Current News

UConn UCEDD and CT LEND Students Invited to Bill Signing with CT Governor

The UConn UCEDD staff and CT LEND students were invited to a bill signing of HB 7000 (PA 19-147) with Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont.  Governor Lamont praised the students and UCEDD for all the work they had done on the bill.  Governor Lamont told the students how proud they should be for making a real difference in the world for the disability community.  Continue reading

New State Bill for Training of Emergency Medical Services Personnel

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. Continue reading

Bethanne Vergean Selected as Connecticut Act Early Ambassador

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. Continue reading

The Ethical Case for Having a Baby With Down Syndrome

Written by: New York Times Op-Ed Contributor Dr. Chris Kaposy, who is a bioethicist

My wife’s ultrasound turned up something abnormal in the baby’s heart — an otherwise innocuous feature that correlates with genetic conditions such as Down syndrome. A series of tests confirmed that our son indeed had Down syndrome. We were given the option of abortion, but my wife, Jan, already regarded him as our baby, and a few months later Aaron was born. Continue reading

A Promising Jobs Program Cries Out for Expansion

By Josh Kovner, Hartford Courant

The leader of a group serving people with intellectual disabilities in the Farmington Valley told Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. and other legislators on Tuesday about an internship program that so far has developed about 20 motivated workers, all of whom have gotten jobs at competitive wages.

Stephen Morris, executive director of The Arc of Farmington Valley, had struck a chord, making it plain that this training course, called Project Search, differs markedly from others because it takes place inside a host business and stresses independent, mainstream work, rather than group employment. Continue reading

Paralyzed Student Experiences Burning Man Through VR

Musical theatre student Evan W. Gadda has heard stories about Burning Man but hasn’t made the journey himself. He is asthmatic. and because of cerebral palsy, paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, so making the trip to Black Rock City has been deemed impossible, until now. Through a HTC Vive VR headset, he was able to attend the desert event virtually. Continue reading