AUCD 360 - January 2020

Announcing AUCD Acting Executive Director

The AUCD Board has appointed John Tschida, MPP, as the acting Executive Director of AUCD effective Monday, January 6, 2020. John Tschida, MPP, has spent more than 20 years using data and research to drive policy change and service development for individuals with disabilities. Before joining AUCD in February of 2017, he was appointed as director if the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.  Read more... 

Join AUCD at the Disability Policy Seminar!

The Disability Policy Seminar (DPS) is the premier opportunity to cultivate champions on Capitol Hill and advance the grassroots movement for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. All AUCD Emerging Leaders and guests are invited to an exclusive Sunday pre-Seminar Policy Forum. Attendees will have exclusive access to Hill staffers and former trainees now working in policy, and learn from the experts how to best craft your message for Wednesday's Hill visits. Read more... 

Apply Today! 2020 AUCD Leadership Academy

Application Deadline: March 2nd

The AUCD Leadership Academy is a year-long program designed to enhance the skills of current and emerging leaders from the disability network to build coalitions to improve systems of supports and services. The Leadership Academy seeks participants from UCEDDs, LENDs, and their disability partners to come together to immerse themselves for a week of study, shared experiences, self-evaluation, and skill development. Read more... 

AUCD Welcomes Jordan A. Kerr as Program Specialist for AUCD's Public Health Team

Jordan Kerr is a program specialist for AUCD's public health team. Her responsibilities include assisting in the development of project reports and publications and providing support and information on a wide range of activities that further the mission and goals of members of the AUCD network. Jordan holds a bachelor's degree in public health science from the University of Maryland, College Park. Read more... 

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In Memoriam: Carl D. Durocher

Carl D. Durocher, age 73 passed away on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Madison. For many years, Carl was chair of the Waisman Center’s Constituent Advisory Committee, and in that role assisted the Center to develop and implement its five year plans to meet is responsibilities as a federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. While at the Waisman Center, Carl was among staff at the Trace Center (now located at the University of Maryland), which has been a pioneer in work to apply engineering, computer science, disability studies, public policy, and information science to work toward a world that is accessible and usable by people of all ages and all abilities.  Read more...

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Institute for Disability Studies Transition Programs Win Awards (MS UCEDD)

Each year, Torchbearer Awards are given to honor individuals and organizations for their commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities. During the 2019 award ceremony, which also marked the 30th anniversary of the Coalition, the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), Mississippi's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), received two of the six awards presented. 
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How to Help Puerto Rico

You can help Puerto Rico as it continues to be impacted by earthquakes! Supplies are needed by people who cannot stay in their homes due to earthquake damage. Puerto Rico's disability network coordinates a collection and distribution center for supplies needed by the disability community.
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New App Developed by Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) to Help Pediatricians Recognize Autism Risk in Young Children

Researchers from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (VKC TRIAD, TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) and partners from technology start-up Adaptive Technology Consulting have been awarded $1 million from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to evaluate a new mobile app designed to help pediatricians recognize autism risk in young children. The app, named Autoscreen, walks pediatric providers through a short series of play activities and guides them through a set of observations designed to calculate a child's autism risk. Read more...

University of Cincinnati UCEDD Receives Grant to Establish a Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities

The University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCCEDD), has received a three-year, $1.5 million grant to lead a national coalition to establish the Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities (CDHPD). The grant is made possible by the Administration on Community Living and the goal is to identify and reduce life-limiting healthcare inequities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by improving access to medical protocols that reduce medical discrimination. Read more...

ArtAbilities Featured at Kids Basel Miami (FL UCEDD/LEND) 

The Mailman Center's Art Abilities Art Collection was exhibited at Kids Basel during Miami's Art Basel week from December 3 to 7th. Miami's Art Basel is an annual international art festival where artists around the world exhibit their artworks. Kids Basel, founded by Ashley and Brian Sidman, held their second exhibit this year showcasing artworks by young famous local and international artists. Read more...

Iowa's Money Follows the Person Program Ranked Third in Nation for I/DD Transitions (IA UCEDD) 

There are now 761 great reasons Money Follows the Person (MFP) is on display at the Center for Disabilities and Development, Iowa's UCEDD. Since the launch of the MFP program in Iowa, 761 individuals with disabilities have made the transition from facilities to community living, and that number keeps growing. A total of 649 individuals have completed the 365 days of support, and made the transition to the Intellectual Disabilities Waiver or Brain Injury Waiver. Read more...

1Health Adds MN LEND 

The MNLEND fellowship program was accepted as a designated 1Health Interprofessional Activity, the University of Minnesota's interprofessional education curriculum initiative that brings together students from a wide range of health-related disciplines. 1Health challenges medical, dental, social work, public health and other students to cultivate skills in teamwork, communication, and collaborative care. Read more...

National Broadcast Premiere of Intelligent Lives (NH UCEDD)

IOD filmmaker Dan Habib's recent film, Intelligent Lives, reached millions of people this fall through its national broadcast debut on public television's WORLD Channel in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Intelligent Lives explores a central question, which is posed early in the film by narrator and Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper: "Can any attempt to measure intelligence predict a person's value, or ability to contribute meaningfully to the world?" Read more...

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Introduces Genetic Counseling to its LEND Curriculum, Welcomes First Trainee from Inaugural Genetic Counseling Master's Program

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Consortium LEND has seen a lot of change this year, including the installment of a new director, new program staff members, and growth within its cohort at East Tennessee State University. Among the changes is the addition of the genetic counseling discipline to LEND's Care Navigation practicum, thanks to LEND faculty member Laura Duncan, M.S., CGC, as well as its first long-term trainee from Vanderbilt's inaugural Master of Genetic Counseling program, Gianna Petrelli. Read more...

Supporting Minnesota Jobseekers with Disabilities (MN UCEDD)

On several fronts this fall, ICI's Community Living and Employment team is creating better opportunities for people with disabilities to use work as a pathway out of poverty and contribute meaningfully in community life. This month, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced Kelly Nye-Lengerman's appointment to the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC), effective December 10. Nye-Lengerman (pictured), director of ICI's Community Living and Employment programs, will serve as Disability Advocacy Group Representative for a three-year term ending in January 2022. Read more...

NH-ME LEND and New Mainers Public Health Initiative 

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (ME UCEDD) partnered with New Mainers Public Health Initiative (NMPHI) to develop, deliver and evaluate parent advocacy training modules emphasizing the IEP process and advocacy within the K-12 system for Somali parents of children on the autism spectrum. NMPHI is a public health and social service agency headquartered in Lewiston, Maine that serves New Mainers-recent immigrants to this secondary resettlement area and their families. Read more...

New Resource Guide for Applying Public Health Informatics to Addiction Treatment (IL UCEDD/LEND)

This guide aims to provide medical and public health professionals with resources to help them create high-quality health-informatics-driven treatment strategies for those suffering from addiction to alcohol and drugs. These resources can lead to the development of targeted plans singularly tailored to individuals, which could make the goal of successful recovery more attainable. Read more...

Waisman Center UCEDD and Community Partners Launch an Equity Action Lab in Rural Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Care Integration Initiative (WiCII) is a HRSA-funded project at the Waisman Center to improve systems of care for medically underserved families of children with or at risk for ASD/DD. In order to support community-driven solutions in this area, WiCII brought together parents, policymakers, and community and state leaders to participate in the "100 Million Healthier Lives States of Solutions" program. Read more...

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NJLEND Culture and Family Panel

The New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NJLEND) program at The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities held a didactic seminar focused on cultural competency. The didactic seminar session included a family panel comprised of three parents representing the following cultural backgrounds: West African, Hispanic/Latino, and South Asian. Read more... 

MN LEND Fellows Explore the Power of Mindfulness

Can mindfulness techniques help young families better support their children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities? A team of MN LEND Fellows from the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration aims to find out. Responding to the stress often reported by families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the team is partnering with Communities Engaging Autism to both document the effectiveness of mindfulness techniques and to widen their use by families, particularly in the early days after a diagnosis. Read more... 

Ohio State LEND Leadership Project Aims to Build Relationships Between New Mothers and Healthcare Providers/a>

Ohio State LEND faculty Lori Grisez (Physical Therapy) and Dr. Andrea Witwer (Psychology) initiated a program called Next Steps that aims to promote healthy development in infants and young children living in poverty in Central Ohio. The Next Steps program is an extension of the Moms2B program that was created in 2010 by pediatrician Dr. Patricia Gabbe and infant mental health specialist Twinkle French Schottke to address the alarmingly high infant mortality rate in Central Ohio. Read more... 

NH-ME LEND Graduate Honored by New Futures With Legislator of The Year Award

Rep. Joelle Martin, NH-ME LEND graduate, was recently honored with the New Hampshire Legislator of the Year award by New Futures, New Hampshire's leading health policy, and advocacy organization. After working for a decade as an executive in publishing, Martin's focus shifted to education and advocacy. As her daughter, who has a life-threatening food allergy, entered preschool, she began to educate her family and school community about severe food allergies. Soon after, she developed an educational program about life-threatening allergies for teachers and staff. "Every individual should be honored for who they are and given the appropriate support, services, and opportunities to reach their full potential," said Martin. Read more... 

World Occupational Therapy Day in Doha Qatar (NH UCEDD)

Dr. Therese Willkomm speaking at the Hamad Rehabilitation Institute's Last month, Dr. Therese Willkomm, a Clinical Associate Professor at the Institute on Disability, was a keynote presenter at the Hamad Rehabilitation Institute's World Occupational Therapy Day event in Doha Qatar. The institute invited Dr. Willkomm to speak at their event after seeing her presentation at the Gulf Region Education Assistive Technology (GREAT) Conference in 2017. Read More...

The Arc Minnesota Launches New Podcast About Future Planning

The Arc Minnesota has launched a new podcast for caregivers of people with disabilities. Focus on the Future is a podcast about planning for the future, helping to answer the question, "What happens when I'm no longer here to care for my child?" In each episode, a conversation about the journey of discovering our best life and how to achieve it. While exploring legal, financial, and quality of life structures, Focus on the Future aims to get back to what matters most: living a fulfilling and meaningful life as defined by each individual person. Read more...

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Annual Disability Statistics Compendium

Tuesday, February 11, 2020, Washington, DC and Online

Join the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) for the release of the 2020 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium. Participants are invited to join the event either in-person or online. The event will be archived for later viewing.  
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PacRim2020

March 2-3, 2020, Honolulu, HI

The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Center on Disability Studies, in the College of Education, is accepting presentation proposals to be featured at the 35th Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability & Diversity at the Hawaii Convention Center.  Read more...

Disability Policy Seminar 2020 and AUCD Policy Forum

March 22-25, 2020, Washington, DC

The Disability Policy Seminar is the premier opportunity to cultivate champions on Capitol Hill and advance the grassroots movement for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Read more...

AUCD for All 2020 Gala: Celebrating Leadership in Arts and Culture

April 22, 2020, Washington, DC

Join AUCD for our annual AUCD for All Gala to celebrate leadership in arts and culture and the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ensuring inclusion and belonging for people with disabilities and their families in all aspects of life includes access to, and participation in, the arts and culture.  Read more...

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