AUCD Central Office News

AUCD Is A Proud Sponsor of the 2012 National Forum on Disability Issues!

This is the only national forum where President Obama and former Governor Romney are invited to speak specifically to the people about disability issues. Having the Presidential candidates present will ensure the millions of Americans with disabilities and their families hear firsthand about the candidates’ stances on issues such as employment, transportation, healthcare, and education for people with disabilities.

The NFDI will be telecast live for free on Sept 28. All staff and trainees are encouraged to register and watch! Please help us spread the word by using the social media links on www.nfdi.org to ensure the candidates hear the virtual buzz and attend the event in person. Learn more at www.nfdi.org.

MCHB/AUCD Interprofessional Leadership Learning Collaborative Off to a Fantastic Start

During the last week of July 2012, 18 leaders from several MCHB funded training programs (including LENDs, LEAHs, PPCs, Nutrition and the Pipeline programs) engaged in the first stage of a learning collaborative to build interprofessional leadership skills for MCH trainees in their programs. The purpose of the MCHB-AUCD Interprofessional Leadership Learning Collaborative is to engage MCHB-funded leadership training programs and their partners in an experiential, skill-based "community of practice" related to the UNC MCH Leadership Consortium training model. Read more...

AUCD Welcomes Meetings Intern Yelena Simoen

Yelena has meeting and event experience through her previous position as administrative assistant for Destination Planning Corporation, a Destination Management Company in Jacksonville, Florida, and has planned events in conjunction with student clubs and volunteered for numerous events around campus. Yelena sees her internship at AUCD as a great learning opportunity and is excited to assist the members of the Association. Read more about Yelena.

Network News - Awards

Living Well with a Disability Project (KS UCEDD) Wins Health Equity Contest

Living Well with a Disability, a collaboration between the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the KS UCEDD and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), was selected as one of five winners in a health equity contest. The contest was launched by KDHE's Center for Health Equity and it invited community groups to share what they are doing to reduce health disparities. Read more...

Network News - Activities & Resources

Maternal Child Health Careers/Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement-Undergraduate Program (MCHC/RISE-UP) at Kennedy Krieger Institute: Cohort 2012, a Sucessful First Year

The Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) received funding from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Office of Minority Health and Health Equity to develop a national consortium of Universities and University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). This consortium provided public health leadership experiences in community engagement and advocacy, clinical and research learning tracks focusing on health disparities and maternal and child health for up to 50 undergraduate students from diverse populations. KKI partnered with the following UCEDDs: MD UCEDD, SD UCEDD and USC CA UCEDD/LEND." Read more...

Brighter Tomorrows Website (KY UCEDD) Has Been Updated

A fully updated version of Brighter Tomorrows, the Web-based tool for Families receiving a diagnosis of Down syndrome, is now available. Originally funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, through a cooperative agreement with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, this family Website provides information parallel to that documented as effective in a variety of studies. The revised website now incorporates individuals' with Down syndrome own perspectives, family views, and reflections from siblings. Read more...

Maine UCEDD and Maine EPSCoR Collaborate on Model to Support the Transition of High School Students with Disabilities into STEM-related Postsecondary Education

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (ME UCEDD), and Maine EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research), are collaborating on a project, Increasing Access and Success in the STEM Disciplines, to develop and evaluate a model for supporting the transition of Maine high school students with disabilities into STEM-related postsecondary educational opportunities within the University of Maine System. Read more...

Waisman Center Receives $11M Gift to Fund Interdisciplinary Training Through the Morse Society and Fellowships

The gift from Dr. Richard Morse ('67 MD) of New Orleans will fund an interdisciplinary society of graduate student scholars to study childhood mental health and developmental disabilities in the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "This is a game-changing gift," says Marsha Mailick Seltzer, director of the Waisman Center. "The Morse Fellows will be conducting interdisciplinary research, and these graduate students will come from a minimum of three academic departments." Read more...

TRIAD (MS UCEDD) Holds Its First Annual Service Celebration for AmeriCorps Members

TRIAD which stands for Training, Resources and Information for the Advancement of Disability Service is an inclusive national service program at The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies. TRIAD Service AmeriCorps is inclusive because members include youth leaders with and without disabilities. TRIAD focuses on assisting students with disabilities in the transition to adulthood. This transition includes national service, employment, postsecondary education, adult healthcare services and more. Read more...

Iowa LEND Program Creates a Promising Partnership with Upward Bound

An innovative partnership between the Iowa LEND (ILEND) program and the University of Iowa Upward Bound Project promises to increase the number and diversity of students who participate in ILEND training activities and go on to pursue careers in developmental disabilities. Through the partnership, ILEND trainees will have the chance to develop their leadership skills as they mentor Upward Bound (UB) students during the academic year, and the UB students will have the opportunity to learn more about the field of developmental disabilities and participate in job shadow activities with ILEND trainees and staff. Read more...

Demonstration Project to Support Adults with Disabilities through Web-Based Family Networks Receives University Funding (IN UCEDD)

Hoosier TYZE, a project funded through the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Indiana University Bloomington, will demonstrate the role of Web-based social media in bridging informal and formal systems of care supporting adults with disabilities, elders and family caregivers. Through the leadership of the Center on Aging and Community at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, IU's School of Informatics and Computing and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Hoosier TYZE will support 15 Hoosier families to create individualized online family and community networks, supporting their adult members with disabilities in a virtual "circle of care." Read more...

Submissions

News items may be submitted for consideration via the
AUCDigest Submission page.

Boggs Center (NJ UCEDD) Announces 'Voting: It's Your Right!'

Voting: It's Your Right, a guide about voting rights and the voting process in New Jersey, was written for individuals with intellectual disabilities in clear language. It should also be of interest to anyone who would like to learn more about the legal and practical issues related to voting. The guide includes information about topics such as Who can vote in a government election?; What are you asked to decide when you register to vote?; How do you vote in person?; and How do you vote by mail? Read more...

13th Chronic Illness and Disability Conference: Transition from Pediatric to Adult-based Care

October 17 - 19, 2012
Online Live Broadcast & Houston, TX

Learn the latest about health care transition without leaving your Center! AUCD is pleased to support the live broadcast of this transition conference. This conference provides a state-of-the-art update on issues involved in health care transition for youth and young adults with chronic illness and disability and their families from pediatric to adult based services. It brings together internationally, nationally and locally-recognized clinical, policy, legal, research, advocacy, youth and family experts, making it a unique conference in the breadth and depth of topics addressing all aspects of transition planning. Read more and register by Friday, September 21st.

AUCD 2012: Innovating Today, Shaping Tomorrow

Join AUCD on December 2-5, 2012 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, to learn and share today's promising practices and innovations that shape the lives of people with disabilities and their families through research, policy, education, and service.

Register today!

Special offer for AUCD Network members: For member LEND, UCEDD, and IDDRC program personnel and trainees, after the first five registrations, the sixth and subsequent will automatically receive a 20% discount off of the main registration fee.

Early Bird Registration: Register by October 15th and be entered to win a free conference main registration fee for the 2011 conference! Two winners will be randomly drawn and notified on October 17th.

Conference Agenda

Be sure to check the agenda to learn about important changes to the conference schedule and learn about all the exciting workshops, symposia, and special events scheduled for this year.