Highlights From the 39th Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
On February 27th, the Center on Disability Studies (HI-UCEDD) welcomed over 750 attendees representing 12 countries from across the globe to Honolulu, Hawaiʻi to the 39th Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity both online and in-person. In celebration of the conference theme, Beyond Access: Building a Culture of Belonging we aimed to explore how we all live to belong, to be part of something greater than ourselves.
Announcement: Seeking Emerging Leader Board Member Nominations
Deadline: March 29, 2024The AUCD Board of Directors is seeking nominations from the network's Emerging Leader community to fill the Emerging Leader Board Member voting position on the Board. (*Note that this is not the same as the Emerging Leader Intern.) The Emerging Leader Board Member will be a voting member on AUCD's national Board of Directors and represent the Association and broader AUCD network. This position will bring the voice and perspective of the AUCD Emerging Leader Community, including but not limited to trainees and early career professionals in the network.
Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities: Removing barriers to vaccine access with rural Spanish speakers with disabilities
The Administration on Community Living (ACL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are funding local trusted disability and aging partners to build vaccine confidence. In Montana, ACL/CDC funding supports the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, the Montana Developmental Disabilities Council, Disability Rights Montana, Montana Centers for Independent Living, Area Agencies on Aging, and Aging and Disability Resource Centers. These funded partners are coordinating activities to connect people with disabilities and older adults to vaccination resources.
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.
Request for Proposals: A national partnership to develop an approach and plan to advance peer-support models for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device users
AUCD is seeking proposals for a contracted entity to fulfill a scope of work central to an effort federally funded by the AoD, Administration for Community Living (ACL) that will seek to co-create a nationwide comprehensive, consensus-based peer support model to advance the use of AAC. This one-year planning project is anticipated to yield a rich source of recommendations for peer support models anticipated to improve the lives of AAC users.
UCEDD Resource Center ExceLens Series: AUCD Emerging Leader: Blake Warner
Honoring the theme of the AUCD Annual Conference, this edition of ExceLens is excited to feature AUCD Emerging Leader Blake Warner. Blake has previously completed two years of SD LEND and is currently serving as a UCEDD trainee and completing a predoctoral internship at the UCLA Tarjan Center. Blake is passionate about advocacy and policy reform efforts, particularly for LGBTQ+ individuals in the disability community. The AUCD Community Inclusion Team was able to sit down with Blake and learn more about his interests, goals, and experience so far as an AUCD Emerging Leader. Please read on to see the highlights from Blake's interview!
UCEDD Resource Center ExceLens Series: The Ohio State University (OSU) Nisonger Center: All Smiles in Ohio: OSU Nisonger Center Dental Clinic
The ExceLens series highlights the valuable work of the UCEDDs within university systems, the community, and in the lives of people with disabilities across the lifespan and their family members. The dental program at The Ohio State University (OSU) Nisonger Center opened in 1971 as a program initially designed to care for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As the patient population aged, the practice on campus (McCampbell Hall) transitioned from children to adult patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to ensure access to care. In 2003, a separate stand-alone dental clinic was opened in the community to continue serving the oral healthcare needs of children and adolescents with IDD. The McCampbell Hall facility is the only clinic in Ohio whose entire focus is adults with IDD.
UCEDD Success Stories - University of Washington Center for Technology and Disability Studies: Addressing Hesitancy and Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccines for Everyone
The University of Washington Center for Technology and Disability Studies is an interdisciplinary program within the Center for Human Development and Disability and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in the School of Medicine. Their work is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other funding sources.
Dawn Rudolph Transitions from AUCD
AUCD's Senior Director of Technical Assistance and Network Engagement bids farewell from role
UCEDD Success Stories - University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Human Development
In the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, there was a big push to increase access to vaccines. In Alaska, a group of organizations came together and formed the Alaska COVID-19 Vaccine Accessibility Partnership. This group focused on vaccine access for individuals with disabilities, completing projects and sharing information to better serve the needs of all Alaskans. This partnership was facilitated by Sondra LeClair, Community Services Director with the University of Alaska Anchorage, Center for Human Development (UAA CHD). The Partnership took on two major projects. The first project focused on the development and distribution of a survey by UAA CHD with input from individuals with disabilities as well as their support systems.
UCEDD Success Stories - Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the UC Davis MIND Institute
The Child Life Team at the UC Davis MIND Institute had a goal to provide COVID vaccinations to vaccine hesitant individuals with disabilities who had previously experienced medical trauma, while providing informed training to medical staff. This initiative has transformed what we initially would think of as your standard vaccine clinic into a reimagining of what these clinics can and should be. The clinic was designed by Erin Roseborough and Veronica Tuss, certified Child Life Specialists at the UC Davis MIND Institute, who partnered with family navigators. Standard large vaccine clinics can be loud and overwhelming which the team found were not a good fit for many vaccine hesitant individuals. Through this new clinic, they wanted to create a clear understanding of what accommodations can be made to modify the environment to make these procedures more successful for neurodivergent individuals and their families.
UCEDD Success Stories - Sonoron UCEDD at University of Arizona
Tucson, AZThe Transition AHEAD Roundtable is a day-long, one-on-one set of activities. It is designed to purposefully engage both the young adult and their family in collaborative activities with Sonoran UCEDD staff and staff from outside agencies and organizations. In a holistic manner, the Roundtable addresses five key areas: Employment, Healthcare, Education & Training, Relationships and Community, and Independent Living. Importantly, this busy day culminates in a brief Roundtable presentation led by the young adult about what they have identified as their strengths, as well as key goals and meaningful supports they want in order to achieve their desired level of independence.
UCEDD Success Stories - Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the UC Davis MIND Institute
Sacramento, CAHighlighting Social Skills Groups and SibShop Integration.
UCEDD Success Stories - Sonoran UCEDD at University of Arizona
Tucson, AZThe Transition Exploration Study funded by the AZ Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, focused on completing a statewide assessment of the current state of transition services in Arizona to identify exemplary practices, areas of need, and recommendations for improving post-school employment rates for youth with disabilities. A comprehensive qualitative and quantitative approach was utilized to gather information from multiple stakeholders involved with transition services for the purpose of contributing to data-informed policy and programmatic decision-making.
UCEDD Resource Center Seeking Evaluation Consultant
AUCD's UCEDD Resource Center (URC) is seeking a consultant with evaluation expertise to help update the current evaluation process to reflect new requirements in a newly-awarded 5-year contract and evaluate the impact of the URC's work in equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Request for Applications- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Coaches
Deadline to submit a proposal: March 21st, 2022The UCEDD Resource Center (URC) launched a multi-pronged technical assistance initiative to support UCEDDs in implementing the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan. In continuation of this initiative, the URC is seeking applications from UCEDD leaders across the AUCD network to serve as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion coaches. Coaches may provide individualized coaching to network members, respond to rapid response requests, and support implementation of the technical assistance initiative by presenting at webinars and supporting content of the ED&I Action Plan Implementation groups.