDD by designating them Fellows of IASSIDD. All nominations together with supporting documents and a nomination form must be submitted to the IASSIDD Secretary at [email protected] by April 1, 2022. Deadline April 1, 2022.
Structural Competence and Cultural Humility to Address Disparities and Inequities: A Foundational Health Equity Training for Current LEND Trainees
This training by Dr. Maria Mercedes Avila is available to all current LEND Trainees. The max capacity for each training is 40 participants. Trainings are on a first-come, first-served basis. Deadline to register is April 15, 2022. For questions, contact Jeanette Córdova at [email protected].
AUCD Professional Fellows: International Impact and Lessons
The AUCD's Professional Fellows Programs (PFP) represent the network's most significant foray to date into the realm of international disability rights. From 2016 to 2021, AUCD implemented two overlapping U.S. Department of State federal awards that sponsored international professional exchange programs on inclusive education and employment. Multiple LEND programs hosted international fellows and contributed significantly to their education and capacity-building efforts.
Welcome 2021-2022 AUCD Trainee Liaisons
We are excited to announce the 2021-2022 cohort of Trainee Liaisons! Please join us in welcoming these new leaders to our community.
iGROW - New Funded Grant The "I Generate Rural Opportunities for Work"
iGROW project is a one-year pre-employment and leadership-training program for students with disabilities who are currently enrolled in middle school and high school (ages 14-22). The purpose of the program is to provide a training environment to support students with disabilities to gain the necessary skills and experiences in work readiness to successfully transition into post-secondary education and/or competitive integrated employment.
The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston, in partnership with Humanity & Inclusion (H.I.), has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of State to develop and implement the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement, a new professional program for emerging leaders in Africa to exchange and implement best practices for inclusive civic engagement.
Model Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
This section will highlight resources/opportunities to reach out, engage, and include underrepresented groups to advance our knowledge and impact.
New Resources Added to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Hub (ED&I)
New resources added to the ED&I Hub include Building Connections in Black Communities: Faith, Autism, Health Care, and Research; Webinar: Faith, Disability, Mental Health, and Research: Engaging Black People of African Descent in the Dialogue; Reconciling the Past and Changing the Future: Engaging Young Adults with IDD-MH and Researchers in Comparative Effectiveness Research; Toolkit for Remote Inclusive Research. Also, learn about North Dakota's Center for Person with Disabilities (NDCPD) work to address COVID-19 Related Health Inequities, including creating videos and testimonials Related to the Covid Vaccine. If you have any resources related to equity, diversity, and inclusion to add to the ED&I Hub, please email [email protected].
AUCD Spanish-Language Caucus Recruiting Members
AUCD is excited to announce the recruitment of new members for the AUCD Spanish-Language Caucus (SLC). The SLC is a workgroup open to Spanish-speaking individuals within the AUCD network. We hope for representation from all network roles (Spanish-speaking faculty, staff, Self-Advocates and LEND, UCEDD, and IDDRC current and former trainees). Please reach out to Jeanette Córdova at [email protected] with any questions.
AUCD Network Narratives
AUCD Network Narratives is a podcast from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) that shares real stories from network members working to change systems and structures that impact people with disabilities. Latest podcasts:
- Growing Leaders in Self-Advocacy: Jairo Arana joins the AUCD Network Narratives podcast to share his advice on how we can improve Self-Advocacy curriculums within our programs. Jairo’s journey in Self-Advocacy began after being diagnosed late in life with autism and taking a three-day intensive pipeline leadership training program. This sparked his Self-Advocacy journey which eventually led him to become the full-time clinical program coordinator at the Mailman Center for Child Development. In this episode, Jairo shares his personal story of Self-Advocacy, leadership, and impact. Jairo takes you behind the scenes of his leadership program and how finding his mentor impacted his work and Self-Advocacy journey.
- Paving the Way for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity in Curriculums: Dr. Gail Chodron is on a mission to bring forth change by improving access to integrated systems for children with an autism spectrum disorder. She is the training director for the Wisconsin LEND and the coordinator of community training and technical assistance. Jeiri chats with Gail about what motivates her to incorporate equity, inclusion, and diversity into training curriculums. Gail also shares an important truth on why it isn’t the job of marginalized individuals to bring to light what others are excluding. However, she also discusses the importance of sharing lived experiences when it comes to advocacy and Self-Advocacy work.
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Other recent podcasts to take note of:
Advance Policies and Practices that Improve Lives
This section will highlight resources/opportunities that increase the use of evidence-based, culturally responsive, and inclusive policies and practices.
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Produces Trio of Videos on the COVID-19 Vaccine and Individuals with Intellectual Disability
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) produced three videos to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence in the disability community. These videos feature an adult with an intellectual disability and a parent and her daughter with autism, who share their personal experiences, hesitancy, and decision-making related to getting themselves or their child vaccinated.
Congratulations to Institute for Community Inclusion’s (ICI's) Think College and partners for accepting a $5.9 million three-year award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education to expand their remarkable work of translating and disseminating research and best practices on inclusive post-secondary education for colleges and universities across the U.S.
AUCD Efforts with the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN)
AUCD participated in the NCRN's Regional Community Coalition to increase COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Read a story from one of our AUCD Network members engaged in this coalition. Vacunada? Vacunado? Vacunadx? Vaccinated?
COVID Vaccine Public Service Announcements
To address the significant health risks for people with IDD and direct support workers, the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, in partnership with NADSP and support from AUCD, is producing a series of public service announcements encouraging direct support workers to get vaccinated.
Conduct and Apply Research and Share Knowledge
This section will highlight resources/opportunities that engage the disability community to identify priorities and conduct research with the goal of accessible presentation of information.
Perspectives on Multidisciplinary Care for Children with Autism – March 18, 2022, 12:00 PM CST
This speaker series will focus on research and service/training models designed to make developmental care more accessible for children with autism and their families, presenting perspectives from a range of pediatric disciplines. The next webinar will be held on March 18 at 12 PM CST on “Approaches to the Autism Spectrum Disorder Access Challenges”.
Request for Proposals: AIR-P Research Day at Autism CARES 2022
The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) is pleased to launch this call for proposals to present at the semi-annual AIR-P Research Day at Autism CARES 2022. This event aims to highlight innovative life course intervention research in the six Research Nodes supported by AIR-P and will include a section for rapid-fire presentations. Submissions of work in progress are encouraged, as the Research Day will provide an opportunity for structured questions and feedback from peers and experts. Special topics of interest are presentations highlighting the impact of genetics and neurology research in improving the physical health of autistic individuals and their families. Presentations are scheduled to be held in Bethesda, MD on August 10th, 2022. Deadline is March 25th, 2022, 4:00 PM Pacific Time.
Promising Practices from the Act Early Response to COVID-19 Project
AUCD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently developed two new Promising Practices for "Learn the Signs. Act Early." (LTSAE) as part of the Act Early Response to COVID-19 project. These promising practices represent the work of Act Early/COVID-19 Response Teams who found innovative solutions for integrating and expanding the reach of LTSAE and supporting early identification of young children with developmental delays and disabilities during the pandemic.
Resources and Announcements
AUCD is Hiring a Data Support Manager!
AUCD is seeking a highly qualified, full-time, Data Support Manager, to assist in the oversight of AUCD’s proprietary online relational database as well as provide leadership to our staff and network on the effective use of existing and new data to highlight the work and impact of individual centers and programs.
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and World Down Syndrome Day!
Every March, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) and its partners collaborate to observe Developmental Disabilities (D.D.) Awareness Month. The campaign highlights the many ways in which people with and without disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities. It also raises awareness about the inclusion of people with D.D. in all aspects of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that some people may still face in their communities.
April is Autism Acceptance Month!
AUCD, our members, and partners have used this as an opportunity to share information relating to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Learn more about why and learn about the AUCD Autism Acceptance Month activities.
Save the Date! 2022 AUCD for All Gala – April 17, 2022, 7:00 PM ET, Virtual Event
The 2022 AUCD for All Gala will take place on April 17, 2022. This year’s Gala is open to all and will be hosted in a virtual, accessible format from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET. The theme is Celebrating Leadership in Inclusive Science. During the Gala, AUCD will honor those who champion inclusive science and work to ensure that people with disabilities are included in every step of the research process. We hope you will join us!
Call for Applications: Autistic Individual Member of the AAP Autism Subcommittee
Complete the Application for This Position Here by April 22, 2022
The Autism Subcommittee, a group within the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), is looking for an autistic adult to join the Subcommittee. The Autism Subcommittee is a volunteer group that works to support children and young adults with autism, their families/caregivers, and clinicians who care for them. The Subcommittee is looking for:
- An adult on the autism spectrum who is at least 18 years of age
- Somebody who feels comfortable sharing their experiences and perspectives with clinicians and others
- Somebody who is familiar with organizations, resources, and supports for other autistic people
- Somebody who is comfortable engaging with a diverse set of interdisciplinary team members
More information about this role is available through the position description here. A PDF version of the position description and the application are attached. As part of the application process, the Autism Subcommittee requests a letter of recommendation from a pediatrician, instructions for submitting this letter are included in the application. This is a volunteer position with a stipend of $500. If you have any questions about the application and/or need any assistance in completing the application, please contact Alex Kuznetsov ([email protected]) or call 630-626-6087.
AMCHP 2022 Annual Conference: Reflecting on our Past, Shaping our Future
Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to connect and network with public health officials who share an interest in maternal and child health. The 2022 AMCHP Annual Conference will be held virtually May 24-26.
2022 Autism CARES Meeting: SAVE THE DATE
August 9-10, 2022, Location: Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, MD
The 2022 Autism CARES Meeting will be held August 9-10 at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, MD. This meeting is an opportunity for HRSA-funded CARES grantees (representing research, training, and state systems) to share information about activities within their respective networks, discuss emerging trends, and facilitate meaningful collaboration. More details, including registration, meeting content, and opportunities to share your expertise, will be available in Spring 2022. *Please note that the LEND Directors Meeting will be held on Monday, August 8th at the same location. The AIR-P Research Day will be held on the afternoon of August 10th at the same location.