AUCDigest

March 30, 2007 • Volume 7, Number 3

AUCD NETWORK NEWS

Indiana Institute on Disability and Community's (UCEDD) Faculty Honored for Contributions in the Field of Autism. Dr. Cathy Pratt, Director of the Resource Center for Autism, was honored this month at a dinner hosted by the New York Families for Autistic Children (NYFAC) for her advocacy work in the field of autism. Pratt received recognition from representatives from NYFAC, the Borough of Queens, the New York State Assembly, and the US House of Representatives.

Trainees from Puerto Rico to Join Westchester Institute for Human Development (NY LEND Program) via Distance Technology. Four students from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) will serve as trainees in the LEND program in the School of Public Health at New York Medical College, starting in September 2007. The 2007-2008 academic year will initiate what is intended to be a long-term collaboration between UPR and Westchester. Each year, the Instituto de deficiencias en el desarrollo (PR UCEDD) of the School of Public Health at the UPR will select 2–5 trainees to participate in the Westchester LEND program. UPR will also provide faculty to lead specific Westchester LEND sessions for which they have special expertise. Trainees from Puerto Rico will visit the Westchester Institute for Human Development in September as well as later in the academic year and participate in the remaining LEND sessions via video-conferencing and other distance learning technology. The collaboration is intended to benefit trainees in both Westchester and Puerto Rico by putting them in touch every week with peers from a distant cultural and geographic setting. For more information, email Dr. Laurie Miller.

Connecticut Center for Excellence in Disabilities (UCEDD) Empowers Self-advocates in Selecting Their Own Personal Assistants. The UCEDD is about to embark on its final step of the Connecticut Personal Assistance Services & Support project, funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the CT Department of Social Services. In mid-April project staff will conduct train-the-trainer sessions with self-advocates from the CT Department of Mental Retardation. These trainers will then train other self-advocates in hiring and managing their own personal assistants. All components of the trainings are being evaluated, including interviews with trainees to assess their experiences with recruitment and retention of personal assistants. For more information, contact Therese Nadeau at 860-679-1500.

Hawaii Center on Disability Studies’ (UCEDD) 23rd Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities a Rousing Success.
The UCEDD had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Patricia Morrissey, ADD Commissioner, as a featured speaker. Keynote speakers included Greg Smith, Sue Thomas, and Kim and Fran Peek. The conference was chaired by individuals with disabilities and people with disabilities and their family members comprised more than half the audience. Save the tentative dates of March 24-25, 2008 for the 24th annual conference to be held again in Honolulu. For more details, please contact Dr. Jean Johnson.

AIDTAC Activities at the Rural Institute (MT UCEDD)

• Support Efforts of Employment for Native American Beneficiaries with Disabilities. The American Indian Disabilities Technical Assistance Center (AIDTAC) recognizes that cultural and language diversity presents unique challenges for those who work to support the successful employment of Native American beneficiaries with disabilities. Through our cooperative agreement with SSA called “Technical Assistance on Native American Culture (TANAC),” we will provide technical assistance to WIPA projects, working especially with Community Work Incentives Coordinators to develop effective communication strategies for work with Native populations.
• Support Efforts on Electoral Process for Native American with Disabilities. AIDTAC also administers the Native American Considerations and the Electoral Process Project (NACEPP), which provides access to training and technical assistance to improve awareness and understanding of Protection and Advocacy staff (P&As) and state and local election officials of the historical and cultural barriers that prevent full participation in the electoral process for Native Americans with disabilities. The long-term goal of the project is to promote improved electoral participation by Native Americans with disabilities in local, state, and national elections, including registering to vote, casting a vote, and accessing polling places.

For further information about these activities, email Julie Clay, AIDTAC Director.

News and Activities from the Institute on Disability and Human Development (IL UCEDD)

• "Her Autistic Brothers." Read the article online (free online subscription required).
• The Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research will hold an invitation-only "Disability, Race and Culture: The State-of-the-Science" conference in Chicago, July 25 to 27, 2007. The conference is co-sponsored by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR); UIC's Department of Disability and Human Development, Office of the Dean of the College of Applied Health Sciences, and Department of Occupational Therapy; and DePaul University's Department of Psychology. The goals of the conference are to (1) provide an interactive forum for sharing state of the science research concerning disability, race and culture among researchers, students, service providers and persons of color with disabilities and (2) prepare and publish and book based on the conference presentations and the perspectives of the participants.
• 2007 State of the Science in Aging with DD: Charting Lifespan Trajectories and Supportive Environments for Health Community Living, May 21, 2007, Atlanta, Georgia. This pre-conference symposium to the AAID annual meeting presents the current knowledge on the social, environmental and technological supports needed to promote the health and community participation of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout their lifetime. Key international researchers will present the latest research findings and their practical applications to set the agenda for future research in four thematic areas.

For further information about these activities, email Dr. Mary Kay Rizzolo.

News and Activities from the Institute for Community Inclusion (MA UCEDD)

• Training on Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities and Employment. Rick Kugler and Amy Gelb ran a training session about employing people who have recovered from psychiatric disabilities in Maine this February. There were two live audiences located in Bangor and Augusta, and five additional groups of participants who joined through video conferencing. This training was arranged through the Office of Adult Mental Health Services and the Muskie Center. The final training will be in April.
• Presentation on Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities and Employment. Joe Marrone will present on disability advocacy within employment at a conference about “Cultivating Recovery through Psychiatric Rehabilitation.” The event, which runs April 10-12, will be held at the Penn Starter Conference Center Hotel in State College, PA. Marrone will focus on the need for organizations to develop structures to accommodate workers with disabilities.

  Moving Toward E-Government—Effective Strategies for Increasing Access and Use of the Internet (Publication). Heike Boeltzig co-authored an article about the twelve initiatives used in both the US and the UK to present e-government to non-internet users. The article can be found at the provided hyperlink and will be published in the UK’s Ability Magazine in April 2007. Additionally, Boeltzig will present the findings from her publication for the National Social Science Association and at a Social Inequality and Public Policy Conference held at UMass Boston. She is also scheduled to present on the publication in Philadelphia in May.

• NSIP’s “Disability Inclusion Train the Trainer” Institute. The National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) is holding a national “Disability Inclusion Train the Trainer” event at the Institute for Community Inclusion on April 18th – 21st. This event refreshes the skills of thirty participants, who are State Commission Disability Coordinators, from across the country by strengthening their ability to address complex questions about accommodations, understanding and applying adult learning principles, and being able to use the curriculum’s evaluation instruments and resources. Registration for this event is closed.

For further information about these activities, email Quinn Barbour.

News and Activities from the West Virginia Center for Excellence in Disabilities (UCEDD)

• Recognition for Innovation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Ticket to Work Team presented West Virginia MIG project with the “Most Innovative Use of Data Systems” Award to the UCEDD for the calendar year 2006 at the 2007 CMS New Freedom Initiative Conference.
• Universal Design Passed in Housing Legislation. Senate Bill 59 to amend the Fair Housing code of West Virginia and the West Virginia Contractors Licensing Act was passed by both Houses of the West Virginia Legislature. The amendment says that a licensed contractor of any proposed residential housing shall provide an informational list of basic Universal Design (UD) features to a buyer. A definition of UD features are included in the law and include making the entrance, interior routes of travel, the kitchen and bathrooms universally accessible. The standard list of UD features shall be certified by the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board based on mutual recommendations of the American Institute of Architects West Virginia, the Home Builder Association of West Virginia and the Center for Excellence in Disabilities.
• Youth Transition Training. The UCEDD has established a collaborative initiative with Human Resource Development Foundation, Inc. (HRDF) to help implement a three county youth transition program funded by the Social Security Administration. The UCEDD provided new staff training in collaboration with Transcen, a consulting group from Maryland.
• Fine Arts Program
• Last fall, teams of WVU student multimedia reporters paired with artists with disabilities from the UCEDD Fine Arts Program to create alternate forms of story telling. Students adapted their multimedia tools to accommodate the unique expressions of the artists. Five artists from the Fine Arts Program were highlighted in a video series. Four more will join their ranks during the Spring 2007 semester. WVU faculty wished to map the emergent practices, adaptations, and new media/technology innovations that would occur, as well as highlight the talents of the artists. This laboratory environment served as a catalyst for artists interested in the fine arts as a profession, or as a hobby.
• The UCEDD Fine Arts Program was highlighted in the national magazine, Social Work Today in the November/December 2006 issue. The article, "Picturing Social Work - Fully Able to Create" showcased artwork, stories and photos of artists who work with Helen Panzironi, the Fine Arts Coordinator.

For further information about these activities, email Melina Danko.

News and Activities from the Utah Center for Persons with Disabilities (UCEDD)

• Anniversary Celebration. The UCEDD will celebrate its 35th Anniversary between June 15 and 16, 2007. The theme, "35 Years of Making a Difference," speaks to the contributions of our staff, students, families, friends, and colleagues. Several events are being planned, and we invite all who have been partners with the CPD to join us (whether you knew us as the Exceptional Child Center, the Developmental Center for Persons with Disabilities, or the CPD) to celebrate 35 years of successful research, services and education.
• Martha J. Fields Award of Excellence Recipient. UCEDD Faculty John Copenhaverwas presented the Martha J. Fields Award of Excellence from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDE). The Fields Award is awarded to an organization or individual who has made extraordinary contributions in helping NASDSE realize its mission and goals. Copenhaver currently serves as the Director for the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center.
• Statewide Assistive Technology Trainings. The Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind, the Utah Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the UCEDD have organized statewide assistive technology trainings designed for people who are blind or visually impaired, their family members, and the professionals who work with them. Trainers will include experienced professionals from various agencies and consumer consultants. Training events will be held across Utah during March and April. For more information, visit the UCEDD's Calendar of Events or contact Sachin Pavithran at 801-797-6572 (866-284-2821).

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