Introducing the 2012 ADD-UCEDD Fellow: Mette Pedersen, PhD

January 31, 2012

ADD and AUCD are pleased to announce the inaugural ADD-UCEDD Fellow, Mette Pedersen, PhD

Dr. Pedersen has worked with children and adults with disabilities, their families, and communities throughout the United States in university, therapeutic, early intervention, and public school settings. She has worked to create systems of care and education through collaboration of community, family, and state efforts. She helped develop opportunities for inclusive childcare in New Mexico across state agencies and worked there to establish a system of home visiting, including Federal home visiting programs supported by the Affordable Care Act. Mette's recent research efforts have addressed preparation of middle and high school students with intellectual disability to assume adult roles, including those of partnering and parenting. She has a strong interest in supporting parents with intellectual disability and was a founding member of The Association for Successful Parenting, an international organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of families when parents have learning difficulties.

Mette holds master's degrees in early childhood special education and counseling and a doctorate in special education. She was the recipient of the Alexander M. Tymchuk Award of Excellence in 2010 for her research in supporting parents with intellectual disability. Dr. Pedersen currently directs the Division of Early Childhood and Specialized Personnel Development at the Center for Development and Disability at the University of New Mexico where she is also a Deputy Director.

The ADD-UCEDD Fellowship

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), through its technical assistance contract with AUCD, has initiatied a fellowship program recruiting outstanding individuals in the UCEDD community for an intensive year-long experience at ADD in Washington, DC.  The Fellow will gain experience in collaborating across the federal agencies to advance the goals embodied in the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 -- "...to assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of, and have access to, needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life ...". The Fellow will share first-hand knowledge and experience of his or her home UCEDD as well as the UCEDD network with ADD, and will use knowledge gained during the Fellowship year to impact future work in the field of developmental disabilities.