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August 2024  I  Volume 10  I  Edition 8

   AUCD Office News

AUCD 2024 Stronger Togerther: Creating a More Inclusive World

Scholarship Opportunities: AUCD 2024

The AUCD Conference continues to provide scholarship opportunities to emerging leaders, self-advocates, family members of individuals with disabilities, and early career professionals. This year, AUCD is offering two types of Scholarships: Conference Scholarships and Emerging Leaders Conference Scholarships. Learn more and apply today!

AUCD 2024 Stronger Togerther: Creating a More Inclusive World

FASD Pre Conference

The AUCD Special Interest Group (SIG) on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) will host a Pre Conference event on Saturday, November 2 in collaboration with the AUCD 2024 Conference. The last session of the FASD Pre Conference is a poster presentation and we want to highlight you! Do you have a poster that you've presented on FASD within the past year or one that has been accepted for presentation in the future? Submit a poster for presentation by September 15. 

   Network Recognitions

Image of Paul McDade, an older white male with facial hair and glasses wearing a sweater and button-down shirt.

Missouri Honors Early Childhood Administrators at State Capitol

The Early Childhood Innovation Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Institute for Human Development honored early childhood administrators at the state capitol in early August. Nearly 140 administrators completed an intensive training program to build their business and leadership skills to effectively lead and operate sustainable, quality child care programs.

Image of Paul McDade, an older white male with facial hair and glasses wearing a sweater and button-down shirt.

2024 Paul McDade “FOCUS” Award for Distinguished Service Presented to Darick Wright

The Institute for Community Inclusion’s Darick Wright was presented with the Paul McDade “FOCUS” Award for Distinguished Service. This award highlights Darick's contributions to UMass Boston, the Vision Studies program, our students, the community and most of all, individuals with disabilities. Darick's passion for the profession and willingness to share his expertise is a win-win for us all.

Image of Paul McDade, an older white male with facial hair and glasses wearing a sweater and button-down shirt.

The PacWest LEND Consortium Celebrates the Careers of Three LEND Program Leaders

All three professionals have made indelible marks on their fields and regions through their dedication to service, research, and education in developmental disabilities and physical therapy.

Image of Paul McDade, an older white male with facial hair and glasses wearing a sweater and button-down shirt.

IOD Director Kelly Nye-Lengerman to Depart in September

Director Kelly Nye-Lengerman announced today that she will resign as Director of the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire on September 6, 2024. Since she began in 2020, Nye-Lengerman has been a visionary leader for the IOD. Deeply committed to full inclusion, her many contributions within the field of disability research and advocacy have been invaluable to the IOD and the broader community we serve.

Project SEARCH staff in a group photo at the Texas A&M Hotel and Convention Center

Texas Team Receives Excellent Outcomes Award at Project SEARCH Conference

Project SEARCH is an ever expanding international program whose primary objective is to secure competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities. Texas has 30 Project SEARCH sites, with more being added every year. They held their 17th annual Project SEARCH Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Over 850 people from around the world attended 45 from Texas. 10 sites from Texas received the Excellent Outcomes Awards, meaning 70% to 99% of the interns secured jobs.

   Network News

AUCD Leadership Academy particpants standing and sitting in front of a Civil Rights Mural.

Nine VR agencies Meet at ICI for Progressive Employment Learning Collaborative

Earlier this summer, the Progressive Employment Learning Collaborative met at the ICI to discuss lessons learned about Progressive Employment’s impact on job seekers with disabilities and businesses in their communities. The Progressive Employment Learning Collaborative includes representatives from nine vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, ICI staff, and partners at the Disability Policy Consortium and Mathematica.

AUCD Leadership Academy particpants standing and sitting in front of a Civil Rights Mural.

Think College Releases Annual Report on Transition & Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Each year, the Think College National Coordinating Center publishes an Annual Report with important data about postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability. Think College has data from 41 Transition & Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) programs around the country. TPSID grantees create and expand higher education programs for students with intellectual disability across the U.S. This report covers the third cohort of TPSID Model Demonstration Projects from 2022–2023.

AUCD Leadership Academy particpants standing and sitting in front of a Civil Rights Mural.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher Ben Schwartzman Receives Funding to Create Employment Mentorship Program for Adults with IDD

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Member and Vanderbilt University Special Education research assistant professor Ben Schwartzman, PhD, recently received funding from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) to create a peer mentorship program between job-seeking adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and employed adults with IDD.

AUCD Leadership Academy particpants standing and sitting in front of a Civil Rights Mural.

Best Practices in Telehealth Care for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Research team led by 2018 UMass Shriver LEND Fellow Dr. Melissa L. Desroches collaborates with Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association, American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, The Arc, and StationMD to identify best practices in telehealth care for adults with developmental disabilities. The best practice guidelines and plain language version are published open-access in the Journal of Telemedicine and eHealth.

AUCD Leadership Academy particpants standing and sitting in front of a Civil Rights Mural.

Waisman Center IDDRC Funds Three Pilot Projects on Novel Down Syndrome Research

Three Waisman Center investigators and affiliates were awarded an internal grant to support Down syndrome research in its early stages. The funds were made possible through the Ann Dewey Down Syndrome Catalyst Fund at the Waisman Center.

This artwork was produced by Kiều Thị Phương Anh and Nguyễn Thị Huế within the Engendering Disability-Inclusive Development - Vietnam project, Hanoi, 2023. It features the word "Education" at the top with signs such as "We are Deaf" on the left and an image of a fist surrounded by sunlight and yellow flowers on the right.

Conversations With/Across the Global South

A special issue of the "Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal" explores provocative issues about disability and the global South, decolonialism, and the future, along with other ongoing disability studies research.

Prince and Agnes Cole speak on television news about starting the Disability Motivational Network. They sit in their garage and both of them have disabilities.

First Project DIVERSE Summer Institute

Project DIVERSE: Doctoral Scholars Implementing Socially Valid Evidence-Based Practices and Research for Improving the Language, Literacy, and Social-Emotional Outcomes of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners. Dr. Lisa Bowman-Perott organized the first Project DIVERSE Summer Institute with doctoral scholars at TAMU, Baylor, and UTSA with her Project DIVERSE grant. It was held June 17-18 at Baylor in Waco. This is a prospective funding opportunity for students admitted into the EPSY doctoral program with an emphasis in special education. 

Project SEARCH staff in a group photo at the Texas A&M Hotel and Convention Center

Capacity Building Project Showcases: Empowering Students with Disabilities

In the spring of 2024, the Capacity Building team held Showcases in TWC’s North and East Texas regions. These events highlighted the collaborative efforts of transition vocational rehabilitation counselors and school transition educators. Their presentations demonstrated how they work together to provide students with disabilities opportunities to gain job skills, ultimately enhancing their employability outcomes. Showcases will continue in September, covering the remaining TWC regions. 

Promotional graphic for the "Possibilities Podcast," featuring an episode about "Waskul Litigation." The podcast is talking to Disability Rights Michigan, with guests Attorneys Nick Gable and Kyle Williams. The design includes a gavel and a microphone, symbolizing legal discussion, and the logo for Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute (MI-DDI) is in the bottom left corner. The background is styled with green and blue wave patterns

MI-DDI Podcast: Waskul et al. v. Washtenaw County Community Mental Health et al.

MI-DDI sits down with Kyle Williams and Nick Gable (of Disability Rights Michigan), litigators of the Waskul et al. v. Washtenaw County CMH et al. case. A notable lawsuit revolving around adequate funding for Community Living Supports (CLS) Services for people and support staff in Washtenaw County in Michigan. This episode discusses the origin of the lawsuit, its eventual settlement, and the possible impact of this case in Michigan and across the nation. View Transcript

   Emerging Leaders Voices

Prince and Agnes Cole speak on television news about starting the Disability Motivational Network. They sit in their garage and both of them have disabilities.

2024 Emerging Leader Map

We are excited to share the 2024 AUCD Emerging Leaders Map! The theme of this year's map is, "Celebrating Inclusivity Across Communities." These stories celebrate the unique contributions of AUCD’s Network Emerging Leaders Community, who work towards greater inclusion in their fields of work and places of study.

Use this map to discover Emerging Leaders across the AUCD Network who have unique contributions related to inclusivity. Let these stories motivate your ideas and collaboration with the disability community and celebrate the achievements of Emerging Leaders in 2024.

Prince and Agnes Cole speak on television news about starting the Disability Motivational Network. They sit in their garage and both of them have disabilities.

Answering the Call

MN LEND fellow Sophie Iverson explains disability policy and procedures to people with disabilities and their families. She is also training a new cohort of LEND fellows. "I can think of no other MN LEND alumni who are as well-versed in policy and in the overall legislative processes surrounding getting seen and heard by our elected officials,” ICI’s Rebecca Dosch Brown said of Iverson, who was born in Northeast Minneapolis and still lives there. “MN LEND has now come to rely on Sophie to guide our trainees each year on how to research and prepare for and then deliver effective communications about policy to their elected officials."

   Opportunities

The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston (ICI), Institute on Disability at UNH (IOD)

LEND Equity Scholars Opportunity

Deadline: Monday, September 16, 2024
The Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Center for Equity (ECIPC-Equity) is recruiting the second cohort of 10-15 LEND trainees to become the 2024-2025  ECI LEND Equity Scholars.

To ensure diverse representation across all LEND programs, we can only accept one trainee per LEND program. Trainees applying for this opportunity must have the support of their current LEND Director and/or Director of Training. View Flyer

The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston (ICI), Institute on Disability at UNH (IOD)

RFP: Poster Presentation Opportunity with AIR-P! Apply by September 6

AIR-P is now accepting applications for poster presentations at the semi-annual AIR-P Research Day! This event will be held as part of the AUCD 2024 Conference, November 3-6, 2024, in Washington, DC. This is an opportunity to present research on the physical health and overall well-being of autistic individuals. The theme for this AIR-P Research Day is ‘Translation of Research to Community Impact.'

   Upcoming Events

ATM Texas A&M University Project TAPP

Project TAPP Informational Session

Thursday, September 5, 2024, 1:00 - 2:00 PM
The Center on Disability and Development and the BLINC Lab at Texas A&M University is hosting a 1-hour informational session for those interested in learning more about ProjectTAPP (Teaching, Autism, and Practitioner Preparation) a FREE training that is tailored for the unique needs of educators who work with students diagnosed with ASD (including: general education teachers, special education teachers, paraprofessionals, specials teachers, administrators, and support staff). The Project TAPP team offers these one to two day workshops at no cost.

The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston (ICI), Institute on Disability at UNH (IOD)

Disability Voting Rights Week

September 9 - 13, 2024
Disability Voting Rights Week (DVRW) is a nonpartisan movement hosted by the American Association of People with Disabilities and REV UP. DVRW is about advocacy, celebrating community, and building power. The disability community makes up an important voting block. Disabled voters are a part of every community. Yet, systemic barriers prevent many people with disabilities from accessing their right to vote. Grassroots disabled activists created DVRW. DVRW is a cross-disability, cross-movement week of action.

The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P)

HWRN Webinar: Remaking Recess: A Social Engagement Intervention of Autistic Youth in Elementary Schools

October 24, 2024, 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET

In this webinar, Dr. Locke will discuss common challenges autistic children experience during recess at school. She will highlight the underlying research that led to the development and testing of the Remaking Recess intervention and share strategies to support autistic children to boost peer engagement at school. Event Flyer

The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P)

Neurodiversity in the Workplace

October 27-29, 2024

Join the collaborative conference that brings together a community that is committed to improving employment outcomes for the neurodiverse workforce. Through collective impact, we will engage in dynamic discussions, learn from expert presenters, and build a network of change-makers who promote diverse and inclusive employment practices. This conference empowers employers to build a dynamic workforce and enhance the workplace. 

The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P)

AUCD 2024 Conference

November 3-6, 2024

The AUCD Conference brings together more than 1,100 researchers, policymakers, practitioners, professionals, advocates, community leaders, and students. This annual event is designed to promote innovative thinking that will launch disability policy, research, and advocacy initiatives to the next level. With a theme of Stronger Together: Creating a More Inclusive World, this year's Conference focuses on the core of the AUCD Network, recognizing that collaboration is critical to advance the rights and opportunities for and with people with disabilities through research, training, education, and service. 

   Submissions

Items may be submitted for consideration via the AUCD Public Promotion Page. Submissions are due on the second Friday of the month. AUCD 360 is promoted on the last Friday of the month. 

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This newsletter is in part supported by the Administration on Community Living (ACL) through a technical assistance contract for the URC, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) through a technical assistance contract for the ITAC, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a National Professional Organization for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. The content of this material does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of any federal agency. No official support or endorsement by federal agencies is intended nor should be inferred.

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