Ensuring that all children, youth, and adults with disabilities, and those receiving educational supports, are valued by and contribute to their communities of choice. |
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Hewitt: Impatience is a Virtue
In a July keynote address at the UC Davis MIND Institute, ICI Director Amy Hewitt (pictured at right with Aubyn Stahmer, Director of the UC Davis MIND Institute) urged disparate segments of the disability community to work urgently, and holistically, for the inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in communities.
Decades after the passage of federal and state laws and regulations mandating accommodations to put people with disabilities on more equal footing in housing, education, and the workplace, the number of people with IDD who live in their own homes, attend school in fully integrated classrooms, and work in competitive employment remains stubbornly low, Hewitt said. The event was the annual MIND Summer Institute on Neurodevelopmental Disabilities in Sacramento, California.
The event created an opportunity for participants to engage in important discussions about how we can learn more about inclusion from one another and work together to create positive change, said Amber Fitzgerald, a program manager at the UC Davis MIND Institute.
“We just haven’t gotten it right,” Hewitt said following the event. “We’ve had grand ideas, but we really haven’t figured out true inclusion, and that’s on all of us, because we created these systems. The silos we’ve built in the disability service community underscore the importance of us working together and learning from each other.” A mix of educators, health care providers, caregivers, individuals, and families attended the meeting.
Read more about Hewitt on inclusion. |
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In Ghana, Learning to End Stigma
The first disability studies certificate program in West Africa begins this month at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana, the result of a nearly two-year partnership formed to train disability services professionals in a region where stigma still keeps many people with disabilities from education, employment, and other aspects of community life.
Enlightening and Empowering People with Disabilities in Africa (EEPD Africa), the University of Vermont, and the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota partnered with UCC to design the International Certificate in Disability Studies, a one-year program. It is modeled on disability policy and services certificates offered at ICI and University of Vermont and on work the Institute has done in Kenya. UCC is adapting the curricula from the U.S. programs to be culturally relevant from a West African perspective, but the course will be offered online and open to anyone.
“The organizations are collaborating on several initiatives, including the certificate program, that are aimed at putting people with disabilities at the forefront of their own lives,” said Macdonald Metzger (pictured), ICI’s director of outreach and engagement. “My hope is that it will inspire other organizations to partner with us in other parts of the world.”
For its part, UCC had been looking for ways to diversify its revenue sources and attract new students, said Godwin Awabil, dean of the faculty of educational foundations in UCC’s College of Education Studies.
“In Ghana, there are many people providing services for people with disabilities without any formal education or qualifications,” Awabil said. “This program will help upgrade the knowledge and skills of practitioners and enable them to carry out better services that will change attitudes about disability. I believe it will also change hearts.”
Advocacy is at the heart of the educational effort, said Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie, a University of Vermont adjunct lecturer who is founder and president of EEPD Africa. As a UCC graduate, Komabu-Pomeyie said it was “a dream come true” to have her vision for the course come to life at her alma mater.
Read more about ending stigma in Ghana. |
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Review: From Being to Belonging
Higher expectations for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the social fabric of their communities are today driven in large part by people with disabilities themselves, who are participating directly in disability research, a new review by Institute on Community Integration researchers shows.
Roger Stancliffe (pictured at left) and Sarah Hall (right) published
“Social inclusion of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Toward belonging” in the International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities. The review is being made available for free until September 7 by the publisher, Elsevier.
The authors review participation in mainstream community activities across the lifespan of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Various settings and types of social relationships, including LGBTQ+ relationships and online relationships, are discussed. Aging, end-of-life issues, and social inclusion in retirement are also examined.
“The understanding and conceptualization of social inclusion has become richer in recent years, largely thanks to the involvement of people with disabilities in the research,” said Stancliffe, who is also professor emeritus at the University of Sydney. “We’re getting away from superficial participation counts and measuring time spent in certain environments, and we’re paying more attention to the subjective experience and whether people with disabilities actually feel connected, welcome, and safe enough to develop relationships in these settings. It’s no longer just about wandering through a shopping mall and passing a parade of strangers.”
Read more about belonging. |
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Remembering "Bud" Rosenfield
Barnett “Bud” Rosenfield, Minnesota’s Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, died suddenly on July 8. Formerly a supervising attorney at the Minnesota Disability Law Center, he dedicated his career to promoting and enforcing the rights, community inclusion, and informed choice of people with disabilities. Rosenfield also served on ICI’s Community Advisory Council. He was 57 years old.
“We worked together for 30 years,“ ICI Director Amy Hewitt said. “As part of the Minnesota Disability Law Center, he was involved in key litigation that shaped improvements in community services for people with intellectual disability. Even more important are the individuals that he helped along the way to get services and hold the state accountable.“
“He was an excellent listener. He would listen to people’s stories and I could pick the phone up when I was enraged about something and he would listen. When it came to public policy, we were on the same page, and frequently outraged by the same things. He was steadfast in upholding rights and creating new rights for people with disabilities across the service line, but a particularly strong voice for those with intellectual disability. He is sorely missed already.“
Read Rosenfield’s obituary in Access Press. |
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Promoting psychological wellness is especially important for students with disabilities, and one of the most important steps is making sure students know they’re not alone. Zoe Korengold brings a unique perspective on psychological wellness from their experience as an autistic individual and as part of Support Response and Crisis Teams. Check it out in Frontline Initiative. |
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A Closer Look
Host: Chet Tschetter
This podcast series is for direct support professionals and frontline supervisors who want to learn more about best practices for supporting people with intellectual disability. The series explores the most current and relevant issues covered in Frontline Initiative. Produced by ICI and the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals, Frontline Initiative is a bi-annual online magazine magazine that promotes and elevates the role of the direct support workforce. |
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NCEO Brief 32: School Psychologists’ Role in Accommodations Decision Making
Authors: Linda S Goldstone, Maci Law, Sheryl Lazarus, and
Martha L Thurlow
Students’ learning and achievement in schools are regularly monitored formally and informally through classroom, district, and state assessments. School psychologists have a specialized understanding of data-based decision making, consultation, provision of academic assessment and intervention services, and the special education eligibility process. The accommodations decision-making process is one area where school psychologists can provide valuable knowledge and expertise to support students with disabilities in instruction and assessment. This Brief
explains a five-part framework for educators and other specialists who serve students, including school psychologists, to use in the selection, administration, and evaluation of accommodations for the instruction and assessment of all students, including students with disabilities and English learners. Published by ICI’s National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). |
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Research-Based Interventions that Work: Improving Retention and Graduation Rates for College Students with Disabilities
Authors: Emily Unholz-Bowden, Roqayah Ajaj, Krista Stokes,
Yue Wu, Brian Abery, and Renáta Tichá
This poster
was prepared to illustrate an ICI collaboration with the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) and the National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD). Despite various supports provided in colleges and universities, little is known about their effectiveness for promoting retention and graduation of college students with disabilities. In collaboration with AHEAD and NCCSD, ICI is reviewing the literature on the services, programs, and interventions provided to support social and academic outcomes of college students with disabilities. ICI is investigating the generalizability and efficacy of these supports according to the empirical literature. The results will inform higher education professionals in best practices for supporting the success of college students with disabilities. |
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Journal Articles Published
Dimian, A. F., Estes, A. M., Dager, S., Piven, J., & Wolff, J. J. (2023). Predicting self‐injurious behavior at age three among infant siblings of children with autism. Autism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2981
Young, K., Harris, B., Hall-Lande, J., & Esler, A. (2023). The intersection of systemic, child, and evaluation factors in the prediction of autism special education eligibility; Examining the role of race and ethnicity. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06059-7
Song, W., Zheng, L., Tichá, R., Abery, B., & Nguyen-Feng, V. N. (2023). Leisure participation of autistic adults: An ecological momentary assessment feasibility study. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 128(4), 319–333.
https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-128.4.319 |
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MIHEC Community of Practice Gathering: "All Things Inclusive Higher Education"
September 12
3:00 - 4:15 pm Central Time
A Zoom gathering of Minnesota college and university faculty and staff who are either interested in or part of their campus’ inclusive higher education initiative. Facilitated by faculty members Annette Romualdo of University of Minnesota Duluth and Diana Joseph of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Register for this free Zoom meeting. |
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MIHEC Learning Community Event: "Strategic Partnerships Derived from Common Goals" (Employment Opportunities, Work Skills Training, and Transition to Employment after College)
September 19
3:00 - 4:15 pm Central Time
Oklahoma has three inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) options for students with intellectual/developmental disabilities which are Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs and one IPSE program for degree-seeking students with autism. The strategic partnerships that support students’ access to college and community employment are an essential component of the Oklahoma IPSE initiatives. This presentation will discuss the path Oklahoma has forged partnering with Oklahoma Vocational Rehabilitation, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, and the Central Oklahoma Workforce Innovation Board. Innovative collaborations with these organizations that have similar goals tap existing resources and funding to support students, IPSE staff, and off-campus employers when students work off-campus while enrolled and pursue competitive integrated employment after graduation. Presented by Julie Lackey, who is the Director of OKIPSE Alliance, and Yolanda Scott,
who is the Youth Programs Manager for the Central Oklahoma Workforce Innovation Board. Register for this free Zoom meeting. |
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2023 Minnesota Gathering
In-Person and Online
October 24 and 26
October 24
Two locations in-person
North Region
Cloquet Forestry Center (near Duluth)
South Region
Woodlake Meeting Center, Rochester
October 26
Online via Zoom
Person-centered practices assist people in creating a positive and meaningful life and build on people’s unique interests and strengths. The Gathering is your annual event to meet and learn how person-centered thinkers are planning, providing, and organizing services rooted in listening to what people want and helping them live in their communities based on their choices. Disability-related services, nursing homes, behavioral health organizations, family homes, and other human service programs are just a few examples of settings where person-centered strategies are used to improve quality of life. Scholarships to the Gathering are available. Registration and the scholarship application open on August 28.
Learn more about the Gathering. |
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Jennifer Hall-Lande, Rebecca Dosch Brown, Julie Bershadsky, Sandra Pettingell, Sheryl Larson, and Libby Hallas. On July 10–12,
Hall-Lande (pictured) delivered the presentation “Trainee Recruitment in Underrepresented Communities” at the National Autism CARES meetings in Washington DC to an audience of professionals from federal programs, federal and state agencies, university researchers, public health officials, and others. She received content support from Dosch Brown.
In late June, Hall-Lande co-presented “Estimating Prevalence of Spina Bifida in the U.S. Using Administrative Databases” in Charleston, South Carolina to the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention’s annual conference on improving pregnancy outcomes through collaborative research. Among her co-presenters and co-developers were Bershadsky, Pettingell,
Larson, and Hallas. The audience members were mainly university researchers, physicians, and public health officials. |
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Chet Tschetter and Megan Sanders. On July 11–12, Tschetter (pictured) and
Sanders presented the in-person frontline supervisor trainings “Implementing Training” and “Finding the Right Employees” to frontline supervisors from the Community Provider Network of Rhode Island. |
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Sarah Hall. On July 12, Hall
(pictured) and 4-H Extension Educator Anna Gilbertson presented ”Peer Helper Teen Training” to Anoka County Library staff and volunteers to prepare them for their summer adaptive programs for teens with disabilities. |
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BiKé Ojomo. On July 14–15, Ojomo staffed the ICI/
DirectCourse/MNLEND table at the ninth annual African Mental Health Summit, where she interacted with families and shared information and gifts. The conference theme “Mental Health Inequities Post Pandemic: Building a Cultural Ecosystem of Well-Being” focused on inequities and injustices in mental health, as well as the severity of the problems among people of African descent. |
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Rebecca Dosch Brown and Katrina Simons. On July 19, Dosch Brown (pictured) and
Simons co-presented “Supporting People with Disabilities to Champion Their Own Choices Through Person-centered Approaches,” a workshop that formed part of the “Inclusivity Forum Series“ for the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Aging and Disability division. Providers, managers, and direct support professional community members attended. The training defined ableism and explained how it can inflict unintended attitudinal barriers. The audience practiced applying Charting the LifeCourse Tools and Person-Centered concepts to re-vision two people highlighted in the training, one of whom was featured in
Of the Community, an ICI film from 2015. |
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Macdonald Metzger. On July 22–28, Metzger
and Autisme Rwanda, a Rwandan nonprofit organization, provided training on Community Based Rehabilitation practices and methods, including an orientation to autism spectrum disorders, to 20 community health workers in rural Rwanda. Participants were awarded certificates at the end of the training. Metzger and the CEO of Autisme Rwanda also consulted with the Rwandan Biomedical Center, which oversees the agency that employs Rwanda’s community health workers. Metzger also provided technical assistance to the management and staff of Autisme Rwanda on advocating for inclusive disability policies in Rwanda. |
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David R. Johnson and Eileen A. Klemm. On July 24–26, Johnson (pictured) and
Klemm participated in the 2023 OSEP Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference in Arlington, Virginia. During this conference, they facilitated a technology demonstration on how to access and use the Check & Connect Online Support Modules to implement C&C successfully. These modules, developed through an OSEP-funded grant, are freely available on the C&C website. |
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Sheryl Lazarus, Kristin Liu, and Andrew Hinkle. On July 24–26, ICI’s National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) did two presentations at the Office of Special Education Programs Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference in Arlington, Virginia. NCEO director
Lazarus (pictured), Liu, and Hinkle
presented “Innovative Ways to Communicate with Parents about Assessments for Students with Disabilities.“ Hinkle and Lazarus presented “Alternate Assessment Disproportionality Calculator: A Tool for State Education Agencies.“ |
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Megan Sanders, Barbara Kleist, Susan O’Nell, Claire Benway, and Mark Olson. On July 24, Sanders (pictured),
Kleist, and O’Nell presented virtually to the Georgia workforce workgroup about credentialing; they shared the credentialing program created to align with DirectCourse. On July 25–26,
Benway, Sanders, and Olson exhibited at the ARRM annual conference at the Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Benway and Sanders also presented, ”Training Supervisors to Support Retention of DSPs,” at the ARRM conference. |
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Myhre Hosts ICI Celebration
Heidi Myhre (pictured in the center with current and former ICI staff) this week welcomed guests of the Institute to a 35th anniversary celebration for Impact, ICI’s flagship publication, which advances the inclusion of people with disabilities in their communities of choice.
The celebration at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain included recollections from current and former ICI staffers, colleagues, and other friends of the organization who have contributed articles over the years.
“I vividly remember the first time I was asked to be an editor for an issue of Impact,” ICI Director Amy Hewitt recalled at the celebration. “It was such an honor to be asked, and I felt it marked a turning point in my career.”
Myhre, a member of the Institute’s Self Advocate Action Committee, has served frequently as an Impact author. In the spring anniversary issue, she wrote an article about why the publication remains relevant.
“Impact was put together to educate about topics in intellectual and developmental disabilities, and for us to know we’re not alone. It brings new knowledge to people who don’t understand disability and to us as advocates and self-advocates, and to people all over the world,” she wrote. “Each issue is a little different, but it always tells a story and we learn something about why people with disabilities stand up for our rights and how we make a difference in the world.”
Read more about Myhre. |
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This email was sent to ICI staff by Institute on Community Integration, 2025 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, USA. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
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The University of Minnesota stands on Miní Sóta Makhóčhe, the rightful homelands of the Dakhóta Oyáte. ICI recognizes that the U.S. did not uphold its end of these land treaties. It is the current and continued displacement of the Dakhóta Oyáte
that allows the University to remain today. At ICI, we affirm our commitment to address systemic racism, ableism and all other inequalities and forms of oppression to ensure inclusive communities. |
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