Council on Leadership in Advocacy (COLA)

 

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The AUCD Board of Directors has established a number of Councils and Committees that are made up of experts in the field to help the Board address emerging trends and issues, and to facilitate communication across and beyond the AUCD network. The Council on Leadership in Advocacy, also known as COLA, is made up of individuals with disabilities and family members from each University Center across the AUCD network.  COLA members are involved in Community Advisory Councils at University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), AUCD Councils and Committees, AUCD Special Interest Groups, and other advocacy opportunities.  Membership is open to anyone in the AUCD network. However, each center will designate an individual representative who will cast one vote when a matter before the Council requires such action.

 

 

 
 

Mission

The mission of the AUCD Council on Leadership in Advocacy (COLA) is to advise and assist the AUCD network to enhance the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. COLA works to enhance AUCD by fostering and supporting current and new leaders with lived experience of disability, including their family members in order to promote this same leadership in their programs, communities, and regions, and to serve in liaison roles with local disability leadership. The Council helps the association to:

  • Build effective partnerships with other AUCD Councils and Committees, federal agencies, and other national disability groups.
  • Build the capacity of local University Center Consumer Advisory Committees (CACs), including identifying needs for assistance, providing technical assistance, and disseminating information about exemplary and innovative practices.
  • Envision, actively advocate for, and disseminate information about the next generation of policy and practice that will help make the promise of full participation a reality.
  • Develop leaders and mentors that build the capacity of the network to affect change at the local, state, and national levels.
  • Assist in the development of standards for participation of people with disabilities and family members in UCEDD education, research, and service programs and in AUCD functions.
  • Serve as a model and resource for others desiring to infuse the participation people with disabilities and family members into program planning, research, and evaluation.

 

 

 
 

Purpose

The purpose of the Council is to enhance the Association by fostering current and new leaders with lived experience of disability, including their family members, to promote leadership in their programs and communities. Council membership will expand to include directors, faculty, staff, and advisors at center programs, and CAC members.

 

 
 

History

The Council on Consumer Affairs first convened in the fall of 1994; the name was later changed to the Council on Consumer Advocacy. The Council was formed as a result of AUCD's (formerly AAUAP) increasing recognition of the importance of receiving consistent and ongoing consumer feedback. Start-up activities were funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, through a Project of National Significance entitled "Leadership and Choices." Principle support was provided by Bruce Eddy of AUCD and Carl Calkins of the University of Missouri/Kansas City, Missouri's UCEDD.

The Council leadership structure includes several internal committees and two co-chairs. 1998 By-Laws stipulate that one co-chair must be an individual with a disability, and the other be the family member of an individual with a disability. The three-year, staggered co-chair positions carry with them a slot on AUCD's Board of Directors.

Full Council membership consists of one representative of each UCEDD, designated by that UCEDD's director. The Council continues to strive to meet its long-term goal of full membership.

In 2003-2004, AUCD made a commitment to revitalize the role of COCA within the network. Past President of AUCD, David Johnson appointed an ad hoc COCA Workgroup. This workgroup, chaired by Carl Calkins, solicited feedback from the AUCD network and met several times to develop a renewed vision to strengthen the role of COCA. A final set of recommendations was produced and presented to the board and UCEDD Directors at the UCEDD Directors' retreat May 2-3, 2005 in Chicago, IL.

 

 
 

COLA Leadership

 

  • Co-Chair: Melanie Davis
    Email: melanie.davis at unmc.edu
  • Co-Chair: Linda Russo, MAEd
    Email: lvrusso at uab.edu
  • AUCD Liaison:  Rebekka Willis, emailrwillis at aucd dot org

 

 

 
 

Upcoming Events
of Interest to
COCA Members

More Events >

 
 

NEW ON THE COLA
WEB PAGES

 

11/20/2023

Iowa Creates a New Vaccine Clinic for Patients with Unique Needs

Iowa's Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD) has a new vaccine clinic for children and some adults with unique needs, including sensory issues, anxiety, and other disabilities. Earlier this year, the mother of a child with autism got in touch with CDD, looking for a place to get her child vaccinated against Covid-19. CDD clinical nurse manager Sheree Murphy, RN, took up the challenge, and enlisted the help of UCEDD program coordinator, Anne Crotty, MPH.

 
 

11/16/2023

Disability in Iowa: Working Together!

In early November, the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD), home to Iowa's UCEDD, LEND program, and IDDRC, teamed up with our sister organization, the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council, to host "Disability in Iowa: Working Together." Iowa's state legislators were invited to CDD for a learning session to increase their awareness of the work we do on behalf of Iowans with disabilities, and to help them understand more about the experience of living with a disability, including the challenges of access to supports and services.

 
 

11/15/2023

JFK Partners' Colorado Office of Employment First Celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) with Development of Video Minis

October was National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) which commemorates the many contributions of people with disabilities to America's workplaces and economy. This year's theme, "Advancing Access and Equity," recognized the importance of ensuring all people have equal opportunity to contribute their skills and talents to our workforce.

 
 

11/15/2023

OHSU UCEDD: A personal and professional experience

In the summer of 2020, Jan Staehely, communication consultant and staff member at the OHSU Institute on Development and Disability UCEDD, and an individual with Cerebral Palsy who uses an assistive communication device, had a frightening experience. Wildfires were approaching the south-eastern towns near Portland, Oregon and her neighborhood was placed in an evacuation zone.

 
 

11/7/2023

2023 Gordon Richins Award for Leadership and Advocacy

The Council on Leadership in Advocacy presents the Gordon Richins Award for Leadership and Advocacy in recognition of exemplary leadership and advocacy practices of including people with disabilities and family members in projects and initiatives within a Center and the AUCD network as a whole. This award is named after Gordon Richins, a long-time leader, mentor and friend in the AUCD network and beyond. The Gordon Richins Award for Leadership and Advocacy was presented to the KUCDD-LEND Consumer Advisory Panel at the AUCD Conference on November 7, 2023.

 

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