ADD Core - UCEDD Administration

2007

The Oregon Institute on Disability & Development (OIDD) at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center of Oregon Health & Science University has a 35-year history in promoting the well being of persons with developmental and other disabilities through training, research and evaluation, community services, technical assistance, information dissemination, and policy development. Its mission is to enhance the well being and quality of life of persons with disabilities and their families. We collaborate with persons with disabilities and their families to develop new knowledge and practices, train leaders, impact communities, and effect broad systems change. Through this collaboration we strive to exemplify accessibility, leadership development, and full societal participation of people with disabilities.Oregon census data identify a strong need for the services OIDD seeks to facilitate. The large number of individuals with developmental disabilities in Oregon not being served by existing DD services coupled with a marked increase in children requiring special services and a growing ethnically diverse population combine to create a fundamental need for the goals OIDD is pursuing. In a 2000 survey, more than sixty-eight thousand adults reported having a cognitive limitation that was severe enough to require personal care/home management services. In comparison, the number of Oregon adults documented in the Developmental Disabilities system is less than thirteen thousand. This disparity is reflected among children as well, with the number of children enrolled in special education services far outnumbering those documented through DD systems. Furthermore, the number of children needing such services is growing. The number of Oregon children receiving special education services for disabilities in schools in 2000-2001- more than sixty-nine thousand- represents a 10% increase from ten years earlier. Similarly, racially and culturally diverse populations, communities that historically experience a disproportionate rate of disabilities, have grown significantly in the same period, from 10.5% to 15% of the state?s population. These populations are at a double risk because not only do they experience higher rates of disabilities than Caucasian populations they are also less likely to have access to disabilities services.The OIDD?s work has focused on the following major areas: Self-Determination, Health and Wellness, Education, Employment, Community Living, and Housing. Self-Determination for people with disabilities and their families is the overarching tenet of OIDD and informs all its work. OIDD is currently expanding the scope of its services to include new areas of focus:? Adolescent Transition Since 1960, the number of children and youth with special health needs has doubled. Adolescents with disabilities have traditionally faced major health-related barriers for a variety of reasons including lack of affordable health insurance and difficulty in finding and using services. A problem gaining increased attention is the lack of coordination between pediatric and adult health providers and among agencies that serve adolescents and young adults with special needs. Our goal is to facilitate such cooperation and to ensure that adult health care systems are prepared to provide quality healthcare to these individuals as they make the transition between adolescence and adulthood. ? Information and Assistive Technologies The rapid advance of web-based communication and information dissemination is fundamentally altering the way information is accessed and shared. These changes hold great promise for people with disabilities and their families. Similarly, assistive technology has rapidly become an essential component of support for persons with disabilities. Our goal is to collaborate with users and potential users of these technologies along with engineers and other experts in the field with the purpose of increasing the participation of persons with disabilities in both the development and the use of the technologies.? Diversity and Cultural Competence One major population identified as being underserved in Oregon is the state?s culturally diverse community. As Oregon?s population has become more ethnically diverse, the state?s health care providers have not kept pace. We hope to collaborate with members of Oregon?s diverse communities to help the state?s health care providers adapt to the language needs of its rapidly changing patient population and to adequately address the needs of an increasingly diverse disabled population. Additionally we hope to continue to increase the cultural competence of our own staff and students and to let diversity guide and influence our recruitment efforts for both employees and students.? Expanded Research Capacity OIDD is in the process of realizing its potential as a nationally recognized research and program evaluation center within the field of disabilities. We will continue to develop a strong program of rigorous applied research and program evaluation of significance to persons with disabilities, their families, and their communities. The research is being carried out with an eye toward yielding knowledge both substantively and methodologically and our evaluation efforts emphasize the measurement of outcomes of intervention efforts. Of key interest is the refinement and use of research methods to involve persons with cognitive disabilities in participatory research. ? Integration and Synergy Across Perspectives It is our goal to continue to provide an exemplary program in interdisciplinary clinical leadership training, to develop effective community outreach programs, and to promote self-determination among persons with disabilities. We have increasingly embraced a public health approach that regards disability and environmental adaptation to functional limitations as a public health issue. We will work to synergize the perspectives within OIDD, seeking unique viewpoints and collaborative research. The interest and enthusiasm that has been generated within OIDD and within other research entities in the University suggest that there are many opportunities for us to expand and incorporate multiple perspectives beyond those of our current intellectual and philosophical borders.During our 2002 ADD sponsored site visit, OIDD was commended for being a long-standing UCEDD that has contributed considerably to the knowledge base as the UCEDD network has evolved. By expanding our focus and taking on new initiatives we hope to continue to serve the disabled community both in Oregon and in the national arena through research, outreach, and information dissemination and to continue to make contributions to theory, practice, and policy.

self-determination, info/assist tech; health/wellness, commuinty accessibil

Training Trainees, Performing Technical Assistance and/or Training, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information

Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention, Health-Related Activities, Employment-Related Activities, Housing-Related Activities, Transportation-Related Activities, Recreation-Related Activities, Quality of Life

Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, General Public

Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Empowerment Zone, Rural/Remote, Urban

State, Regional, National, International

N/A