Announcing AUCD Interim Executive Director

The AUCD Board of Directors is excited to announce that it has appointed Sandy Root-Elledge, MA, as the Interim Executive Director of AUCD effective Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Sandy Root-Elledge, MA, holds the title of Emeritus Senior Lecturer and was the former Executive Director of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) at the University of Wyoming. She served in the position of Executive Director from 2016-2023, receiving regional, national, and international recognition for her leadership in the field of developmental disabilities. 

Check out AUCD’s New Inclusion Toolbox for Disability and Health State Programs

This Inclusion Toolbox is a collection of existing materials for Disability and Health State Programs and others who are looking for resources to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in their activities. According to the Centers on Disease Control and Prevention, disability inclusion is “including people with disabilities in everyday activities and encouraging them to have roles similar to their peers who do not have a disability.” This Inclusion Toolbox also includes resources to inform individuals with disabilities about Diabetes and how to prevent it.

AUCD Leadership Academy

Applications close on Monday, March 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET.

The Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) & The Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) are proud to present the 8th Annual AUCD Leadership Academy! 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, IDDRCs 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.

UCCEDD Proudly Supports Dr. Ilka Riddle as AUCD Board President

The UCCEDD team is proud to support our Director, Dr. Ilka Riddle, as she begins her term as AUCD Board President. Her dedication inspires us, and we’re excited to see the impact of her leadership over the next year. We are equally proud of our team for contributing 11 presentations at this year’s conference, showcasing their hard work and expertise.

WIHD's Dr. Jenean Castillo has Been Named to City & State’s NY Corporate Social Responsibility 100

Westchester Institute for Human Development is excited to announce that our Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Officer and LEND Program Director, Dr. Jenean Castillo, has been named to City & State’s NY Corporate Social Responsibility 100 (CSR100) list, honoring New York leaders practicing and promoting social responsibility. CSR 100 honors an elite group of NY’s most powerful executives, thought leaders, visionaries and influencers, who are setting new standards of excellence, dedication and leadership in improving their communities and making transformative change. Dr. Castillo, who is also a member of the AUCD Board of Directors, exemplifies these standards.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center UCEDD Co-director Dr. Julie Taylor Elected to American Pediatric Society

The Vanderbilt Department of Pediatrics continues to grow its class of members elected to the American Pediatric Society (APS) with four new inductees for 2025. Among those honored is Julie Lounds Taylor, PhD, who, in addition to her academic roles, serves as UCEDD co-director for the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND).

Brown University Health Pediatrician Dr. Pamela High Wins Award

A dedicated pediatrician and advocate for early childhood literacy, Dr. Pamela High has devoted her life to mentorship, education, and creating a lasting impact on future generations. Born in 1948 during a time of great societal change and fear, Dr. High’s upbringing was marked not only by her parents' unwavering support, but by her childhood friends, who she still has close relationships with.

Institute on Disabilities at Temple University Marks 50 Years

This year, 2024, marks the 50th anniversary of Pennsylvania's UCEDD, the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, a milestone that signifies half a century of transformative work in advocating for the rights and self-determination of people with disabilities.

The Institute for Community Inclusion Mourns the Loss of One of ICI’s Distinguished Founders, Dr. Ludwik Stefan Szymanski

With great sorrow, we share with you the news that Psychiatrist Emeritus Dr. Ludwik Stefan Szymanski passed away peacefully in his home at the age of 92 on November 22, 2024. Dr. Szymanski was a cofounder of the Developmental Evaluation Clinic (DEC) with Dr. Allen C. Crocker, which we know today as the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at UMass Boston and Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). He advocated for families and children, exploring and improving health and social outcomes for children with developmental disabilities at BCH.

A Catalyst for Change

The new Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute will drive transformations in IDD research, training, care, and advocacy. When Lisa Latten’s son, Ian, was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half in 2007, what she remembers was her fear. “I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’ I had this overwhelming need to close ranks—to protect my child, to protect myself,” she recalls. “As a parent, you recognize that the world is not set up to support our kids, accept our kids, and love our kids.”

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Researchers Reveal Important Themes to Improve Interactions Between Police and Black Autistic Youth

Law enforcement provides critical community services, yet Black autistic youth often face elevated risk of negative outcomes during police interactions. In an effort to learn more about these encounters within the autistic community, researchers at the Center for Autism Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) conducted a study to examine perceptions and concerns of Black caregivers of Black autistic children regarding police interactions. The findings, published online today by the journal Autism, revealed important changes that could be made to improve the quality of interactions between police and Black autistic youth.

Coach to Communicate Program at Texas A&M

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.

Project TAPP: Teaching, Autism, and Practitioner Preparation

The Center on Disability and Development and the BLINC Lab at Texas A&M University hosted a 1-hour informational session on September 5 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. 

Winds of Change

The Institute on Community Integration’s Renáta Tichá led a U.S. delegation of special educators, social workers, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and others to Havana, Cuba in November – in the midst of Hurricane Rafael – on a mission to understand more about the country’s special education system.

ICI, Gillette Children’s Collaborate for Better Services

Gillette Children’s and the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration are partnering on multiple studies aimed at bridging medical, diagnostic, and social aspects of care for children, youth, and young adults living in Minnesota with complex health conditions.

Residential Information Systems Project’s (RISP) Report

Nearly 8.4 million people in the United States have an intellectual and/or developmental disability (IDD), a new report from the Institute on Community Integration shows. The Residential Information Systems Project’s (RISP) 2020 technical report, along with other information and reports from previous years, can also be viewed and downloaded on the RISP website. The report includes more detailed disability prevalence estimates than have been available previously, along with new information about death rates among people with IDD during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Think College Resource for Educators

Faculty perspectives on teaching students with intellectual disabilities are important to consider as college programs grow and get more students enrolled. This Think College resource, "Part of What We Do: Perspectives of Faculty Teaching College Courses to Students with Intellectual Disability," features a literature review of post-secondary education-related articles that include information from faculty teaching students with intellectual disabilities. Recommendations to support faculty are included in the brief.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Produces New Toolkit on Informed Consent Process for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC)(TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) recently shared a brand-new toolkit to encourage researchers to better include individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in their research. The Informed Consent Process for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is designed to provide strategies to make the informed consent process go more smoothly for research participants with IDD.

ArizonaLEND Alum, Katrina Jean Shares Her Research on Evaluating School-Based Mental Health Care Access and Associated Academic Outcomes for Elementary Students in Pima County

Katrina Jean, ArizonaLEND Alum (2023-2024), is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Psychology program at the University of Arizona. Her current research is focused on evaluating school-based mental health care access in Pima County elementary schools and the associated outcomes in academic achievement.

Current ArizonaLEND trainee and Genetic Counseling Student Hope Wollen Strives to Improve Health Care for Those Needing Genetic Testing

Hope Wollen, a graduate student in genetic counseling at the University of Arizona, was inspired by her aunt’s cancer battle and aims to help others navigate genetic testing and healthcare decisions. She has been actively involved in newborn screening and public health initiatives as part of her education. As she approaches graduation, Wollen is focusing on her capstone project and plans to specialize in prenatal or oncology genetic counseling to assist patients during challenging times.

Opportunities to Participate: The Grassroots Project

Apply by January 20, 2025
The Grassroots Project is offering two opportunities for individuals and organizations in the disability advocacy space. The Grassroots Project is a national effort to support disability grassroots advocacy. This new initiative is administered by Human Services Research Institute with funding from the Administration for Community Living.

Launching Call for Host Application for Spring 2025 Professional Fellowship Exchange

Apply by January 31, 2025
Is your UCEDD or LEND eager to drive global change in disability inclusion? Host a Fellow from the prestigious Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement (PFP)! The PFP supports mid-career disability rights professionals from East Africa to participate in a 5-week Fellowship in the US in Spring 2025. As a host, the PFP will match you with a Fellow whose interests align with your organization, fostering a powerful exchange of knowledge and practices in disability-inclusive civic engagement.

Wisconsin Launches Family-Led Academic Grand Rounds (FLAG Rounds)

January 16, 2025, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT

A collaborative initiative between the University of Wisconsin’s UCEDD, the School of Medicine and Public Health’s Department of Pediatrics, and the Bluebird Way Foundation. There will be five virtual Family-Led Academic Grand “FLAG” Rounds sessions in 2025, with a focus on ableism in pediatrics. This model training targets health care learners, including medical students, residents, and students in nursing, social work and related fields.

Insights & Perspectives from Self-Advocates!

Thursday, February 27, 2025, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM ET

Hosted by the Institute for Human Development (IHD) at Northern Arizona University, Amplifying Voices of Disability is a virtual day of learning focusing on timely, hot-button issues from the point of view of those with lived experience of disability.

Disability Policy Seminar
April 7-9, 2025, Washington, D.C.

The Disability Policy Seminar is the premier opportunity to cultivate support on Capitol Hill and amplify the concerns of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) before Congress. The seminar brings together passionate advocates, including people with disabilities, experts, and professionals in the field, to learn about key issues and advance the grassroots movement for people with IDD.

Gatlinburg Conference
April 7-10, 2025, San Diego, CA

The Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is one of the premier conferences for behavioral scientists conducting research on intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has a rich history that started in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in 1967, and the name of its original location remained. Each year, Gatlinburg Conference brings together scientists from around the world to gather to discuss research and collaborations in the field.