AUCD 360 - June 2023

AUCD 2023 Conference: Nominate a Leader Today

Nominate a leader by August 4!
Each year, the annual AUCD Awards Ceremony recognize people, programs, and organizations for their leadership and contributions. AUCD awardees offer outstanding example in leadership, advocacy, research, policy, and practice. Their work creates more diverse and inclusive communities for people with disabilities and their families. Read more...

AUCD Leadership Academy

Congratulations to the 2023 AUCD Leadership Academy participants who completed a week-long program designed to enhance the skills of current and emerging leaders from the disability network to build coalitions to improve systems of support and services. During the Leadership Academy, participants explored shared values and commitments to civil and human rights, assessed their strengths and strengths, developed skills in building partnerships to achieve collective impact, and established personal and professional leadership goals. Read more..

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center UCEDD Director Elise McMillan to Retire

After 28 years of working to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families, Elise McMillan, J.D., has announced she will retire from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) in June 2023. McMillan currently serves as the director of the VKC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VKC UCEDD), director of Community Engagement and Public Policy team, and senior lecturer in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.
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The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) announces new leadership for its University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VKC UCEDD). Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., and Pablo Juárez, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, will succeed Elise McMillan, J.D., who officially retires on June 30, 2023. Taylor and Juárez each have longstanding histories with the VKC and bring unique expertise to the UCEDD leadership team with an emphasis on research, program development and expansion, and advocacy. Read more...

Gina Pola-Money has been with URLEND for over 20 years heading up the Self-Advocate / Family program and was recently awarded the Merle McPherson Award by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) in New Orleans, LA, at its annual conference. "Our awards recognize individuals in the MCH field that have gone above and beyond to impact those around them positively," said Terrance E. Moore, CEO at AMCHP. Read more...

Announcing the 2023 Think College Policy Advocates

Think College is excited to have a whole new "class" of Think College Policy Advocates who will attend online and in-person training to learn about disability policy and advocacy. The training culminates in Hill visits with legislators in Washington, DC, where they'll put those advocacy skills to work. Read More...

Iowa's UCEDD Welcomes a Professional Fellow from Zanzibar

Iowa’s UCEDD welcomed Bakar Hamad from Zanzibar last month as part of his experience in the Professional Fellow Program, a joint project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston and Humanity & Inclusion. Hamad is the fourth Professional Fellow that Iowa’s UCEDD has hosted through the program, which has provided wonderful opportunities for the fellows and UCEDD staff to exchange information, ideas, and strategies for supporting people with disabilities. Read more...

Impact: 35 Years of MN UCEDD's Flagship Publications

The Institute on Community Integration’s flagship publication, Impact, celebrates 35 years as a research-to-practice guide for intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities in the current feature issue. ICI Director Amy Hewitt, and each former director, reflect on the publication’s growth and relevance over time. A “best of” collection of resources includes a foldout disability history timeline in the print edition, and several readers and former authors reflect on what Impact means to them and their lives and challenges today. Read more...

Ohio State University UCEDD Announces Intellectual Disability and Mental Illness Prevalence Study in Collaboration with OHSU

Intellectual disability (ID) confers an increased risk of mental illness; however, a robust prevalence study of mental illness in adults with intellectual disability has not been conducted in the United States. Prevalence estimates are based on previous research in the UK (Cooper, Smiley, Morrison, Williamson, & Allan, 2007; Stromme & Diseth, 2000) and on US studies that have used convenience samples (Fletcher, Barnhill, & Cooper, 2016; Reiss, 1994; Rojahn & Tasse, 1996; Smiley, 2005;) suggesting that mental illness occurs in 30% to 50% of adults with intellectual disability. Read more...

Transitioning to Adulthood: Employment Supports for Patients with Disabilities

The Colorado Office of Employment First (COEF) and JFK Partners, the University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of Colorado, is proud to highlight the development and delivery of a training for healthcare providers. This curriculum provides a basic understanding of the importance of employment for youth and adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), the importance of employment conversations in the healthcare setting, and the evidence based and other employment practices that fully support the employment goals of all people with IDD, regardless of severity of disability. Read more...

UNH and Kessler Foundation Report out on NTIDE May 2023: COVID-19 Lockdown's Impact on Visually Disabled Employment

New data show that while individuals with visual disabilities were slow to recover employment because of the effects of the COVID-2019 lockdown, they have made headway, depending on their level of disability, almost meeting their pre-pandemic levels. Read more...

Dr. Wolfensberger's 'festschrift' Presented at McGoogan Library

The work of Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger, a critical figure in the development of home and community-based services in the US, is being featured in a new compendium developed from his collection of work at the McGoogan Library at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The concept of the “festschrift” is perhaps better known in European academia, said Darby Kurtz, assistant professor and archivist and public historian at the McGoogan Health Sciences Library.
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HDI's Lisa Amstutz is Second in Kentucky to Earn Special Credential for Mental Health ASL Interpreting

Lisa Amstutz earned the Qualified Mental Health Interpreter Certification earlier this month, making her the second American Sign Language interpreter in Kentucky to do so. The certification is typically held by experienced interpreters who have already demonstrated particularly high competence in general interpreting, A common misconception about American Sign Language (ASL) is that it is simply English on the hands, when in fact, ASL is a full language with its own grammar, syntax, idioms and means of expression. Read more...

Long COVID Is a Mass Disabling Condition-Treat It Like One

Long Covid is a mass disabling condition, writes Dr. Bonuck. Dr. Bonuck is professor of family and social medicine, of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health, and of pediatrics at Einstein and co-director of the Rose F. Kennedy University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Einstein-Montefiore.” Read more...

Reveling in the Work of Our Rose F. Kennedy Center Programs and Research

Friday, April 21, 2023, the inaugural Rose F. Kennedy Center Day offered an occasion for reflection, celebration, and hope. The day included a brief history of the Center, talks from accredited speakers and creative thinking workshops.The event honored 50-plus years of revelatory work from Einstein’s Rose F. Kennedy Center, which specializes in research, education, advocacy, training, and clinical services for those with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). Read more...

South Dakota LEND at Special Olympics Summer Games

South Dakota LEND faculty and alums volunteered for Healthy Hearing Screenings at the South Dakota Special Olympics 2023 Summer Games in Spearfish, SD. Marni Johnson Martin (Interdisciplinary Training and Clinic Director - USD Center for Disabilities), Elizabeth (Liz) K. Hanson (SD LEND Discipline Head for SLP and Research) were joined by former discipline head, Paul Brueggeman (Audiology) and graduated trainees: Carly Johnson (Audiology) and Maya Gogoi (Medicine), along with other volunteers, to screen 90 individuals. Read more...

Michelle Fong (NH-ME LEND 2023) White Paper: Data Equity is Key to Health Equity for PWD

Equitable health data represents all populations and can be linked to their common characteristics. When researchers from the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (ME UCEDD), sought to examine the health equity of Maine's population with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities regarding COVID-19, they encountered a data gap. Maine's COVID-19 data could be disaggregated by gender, race, ethnicity, and age, but not by disability status or type. Read more...

University of Miami, Mailman Center LEND Trainee Receives Grant to Create a Multicultural Library Space for Children at the Linda Ray Intervention Center

Teachers, parents, and students were excited about their new multicultural library space that features 175 multicultural books. They are also able to enjoy artwork and crafts created by the toddlers with their new art materials and art supplies. Both were a welcome new resource provided by the arduous work of Elena Fernandez, University of Miami, Mailman Center LEND Trainee. She received the University of Miami’s Racial Justice grant which allowed her to buy the multicultural books as well as art materials and supplies for the Linda Ray Intervention Center. Read more...

Funding Opportunity: State or Tribal Liaisons to CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) announce a funding opportunity for Act Early Ambassadors and Tribal Act Early Ambassadors to work with CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early."Individuals who reside or work in Wisconsin, Nevada, or Montana and individuals who are members of American Indian and Alaskan Native tribal organizations are eligible to apply. Read more...

AUCD's Public Health Team is Seeking Two Statisticians"

AUCD's Public Health Team is seeking two (2) statisticians to assist in completing a current project evaluating a Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Developmental Monitoring Project. This project seeks to improve the early detection of developmental delays and disabilities in young children in the United States. Activities including but not limited to 1). Conducting a process evaluation of the data system among WIC staff to assess data system usability, feasibility, satisfaction, acceptability, barriers to use, etc. 2). Conduct an outcome evaluation using data collected via the data system and any supplemental data collection conducted with families and WIC staff. Read more..

AAHD Wants to Create More Disability-focused Testimonial Videos for All of Us "

AAHD is looking for interested individuals who would want to participate in providing a testimonial video for the All of Us Research Program. We’re inviting organizational partners and community members to share the health questions they want to be answered. This is an opportunity to discuss your personal health story and why health research with All of Us matters to you. This testimonial invitation is open to anyone, whether a current participant in All of Us or not. In addition, this is a great opportunity for anyone with outstanding activities requirements on their Scope of Work.
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The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal is seeking reviewers to join its Manuscript Review Board

Do you have expertise in disability studies and a commitment to social justice? The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, is seeking reviewers to join its distinguished Manuscript Review Board. Reviewer applications sent to [email protected] will be accepted until July 31, 2023.

Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities 2023 Summer Learning Series

Tuesday, June 13, 2023 - Thursday, July 20, 2023
The Community and Professional Development Training Program offered by the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD) at Kennedy Krieger Institute is committed to providing evidence-based training across a broad spectrum of topics to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families. Read more...

 2023 MIND Summer Institute on Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Friday, July 28, 2023, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm ET
This year's theme is "Inclusion and Belonging: Powerful Discussions to Engage our Community." This event focuses on meaningful inclusion of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in many areas. The morning portion of the event (9 a.m. -12 p.m.) will include one research-based keynote talk and one panel discussion offered through a hybrid format: in-person and remote (over Zoom). The keynote talk will share information about the importance of inclusion throughout the life course. Read more...

AUCD 2023 Conference

November 5-8, 2023 I Washington, DC
The AUCD 2023 Conference will be held November 5-8 in Washington, DC. This year’s theme of Emerging Leaders: Shaping the Future recognizes and focuses on the thousands of Emerging Leaders that we welcome to the AUCD Network each year and how they continue to propel our Network forward, positively shaping the future. Don't miss this incredible event. Save the date and stay tuned for more updates via the Conference site.

News items may be submitted for consideration via the AUCD 360 Submission page. Submissions are second Friday of the Month.

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This newsletter is in part supported by the Administration on Community Living (ACL) through a technical assistance contract for the URC, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) through a technical assistance contract for the ITAC, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a National Professional Organization for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. The content of this material does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of any federal agency. No official support or endorsement by federal agencies is intended nor should be inferred.