Archived News
Archive: What's New
4/17/2024
Alzheimer's Disease Progresses Faster in People with Down Syndrome
Nearly all adults with Down syndrome will develop evidence of Alzheimer's disease by late middle age. A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the disease both starts earlier and moves faster in people with Down syndrome, a finding that may have important implications for the treatment and care of this vulnerable group of patients.
4/17/2024
Epilepsy Drug Prevents Brain Tumors in Mice with NF1
A drug used to treat children with epilepsy prevents brain tumor formation and growth in two mouse models of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. NF1 is a genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body, including the optic nerves, which connect the eyes to the brain.
4/15/2024
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Researchers Awarded $2.48M in Special Education Training Grants
Two Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) researchers have received two training grants totaling $2.48 million in funding from the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. The new grants address the need to train culturally conscientious special education teachers of students with high intensity needs. One of the grants will support training for teachers of students with limited or no functional speech. The other grant will support training for teachers of students with visual impairments. Both grants seek to recruit candidates from historically underrepresented groups or with a unique interest in supporting students from culturally and linguistic diverse backgrounds.
4/11/2024
Special Issue Explores the Complex Genetic Landscape Around Diverse IDDs
The IDDRC network has completed their 2023 publication section in the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders focused on "Etiological heterogeneity, pleiotropy, and polygenicity in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs)". The issue includes seven new publications from IDDRC investigators across the country.
4/10/2024
Consensus Statement on Healthcare for Youth With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Published in Pediatrics
An interprofessional and community-engaged panel of experts has published the first peer-reviewed consensus statement establishing healthcare standards for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities in the journal Pediatrics.
4/2/2024
Missouri UCEDD Launches Third Season of Accessible: The Podcast
It's BAAAAACK! The University of Missouri-Kansas City's Institute for Human Development, the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities for the state of Missouri (UCEDD), has just launched a new season of Accessible: The Podcast. Accessible is the podcast that opens the door to disability leaders and their ideas. Featuring UMKC-IHD Director George Gotto and Senior Research Assistant Amelia Reighard. The podcast hosts leaders in the disability field with new insights and developments that you can channel into your own career and development. Or you can share these ideas to help others learn from you. Listen to the Accessible Podcast.
3/29/2024
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.
3/25/2024
IDDRC Research Brief: Providing Support for Families Affected by Rare Genetic Diseases
The RFK IDDRC unveils its groundbreaking "Operation IDD Gene Team" program developed by Dr. Steven Walkley. This multidisciplinary initiative supports families affected by rare genetic diseases causing intellectual & developmental disability (IDD).Operation IDD Gene Team brings together families, physicians, and scientists to foster understanding and empowerment. Through collaborative meetings, families share their experiences, physicians discuss clinical implications, and scientists provide insights into gene biology. Published in the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, this innovative program offers hope and guidance to families while advancing research into rare genetic diseases.
3/25/2024
ME UCEDD Goes to White House to Highlight Impact of Federal Initiatives on Maine's Disability Community
On March 14, 2024, Alan Cobo-Lewis, associate professor of psychology and director of the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (ME UCEDD), was invited to attend Communities in Action: Building a Better Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, in person at the White House complex. This meeting brought together federal figures with over three dozen local elected officials and community leaders working on behalf of their communities to create opportunities and improve people's everyday lives. Discussions highlighted federal initiatives, especially those funded by the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), Inflation Reduction Act, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
3/25/2024
NH-ME LEND Spring Kickoff: Organizing to Influence Your State's Policy
In late January, NH-ME LEND gathered for the annual spring kick-off event: Organizing to Influence Your State's Policy. An inspiring keynote speaker, Ansley Peacock, followed by an informative panel discussion set the stage for the upcoming policy module, and the trainees' participation in the upcoming Disability Policy Seminar (DPS) in Washington, D.C.
3/22/2024
2024 Developmental Disabilities Day at the Legislature Reflection
Each year, the Maryland Developmental Disabilities (MDD) Coalition sponsors Developmental Disabilities Day at the Legislature (DD Day), an opportunity for participants to educate state legislators in the capital on crucial issues affecting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), their caregivers and their families. On February 21, 2024, we had the pleasure of attending this year's DD Day as Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities trainees, alongside Kennedy Krieger Institute staff members, other trainees and self-advocates.
3/21/2024
Missouri UCEDD Launches New Training on Traumatic Brain Injuries
Brain injury is more common than you might think. Every brain injury is different in terms of symptoms, affected areas of the brain and the outcome. The University of Missouri-Kansas City's Institute for Human Development, the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities for the state of Missouri, has just launched a new free training to raise awareness of traumatic brain injuries - or TBIs. It highlights symptoms, treatments and provides prevention strategies.
3/21/2024
Oklahoma LEND Graduate's Non-Profit Nationally Recognized
Jeanette O'Hara is an OK LEND 2022 graduate and Founder/Executive Director of the nonprofit, Will's House, located just outside Tulsa in Jenks, Oklahoma. Will's House serves as a specialized respite option that supports full time caregivers of children and young adults with medical needs or intellectual/developmental disabilities. Jeanette's approach is simple yet profound: "What do you need? How can we help you?" This philosophy reflects a commitment to addressing the diverse and often overlooked gaps in services for caregivers and families.
3/21/2024
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Researcher and Health Equity Champion Arie Nettles Retires
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) researcher and longtime health equity champion Arie Nettles has retired from Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. As a psychologist and professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, her entire career has been spent ensuring the well-being of pediatric and adolescent patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism and cleft craniofacial disorders.
3/18/2024
AUCD Joins University of Kansas as Co-Host for Gatlinburg Conference on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The Gatlinburg Conference, a premier research event focused on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in its 56th year, is proud to announce that the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) will be joining the University of Kansas as co-host for this year's conference. The event is scheduled to take place from April 17th to 19th in Kansas City, MO, with the theme "Early Life Identification of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities."
2/23/2024
Exploring the Intersectionality of Ability, Race, & Religion
Dr. Nicholas Wright and Maria Kemplin, staff at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute, received a University of Kentucky Office for Institutional Diversity Award to support programs that are student-centric and foster collaboration through partnerships that address the important of diverse views and cultures. In partnership with the Martin Luther King Center and the Disability Resource Center, staff will explore the intersectionality of ability, and race.
2/23/2024
Video Podcast Series: Life After LEND
Meet Sharon Williams, LEND Class of 2019-2020
In this episode, meet Sharon Williams, LEND Class of 2019-2020. Sharon was a LEND trainee from the US Virgin Islands. She lives on the island of St. Croix with her husband and daughter Sharon joined the Virgin Islands UCEDD (University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities) in 2012 and is the Assistant Director of Assistive Technology.
2/22/2024
Higher Ed Grants Coming Soon
Aiming to boost college options for Minnesota students with intellectual disability, the Institute on Community Integration's new Inclusive Higher Education Technical Assistance (TA) Center is collaborating with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education as it implements a competitive grant process this spring.
2/22/2024
Support Work: Realizing Inclusion
The Direct Support Workforce Solutions group at the MN UCEDD works with employers, state officials, and related stakeholders to recruit and retain direct support professionals.
2/22/2024
To Survive, and to Laugh
Air-raid sirens interrupt classes and rip through other aspects of daily life in western Ukraine. For Sergiy Sydoriv, an education professor at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, life outside the heavy bombardment area comes with blaring reminders that life is still far from normal.
2/22/2024
Transforming the Landscape of Behavioral Health Access for Geographically Dispersed and Military-Connected Children and Families across the Midwest
Accessing and navigating services for children with developmental, emotional, or behavioral health (D/E/B) concerns has greater complexity for military families, geographically-dispersed families, and families who are highly mobile or lack providers near their homes. University of Minnesota's Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) has received $3.5 million to lower these barriers as a partner in the Department of Defense Child Collaboration Study "A Research Collaboratory to Explore Best Practices for Expanding Access to Care Through Expansion and Support of Telehealth Care for Children and Families with Behavioral Health Needs."
2/20/2024
Announcement of AUCD-ASTHO Grant Awardees
The Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) through a partnership with The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2024 grants for the Disability and Health Secondary or Existing Data Analysis funding opportunity. These grants will support three organizations to conduct timely analyses of existing data to answer targeted research or policy questions related to disability and health.
2/16/2024
AR UCEDD, Partners for Inclusive Communities, Receives $10M from AR Department of Human Services
The University of Arkansas - Partners for Inclusive Communities team was awarded over $10 million from the AR Department of Human Services to expand home and community-based services for children and families! Three new projects, Prevrntion, Stabilization, and Support; Families in Transition Teams; and a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Pilot, will be led by Director Karan Burnette and Associate Director Dr. Elizabeth Cleveland. These projects will help further its mission of facilitating the inclusion of people with disabilities in community life.
2/16/2024
Episode 24 of BoggsCast Now Available: Person-Centered Supervision with Gina Brelesky
The Boggs Center is excited to share the latest episode of BoggsCast, a podcast where faculty and staff explore best practice, showcase success stories, and help listeners envision possibilities for innovation through interviews with state and national experts. In this episode, Gina Brelesky, MPA, Founder and Lead Coach at Experience Human, discusses person-centered supervision of Direct Support Professionals.
2/16/2024
PATHS Graduate, Daylan Bachik Shares his Transition Experiences on the TEA Website
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) video series captures real-life examples and recommendations for transition planning. In this video, Daylan Bachik shares his story of his successful transition to a career in education. Daylan is a 2023 PATHS graduate, graduating Magna Cum Laude. His chosen track of study was as a Direct Support Professional - Paraprofessional.
2/16/2024
The Vermont UCEDD Releases Episode 21 of "Green Mountain Disability Stories" Podcast, Featuring Michele Streeter, A Mom to a Child with Disabilities and Family Resource Consultant (VM UCEDD)
Green Mountain Disability Stories is a series of conversations about disability and inclusion, by and with Vermonters with disabilities, and their family members, educators, and medical professionals. Michele Streeter is mom to Ocean and April Streeter, two siblings you met in Episode 20.
2/16/2024
West Virginia UCEDD Launches New West Virginia Autism Resource Directory (WV UCEDD)
This directory contains information on autism services and resources available to West Virginia residents. The list can be filtered by checking different boxes below. Resources are organized into three main categories: Therapy, Evaluations and Other.
2/15/2024
The Coach to Communicate Program at Texas A&M University Continues to Offer Training at No Cost to Texas Parents and Caregivers
The Coach to Communicate program at Texas A&M University continues to offer training at no cost to Texas parents and caregivers of children up to age 22 with core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents and caregivers will learn how to improve their child's communication skills. The Coach to Communicate (C2C) program is provided by a research grant sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Enrollment is open year-round, so parents are welcome to register and begin at any time that is convenient for them.
2/12/2024
Missouri UCEDD Launches New Website
The University of Missouri-Kansas City's Institute for Human Development, the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities for the state of Missouri, has just launched its new website at ihd.umkc.edu. The site showcases the breadth and depth of programs and resources that IHD offers to individuals with disabilities, their family members, service providers, and other professionals.
2/12/2024
Shelly Baer Recognized as Exceptional Leader within the Community
Rochelle 'Shelly' Baer, LCSW of the University of Miami Mailman Center for Child Development, has been awarded the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's 2023 Community Partner Award. The Department of Public Health Sciences recognizes Shelly's exceptional leadership. Numerous public health students have benefited from collaborating with her in co-facilitating SALT and SELP initiatives.
2/6/2024
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Researcher Beth Malow Receives Grant to Mount Sleep Program for Children with Autism
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) member Beth Malow, MD, MS, has received a three-year, $249,660 grant from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to mount a community-based educational program for improving sleep in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
2/5/2024
APA 2024 Convention - Division 33 (ID/ASD) Conference Activities/Awards and Sponsor Opportunities
UCEDD/LEND/IDDRC directors are invited to become an official sponsor/co-sponsor of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 33 (ID/ASD) 2024 convention activities. The APA Division 33 and UCEDD/LEND/IDDRC directors have much in common. In fact, several past and current APA Division 33 Presidents and members of our leadership have been/are UCEDD/LEND/IDDRC directors. For example, our current APA Division 33 Executive Committee members include: Marc J. Tasse, Elizabeth A. Laugeson, Karrie A Shogren, and Micah Mazurek.
2/1/2024
Medical and Dental Curricula on IDD: Training Inclusive Providers
A Study on How Medical and Dental Schools Teach Students about IDD
Past research has shown that many medical and dental students do not learn about IDD in school. The WITH Foundation, AUCD, and UC-LEND, led by Dr. Kashia Rosenau, collaborated to learn more about how medical and dental schools are teaching students about intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The study found that most of the schools had self-advocates to help them teach their medical and dental students about caring for patients with IDD. The study also found that medical and dental students want to learn more about caring for their patients with disabilities. Overall, the study highlights the importance of teaching medical and dental students about caring for patients with IDD and including more self-advocates in this training.
1/30/2024
Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute and Michigan Vaccination Partners accomplishments Highlighted in APHA's Thought Leadership Film Series
The American Public Health Association (APHA) selected the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute (MI-DDI) at Wayne State University and the Michigan Vaccination Partners project to be featured in the APHA 2023 Thought Leadership Film Series. The series profiles cutting-edge efforts to address public health issues being led by researchers, advocates and organizations across the country.
1/30/2024
New Issue Released of Review of Disability Studies: Extended Volume on Disability and China (Vol 18, No.4 & Vol 19 No. 1)
The Center on Disability Studies, College of Education, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, is pleased to announce the release of the Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal Special Issue on China and Disability. The 595-page issue (Volume 18, Issue 4 & Volume 19, Issue 1) was guest-edited by Drs. Luanjiao Hu, The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University, and Fengming Cui, Harvard University.
1/29/2024
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.
1/26/2024
Apply Today: AUCD Leadership Academy
The deadline to apply is March 1st at 5:00 PM EST
The AUCD Leadership Academy is a week-long intensive experience, paired with a year of pre and post interactions designed to enhance the skills of current and emerging leaders from disability networks to build coalitions to improve systems of supports and services. The Leadership Academy engages participants from UCEDDs, LENDs, and the wider community of disability partners to come together to immerse themselves for a week of study, shared experiences, self-evaluation, and skill development.
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.
1/19/2024
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.
