'Supporting Diversity in the Developmental Disabilities Network through Minority Partnerships' Released by AUCD
January 6, 2014
Andrew J. Imparato, JD
Executive Director
240-821-9370
[email protected]
|
| Download a free PDF or purchase a hard copy of this report at http://bit.ly/1coJ756. |
SILVER SPRING, MD - The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) today released a new national report entitled "Supporting Diversity in the Developmental Disabilities Network through Minority Partnerships." This report describes the efforts of two University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) in addressing health disparities experienced by minority populations and describes the importance of promoting diversity within DD Network programs.
The three-year partnership grants funded by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) were driven by the potential benefits from innovative partnerships between UCEDDs and Minority Serving Institutions. The collaboration and multitude of accomplishments of the grantees - the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) at Georgia State University who partnered with Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at Morehouse School of Medicine, and the University of Southern California UCEDD at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles who partnered with California State University, Los Angeles - showed that there is great potential in partnerships that enable different people and organizations to support each other by leveraging, combining, and capitalizing on their complementary strengths and capabilities. "The AIDD Minority Partnership grant provided us with an opportunity to deepen relationships and create collaborative programs that we could not do alone," said Barbara Wheeler, Associate Director of the USC UCEDD. "CSULA had the diversity in their student body and an institutional culture that understood and respected their students' cultural heritage--an audience and approach we wanted to capture. We provided CSULA students with a window into opportunities for graduate school and beyond, and grant writing capacity to fund innovative programs that would sustain our partnership."
The report highlights the accomplishments of these two grantees in having a positive impact on the diversity of the developmental disabilities and healthcare fields, and provides recommendations for others. "This Report furthers the important work of our network in increasing diversity and partnerships. It serves as a blueprint for all our Centers to increase our efforts in collaborating with minority serving institutions and programs," said Leslie Cohen, AUCD Board President. "AUCD appreciates the leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services, and particularly at AIDD, for their support in helping our network engage with diverse communities in pursuit of our mission," said Andrew Imparato, AUCD's Executive Director. "I am excited to see how our network uses this report to build more partnerships that lead to greater diversity and greater cultural competence in our network and in the disability field more broadly," Imparato added.
To download a free PDF of the report or to purchase a hard copy, visit http://bit.ly/1coJ756.
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. Through its members, AUCD is a resource for local, state, national, and international agencies, organizations, and policy makers concerned about people living with developmental and other disabilities and their families. AUCD Network members consist of 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), 43 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs, and 15 Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRC). For more information and directory of University Centers, see www.aucd.org.
***
