News
1/23/2024
A National Partnership to Advance Peer-Support Models for People Who Need Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is pleased to announce that the University Center of Excellence in Development Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), in partnership with CommunicationFIRST, has been selected as the recipient of a subaward to create a national partnership to develop an approach and plan to advance peer-support models for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users.
1/22/2024
Disability Policy News | January 22, 2024 | Vol. MMXXIII | Issue 84
Budget and Appropriations; Senate Introduces the We Can't Wait Act of 2023, Senate Introduces the Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults Act of 2023 and more.
1/19/2024
3rd Round of the ProFellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagemen Launched
ProFellows Derrick Willis, Director of the University of Iowa's Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD) and AUCD President, and Bakar Hamad, Executive Director of the Organization of Women with Disabilities in Zanzibar (JUWAUZA), joined esteemed dignitaries to celebrate 15 years of JUWAUZA's dedicated service to women with disabilities in Zanzibar! Dignitaries included the second Vice President of Zanzibar, the Hon. Hemed Suleiman Abdulla.
1/19/2024
Intern Perspectives: Reflections on OHSU UCEDD's Summer Internship Program Shaping Disability Advocacy
Each summer, the OHSU University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) offers internship opportunities to high school or early college students interested in pursuing a career in health care, with an emphasis on disability. It is a delight to watch these students progress and grow during the 8-week program which places students in different centers, clinic groups, and research labs across the Institute on Development and Disability. Every now and then, we receive updates on some of their ongoing academic and professional adventures.
1/18/2024
ICI, UM Extension Partner For 4-H Youth
The MN UCEDD has created accommodation kits containing tools to better accommodate Minnesota 4-H members with and without disabilities. The training also shared tips about more fully including youth with disabilities.
1/18/2024
Senior Program Specialist, AUCD, Community Inclusion, Remote
The Senior Program Specialist will provide support to the Program Manager, Peer Supports for Augmentative and Assistive Communication (AAC) for day to day coordination and program management of a year long, federally funded initiative to support and advance peer-to-peer models for AAC through a national partnership. The Senior Program Specialist will also provide support for the day to day coordination and program management of AUCD's partnership with the Network supported by USAging. The Senior Program Specialist will support the Project Manager who will oversee the workplan, ensuring that timelines are adhered to and all project deliverables are fulfilled in consultation with the Project Director and in collaboration with our federal partners. This individual will also, provide technical assistance (TA) to interdisciplinary training and research programs/centers across the United States.
1/17/2024
Student Spotlight - Blake Jackson
Meet Blake Jackson, a resilient second-year student in the Direct Support Professional - General (DSP-G) track. As a proud member of the PATHS class 2024 in the fightin' Texas Aggie community, Blake is enrolled in the Postsecondary Access and Training in Human Services (PATHS) Program, where he finds inspiration in Andrey Hepburn's timeless words: "Nothing is impossible, the Word itself says "I'm possible'!".
1/16/2024
Five-year Grant to Support KU Project's Goal to Make Disability Data Accessible and Inclusive for Broad Audiences
Numbers alone can't tell a story. That's the foundation of a project now based at the University of Kansas that takes volumes of raw federal and state expenditure data and distills that information for everyone - including policymakers, service providers and individuals with developmental disabilities and their families - to help them make the most informed decisions.
1/16/2024
Missouri's UCEDD Develops "After Abuse: Resources for Missourians with Disabilities"
The University of Missouri-Kansas City's Institute for Human Development, the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities for the state of Missouri, in cooperation with the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council, has published a new online resource called After Abuse: Resources for Missourians with Disabilities to help people with disabilities learn about abuse and what happens when it is reported.
1/12/2024
Indiana LEND's Dr. McNally Keehn Awarded the Rising Trailblazer Award
Indiana LEND's Rebecca McNally Keehn, PhD was the winner of the Indiana University School of Medicine's 2023 Rising Trailblazer Award. The award recognizes outstanding early career faculty who are emerging trailblazers in the Department of Pediatrics.
1/12/2024
RFP: Disability and Health Secondary or Existing Data Analysis
Deadline: January 30, 2024
There is an exciting opportunity for our stakeholders to receive funding for Disability and Health work. ASTHO and AUCD are seeking the services of highly qualified subrecipients that specialize in disability inclusion, disability measurement, health equity, and/or emergency preparedness and have expertise in health disparities among people with disabilities and data analysis methods.
1/11/2024
Clinical Research Paper from the Indiana LEND selected by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a 2023 Top 10 Practice-Changing Article.
A group of clinical researchers, led by Rebecca McNally Keehn, PhD, HSPP, and including Indiana LEND faculty and fellows, published a paper in the journal Pediatrics, which evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the Indiana Early Autism Evaluation (EAE) Hub system, a statewide network that provides specialized training and collaborative support to community primary care providers in the diagnosis of young children at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
1/11/2024
Indiana LEND's Rebecca McNally Keehn receives the Rising Trailblazer Award
Indiana LEND�s Rebecca McNally Keehn, PhD, HSPP, was awarded the Indiana University School of Medicine�s 2023 Rising Trailblazer award. The award recognizes outstanding early career faculty who are emerging trailblazers in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. McNally was nominated for her leadership and innovations, with impact that spans many areas, most notably in research, advocacy, and equity. Her contributions have resulted in meaningful innovations that have impacted the lives of children and families across Indiana.
1/11/2024
Research Paper from the Indiana LEND selected for the 2022 IACC Summary of Advances
The 2022 IACC Summary of Advances in Autism Research provides summaries of the top 20 advances in autism biomedical and services research selected by members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). Articles in the Summary of Advances are grouped according to the topics represented by the seven Questions of the 2021-2023 IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Research, Services, and Policy (Screening & Diagnosis, Biology, Genetic & Environmental Factors, Interventions, Services & Supports, Lifespan, Infrastructure & Prevalence). In addition, the IACC has released an easy-read version to accompany the 2022 Summary of Advances that uses plain language to summarize the full publication in a brief, accessible format.
1/11/2024
Social Work Programs Support Parent and Family Education at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital
The Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics and Autism at Texas Children�s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine provides diagnostic evaluations and individualized treatment plans for children with autism and other developmental diagnoses. Following the Meyer Center evaluation, each family receives individualized recommendations for care, information about evidence-based interventions including special education, therapies and other community-based services, and guidance about how to best access these services in their local communities. Families are also provided access to Meyer Center educational programs on a variety of different topics.
1/10/2024
University of Massachusetts Boston Institute for Community Inclusion Partners with the International Disability Alliance and the African Disability Forum on International Fellowship Program
The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston, in collaboration with the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the African Disability Forum (ADF), has been awarded a grant from the US Department of State to launch the third round (FY 2023) of the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement. This program, designed for emerging leaders in East Africa, aims to facilitate exchange and implementation of best practices for disability-inclusive civic engagement.
