• |
  • |
  • |
  • |
Donate

National Training Directors Council (NTDC)

Read this page in plain language

The purpose of the National Training Directors Council (NTDC) is to serve as a focus and forum for the identification and discussion of issues related to preservice and in-service interdisciplinary training. NTDC functions as a representative voice of preservice interdisciplinary training interests and concerns within the AUCD Network, and influences the development and implementation of national training policies and initiatives, and shares best practices and exemplary resources developed and used by UCEDDs and LENDs across the nation.

Download Flyer

How NTDC Relates to Center Work

The National Training Director Council works for and with training directors and responds to their and the Network's needs. Current areas of support include:

  • The development of culturally competent interdisciplinary preservice training for individuals enrolled in Network training programs.
  • Developing curriculum and training for self-advocates and family members.
  • Incorporating community members and practicing professionals in their training programs in a manner which promotes diversity and inclusion.
  • The NTDC also supports and mentors training directors in their own development as leaders who build the capacity of the Network to affect change at the local, state, and national levels.

How to Get Involved

The Council is composed of one representative from each AUCD Network member who is the Preservice Education Coordinator and/or Training Director/Coordinator or a designee who best represents the overall training interests of that Center or Program. The full Council meets once a year in conjunction with the AUCD Conference. The NTDC Steering Committee and the Council's task force/ad hoc committees also meet in person once a year and as needed during the year through conference calls.

Related News

U.S. Access Board visits Vanderbilt Kennedy Center to discuss the state of accessibility

Attendees sit around a U-shaped desk setup at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center office building during a meeting of the U.S. Access Board.

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VKC UCEDD), and its Developmental Disabilities Network partners, welcomed representatives from the U.S. Access Board in July for a statewide roundtable discussion focused on accessibility and the experiences of Tennesseans with disabilities. The meeting is part of the Board’s ongoing effort to engage communities across the country and gather perspectives that will help inform its work and future initiatives. More


Call for Presentation Proposals 2027: Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability

42nd Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability. The Fourth Week of March 2027. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Call for Presentations. Due: November 5, 2026. Submit: https://go.hawaii.edu/RMs .

ICI’s Partnership to Support Children with IDD in Africa

Mikala Mukongolwa.

Zambia-based educator Mikala Mukongolwa is helping train teachers in her country to better support children with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and to build inclusive communities in the southern African country. "We were the first [in Zambia] to come up with a child protection policy and to help parents better understand behaviors in their children with disabilities. All that knowledge came from DirectCourse [which ICI developed]. Without ICI, I would still be in the dark."

Alt text: Mikala Mukongolwa. More


View More