The Administration for Community Living has put together a new Fact Sheet to help keep the public educated about the core mission of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD). To view the fact sheet, please click here!

The Senate has confirmed Danté Quintin Allen as Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration at the U.S. Department of Education.  Secretary Cardona issued the following statement:

“With the confirmation of Mr. Danté Allen as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Department of Education is gaining a passionate advocate for students and individuals with disabilities and a proven leader with vast public and private sector experience. Mr. Allen joins our Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services after an impressive run as executive director at CalABLE, where he helped empower thousands of Californians with disabilities and their families to invest in themselves and their financial futures. I look forward to working together with Mr. Allen to provide individuals with disabilities and all students with equitable access to the education and training they need to find good-paying jobs; achieve economic security; and lead healthy, independent lives.”

To learn more about this, click here!

The National Council on Disability (NCD) has lost its Chairman Andrés J. Gallegos, 62, of Illinois, who passed away Dec. 1.

Chairman Gallegos led NCD, an independent, non-partisan federal agency responsible for making recommendations on national disability policy to the President, Congress, federal agencies, state, territorial, tribal and local authorities.

To read more about Chairman Gallegos, please click here.

On this day 48 years ago, President Gerald Ford signed into law the Education for All Handicapped (EHA) Children Act, which later became known as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.

To read more about the Individuals with Disabilities Act, click here.

Last night the Interdisciplinary Training for Early Intervention Professionals Specialist Program (EISP) Cohort had their final class! Congratulations all!

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is launching a federally funded center that helps leaders to establish and maintain inclusive learning environments and improve outcomes for students who receive services and support under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). AIR and five partners have been awarded a five-year, $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to establish and develop the Lead IDEA Center. 

AIR will lead the center in partnership with the University of Connecticut (UConn), True North Evaluation, University of Illinois Chicago’s Center for Urban Education Leadership, Boston University, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Abby Foley, senior researcher at AIR, will lead the center as project director. In addition to Bateman, co-principal investigators are Lynn Holdheide, AIR managing technical assistance consultant, and Mary Beth Bruder, UConn professor of pediatrics.

To learn more about this, please click here.

UCEDD staff and students attended the AUCD conference “Emerging Leaders: Shaping the Future” in Washington DC this week.

Presentations:

• OSEP Model Demonstration Project – Developing Identification, Screening, Referral and Tracking Systems for Infants and Toddlers

Posters:

• The use of Intelligence Quotient as an Eligibility Criterion for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services: A Review of the States
• Accommodations and Accessibility of COVID-19 Vaccinations for People with Disabilities in CT
• Local Health Departments Inclusion of Persons with Disability: Results from a Training Needs Assessment in Connecticut
• The Availability of Information on Accomodations for Students with Disabilities on Medical School Website

Staff and Students also visited Capitol Hill for the Address for Closing Plenary, speakers included Senator Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary Katy Neas, Peter Mills, Chief Legal Aid at Senator Murphy’s office and Senator Bob Casey.

Connecticut has created the CT Transition Community of Practice (CoP) to centralize all activities, resources, and initiatives related to secondary transition and to provide information and support to students, families, and professionals. The CoP is comprised of multiple stakeholder groups that have come together with a single focus: enhancing the transition of youth with disabilities to adult life. Come learn what we are all about! See how your ideas fit into Connecticut’s overall plans and help us plot our course for improving student outcomes. To learn more visit CT SDE or  SERC

 

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Governor Lamont Proclaims October as Disability Employment Awareness Month

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has proclaimed October 2023 as Disability Employment Awareness Month in Connecticut in recognition of all Connecticut residents with disabilities in the workplace and in honor of their many accomplishments. #NDEAM #access #equity

“Disability Employment Awareness Month celebrates the important role of workers with disabilities, past and present, and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees in Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said. “I am proud of the way that Connecticut has been a leader in protecting the rights of people with disabilities when it comes to employment issues, and particularly proud of the many businesses in our state that make every effort to include people of all abilities as valued members of their workforces.”

To read the proclamation