The Connecticut General Assembly unanimously passed H.B. No. 7000 An Act Concerning Training for certain Public Safety

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 6, 2019

Farmington – UConn Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UConn UCEDD) and Connecticut Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (CT LEND) are pleased to announce the Connecticut General Assembly unanimously passed H.B. No. 7000 An Act Concerning Training for certain Public Safety and Emergency Services Personnel to enhance communication between emergency responders and children and adults with disabilities in times of crisis.

The bill would direct the UCONN UCEDD to expand and revise the communication toolkit previously developed by the UCONN UCEDD for use by emergency medical services personnel to address persons with disabilities during an emergency. This would enable firefighters, police officers, active members of ambulance services, emergency mobile psychiatric services personnel, and mental health crisis intervention services personnel to better meet the needs of a child, youth, or adult with disabilities when needing help. Included would be techniques for serving and interacting with those with autism spectrum disorder, cognitive impairment, and nonverbal learning disorders during emergencies when verbal communication may be hindered.

We are excited to collaborate with the Connecticut Legislature on this important work. We thank State Representative Liz Linehan, co-chair of the Children’s Committee, for her continued leadership on this legislation as well as our CT LEND students who met with legislative leaders to promote the importance of this toolkit.

 

Learn more: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB07000&which_year=2019

 

LifeCourse Planning: How Families Can Support Seamless Transitions from School to Adulthood

Please come join us for an intensive learning opportunity for families of individuals with disabilities age 14 and older.

This training will help you plan appropriate steps toward your child’s future. This is an intensive three session learning opportunity from the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, plus one additional session for follow-up.

Dates:

Session 1 – Wednesday, May 29, 2019 — from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Session 2 – Saturday, June 1, 2019 — from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Session 3 – Wednesday, June 5, 2019 – from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Session 4 – Saturday, June 29, 2019 – from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Location:

University of Connecticut
Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
270 Farmington Avenue – First Floor Suite 181

Presenters:

Craig Schramm, MD, Pulmonary Medicine, CCMC
Linda Rammler, PhD, Transition Specialist, UCEDD

Advance registration required by Wednesday, May 22, 2019.

This training is free, however you will be expected to commit to attending all four sessions.

Please register for this training at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/chartingthelifecourseJune.

For questions, please contact: Linda Rammler at lrammler@uchc.edu or call 860-679-1585.

Download and share the event flyer.

LifeCourse Planning: How Families Can Support Seamless Transitions from School to Adulthood

Please come join us for an intensive learning opportunity for families of individuals with disabilities age 14 and older.

This training will help you plan appropriate steps toward your child’s future. This is an intensive three session learning opportunity from the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, plus one additional session for follow-up.

Dates:

Session 1 – Wednesday, May 29, 2019 — from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Session 2 – Saturday, June 1, 2019 — from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Session 3 – Wednesday, June 5, 2019 – from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Session 4 – Saturday, June 29, 2019 – from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Location:

University of Connecticut
Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
270 Farmington Avenue – First Floor Suite 181

Presenters:

Craig Schramm, MD, Pulmonary Medicine, CCMC
Linda Rammler, PhD, Transition Specialist, UCEDD

Advance registration required by Wednesday, May 22, 2019.

This training is free, however you will be expected to commit to attending all four sessions.

Please register for this training at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/chartingthelifecourseJune.

For questions, please contact: Linda Rammler at lrammler@uchc.edu or call 860-679-1585.

Download and share the event flyer.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

HEALTH CARE & MEDICAL MANAGEMENT

Older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have unique health care needs and are at greater risk for developing certain health issues related to aging. This presentation will describe common health issues and barriers to health care experienced by aging adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities including Down syndrome.

Topic: Health Care and Medical Management for Aging Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Presenter: Dr. Gerard Kerins*
Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Time: 12:30pm – 3:30pm
Location: University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, 270 Farmington Avenue – Building Four, Suite 181, Farmington, CT 06030

*Dr. Gerard Kerins, M.D., F.A.C.P from the UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) will be offering this medical management presentation. Dr. Kerins is the Associate Chief of Geriatrics for Education at the Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale Medical School. In addition, he is the Program Director for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship and an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine as well as the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Please register for this training by Wednesday, May 22nd at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MedicalManagment5-29 

For more information, please contact Gabriela Freyre-Calish at: freyre@uchc.edu, or call 860-679-1563.

Download and share the event flyer.

 

 

Congratulations to the cast, crew and directors of the Avon, CT spring high school musical Pippin. A truly inclusive experience for those in the cast and crew as well as the audience. Props to all high school theater directors across the country who, like Ms Jill Paterson in Avon, understand and practice: All means All. 

 

On March 15, 2019, CT LEND students spent the day at the Connecticut State Capitol meeting with legislators and attending hearings. They prepared presentations on a variety of disability topics and received great feedback from participating legislators.

 

Photo: Bethanne Vergean

The University of Connecticut’s (UCONN) Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) is pleased to announce that Bethanne Vergean who is an Early Childhood Specialist at the UCEDD has been selected to be the Connecticut Act Early Ambassador for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Act Early is a national campaign aiming to improve early identification of children with autism and other developmental disabilities so children and families can get the services and support they need.

Created by the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and other federal partners, the campaign aims to educate parents, caregivers, and providers about childhood development, including early warning signs of autism and other developmental disorders, while promoting developmental screening and intervention.

Autism and developmental disabilities are common in the United States. A recent study shows that 1 in 59 children were identified with Autism yearly and that about one in six children have been diagnosed with a developmental disability. An estimated 165,000 Connecticut children have, or are at increased risk for, a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral and/or emotional condition and require health and related services beyond routine requirements for children in general.

Ms. Vergean’s responsibilities will include serving as the Connecticut liaison to the national Act Early campaign, providing training and technical assistance to state agencies, local Early Childhood programs, Community Health Centers, and other Health Care agencies to increase the identification and service provision to infants and young children and their families.

As an Act Early Ambassador, Ms. Vergean will play an important role in educating and working with Connecticut’s parents, healthcare professionals, and early educators about the importance of acting early on concerns about a child’s development.

On behalf of the UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Mary Beth Bruder, PhD, Director said, “We are delighted to be chosen as the site for the Connecticut Act Early Campaign as it will continue our center’s service to Connecticut’s youngest citizens. Bethanne is the perfect choice to be the Act Early Ambassador as she has been an early childhood advocate at the University of Connecticut’s UCEDD for many years.”

For more information, visit: www.cdc.gov/ActEarly

Join us for dinner and a panel presentation to hear from speakers from the disability community. This event is free and registration is required.

Date: Monday, March 11, 2019

Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Dinner served at 5 p.m.)

Location: UConn Health Cafeteria

The panel will include remarks from:

• Linda Barry
• Molly Cole
• Chris Blake
• Keith Mullinar
• Alexia Bouckoms
• Therese Nadeau

You can register for both the dinner and presentation, or just the presentation, using our Survey Monkey link.

Event Accessibility Statement:

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at 860.679.1595 or jozef@uchc.edu by Wednesday, March 6, 2019.

Download and share the event flyer.

Sponsored by:

The UConn Disabilities Interest Group, UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), and the Connecticut Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (CT LEND).

The goal of these Master’s level courses is to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals currently working
in the field of early intervention. Requirements of the program will be individualized based on previous
experience, education degree (Master’s/Bachelor’s) and current role in early intervention

EISP Cohort 4