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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Stronger TIES, Better Schools
TIES Center researchers are working with several large U.S. school districts to boost the quality and quantity of learning time spent in inclusive classrooms among students with extensive support needs. Their aim: Enhancing students’ life-long choices and outcomes.
The customized work with individual states and districts follows extensive expertise the TIES Center gained as a national technical assistance center focused on inclusive education practices and policies. Key takeaways and resources developed for the center are available free on the TIES website. Among them: Inclusive “Big Ideas” for standards-based lesson plans that remove common barriers to learning, universal design learning
modules, briefs geared to parents of students with disabilities, and bite-sized, collaborative planning
sessions for busy educators to fit inclusion concepts into their day.
“These tools take a lot of very solid research and put it into practice in a way teachers and others can use,” said Gail Ghere, a TIES Center research associate. “The content fills a niche that has not been widely available, and the volume of traffic on our website shows there is an important need there for helping educators enhance their strategies to support inclusive practices.”
In addition to the online tools, researchers are interested in working with states and school districts on addressing their unique barriers and challenges, said Kristin Liu, principal investigator.
“We support administrators, teachers, and parents to build a commitment to inclusive education; help them assess their needs; plan their role in supporting inclusive education in their schools; and provide resources and training for general education, special education, and English-language teachers who need support in their classrooms,” she said.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act provides for services to improve the educational results of students with disabilities, but decades after the law was signed, fewer than 2 in 10 students with intellectual disability are in integrated classrooms with their grade-level peers for 80 percent or more of their time in class.
“To be able to share with districts and with teachers the specific successes we’ve had in various situations helps them understand that while this work is hard and complex, they can do it,” said Jessica Bowman, a TIES research associate.
To learn more about the supports the TIES Center provides, including suggestions for funding strategies that districts have used successfully, contact tiescenter@umn.edu
Learn more about the TIES Center’s work. |
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Winter Art Show Open Now
Art for All’s newest exhibition and sale, on display through February 16 in the gallery at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain
, features emerging photographer Hannah Rousar (pictured) in her first show and six other artists displaying their latest work. The exhibition includes paintings, mixed media, ceramics, and photography, and was created as part of Art for All: The Stephanie Evelo Program for Art Inclusion at the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Community Integration.
Rousar’s photographs, along with works by another Art for All artist, Lena Osman, were also recently featured in an exhibition at The Mill Yard at Stonebridge Lofts in Minneapolis.
The shows advance the program’s mission of not only supporting emerging and professional artists with disabilities, but also bringing their work into wider community spaces to enhance understanding of the artists’ vision of the world.
“The experience extends beyond artists selling their work and enhancing their resumes, though these aspects are undoubtedly significant,” said Nik Fernholz, program manager. “The true essence lies in the moments when artists connect, share their narratives, delve into their practices, and, ultimately, inspire one another to create.”
Read more about ICI’s winter art show. |
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Sexual health and healthy relationship education are key to ensuring that people with IDD can exercise their sexual and relationship rights. In this Impact article, Lindsey Catherine Mullis and Lindsay Sauvé encourage caregivers and support teams to educate themselves alongside people with IDD. https://bit.ly/41ljinO |
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What Does Meaningful Accessibility Really Mean?
Authors: Marianna K Quanbeck, Andrew R Hinkle, Sheryl Lazarus,
Virginia A Ressa, and Martha L Thurlow
This report contains the proceedings of a forum held on June 28, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana to discuss issues surrounding meaningful accessibility of assessments. The forum was a post-session to the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Conference on Student Assessment and was a collaboration of the Assessment, Standards, and Education for Students with Disabilities
Collaborative and ICI’s National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). A specific goal of the forum was to gather representatives from state education agencies, assessment vendors, assistive technology experts, and others to discuss the meaningful accessibility of assessments and to identify possible solutions to the challenges that students face when accessing assessments. Published by NCEO. |
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MTI Quarterly Trainings Series
In collaboration with the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation (MOHR), ICI’s Minnesota Transformation Initiative (MTI) holds quarterly trainings focused on organizational transformation. These are free and open to any employment and day service provider in Minnesota. MOHR supports the MTI team to select training topics that are relevant to Minnesota providers interested in transformation and to identify trainers from MOHR member organizations with experience in the training topic. Video recordings of these trainings are free for public viewing. |
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Data Byte: Most People in Large IDD Facilities Now Live in Settings Operated by Nonstate Providers
Authors: Sheryl A. Larson, Jon Neidorf, and Brian C. Begin
In 1967, almost 200,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) lived in large state institutions. Initially, those leaving state facilities moved to non-state ones. Starting in 1981, the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waiver helps them live with family or in small community homes. This Data Byte
shows the decrease of individuals living in large state and non-state institutions between 1998 and 2019. Currently about 90,000 individuals live in large non-state institutions. States should reduce this number because research shows people in smaller homes are happier and have more control over their living situation. Published by ICI’s Residential Information Systems Project (RISP). |
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Journal Articles Published
Mahoehney, D., Lee, S., Bershadsky, J., & Butterworth, J. (2023).
How did employment consultants adjust and innovate services to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3233/jvr-230058
Houseworth, J., Feinstein, C., Pettingell, S. L., Bershadsky, J.,
Tichá, R., Lemanowicz, J., & Zhang, A. (2023).
Using the independent monitoring for quality (IM4Q) program to examine employment in integrated settings in the community for people with IDD over time. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3233/jvr-230054
Kolb, R. L., McComas, J. J., Girtler, S. N., Simacek, J., Dimian, A. F., Unholz-Bowden, E. K., & Shipchandler, A. H. (2023).
Teaching Requesting to Individuals with Rett Syndrome Using Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) Through Caregiver Coaching via Telehealth. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 35(6), 1063–1090. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-023-09894-9
Bailie, J., Bishop, G. M., Badland, H., Emerson, E., Aitken, Z., Stancliffe, R., Ekanayake, K., & Llewellyn, G. (2023). Health and wellbeing outcomes associated with loneliness for people with disability: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17101-9 |
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MNLEND Seeks Fellows for 2024–25 Year
Early admission deadline: January 5, 2024
ICI’s Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (MNLEND) program is accepting fellowship applications for the 2024–25 year.
MNLEND is a 10-month interdisciplinary leadership training program in policy advocacy and evidence-based research and practices to develop new leaders to be skilled in systems-thinking, effective in interventions and practices, and able to improve quality-of-life outcomes for children and youth with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities. Benefits include a generous stipend, national networking opportunities, lifelong interdisciplinary connections, and interdisciplinary leadership development. The MNLEND 2024–25 cohort training runs from mid-August 2024 until mid-May 2025. People from underrepresented and/or underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply. Funded by the U.S. Maternal & Child Health Bureau.
Read more about MNLEND. |
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MIHEC January 2024 Community of Practice Event: “National Accreditation Standards and Resources for Program Accreditation”
January 23, 2024
3:00–4:15 pm Central Time
Register for this Zoom session
on the national accreditation standards and gain valuable insight into how to embed the standards into new or existing inclusive higher education initiatives. The conversation will include resources developed by the Think College National Coordinating Center and information about the Inclusive Higher Education Accreditation Council. Presented by Mary Judge Diegert (pictured at left, member of the Think College National Coordinating Center Accreditation Workgroup), and Martha Mock (right, executive director of the Inclusive Higher Education Accreditation Council). The program accreditation standards are part of the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education competitive grants. Also, learn about the available planning tools to support you in aligning your inclusive higher education initiative with the national accreditation standards. Hosted by ICI’s
Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortium (MIHEC). |
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Charting the LifeCourse Online Session
January 24, 2024
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 pm Central Time
Charting the LifeCourse helps you plan a good life with your child or young adult and develop supports that help them live the life they want. Join us for a Zoom session on January 24 and learn to use Charting the LifeCourse framework in planning life’s transitions. The other three sessions explore balancing safety and the dignity of risk, communicating with teams, and supporting out-of-school programs.
Learn more about Charting the LifeCourse and register. |
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Jennifer Sommerness, Gail Ghere, Jessica Bowman, Kristi Liu, and Darrell Peterson. On November 2, Sommerness (pictured,
TIES Center) presented a day-long conference strand on Universal Design for Learning and inclusive practices at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network 2023 Integrated PaPBS Network and MTSS Implementers’ Forum in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Sessions included: Rationale for and Research Supporting Inclusive Education; Collaborative Lesson Planning; Comprehensive Inclusive Education Programs: General Education & the Inclusive IEP; Creating a Culture of Belonging and Peer Engagement; and Inclusive Service Delivery. On November 7–8, Sommerness,
Ghere, Bowman, Liu, and
Peterson led a virtual professional development session for general and special educators and English language development teachers from Tucson Unified School District in Arizona on “Building a Culture of Belonging for All: Supporting Student Engagement & Achievement.“ On November 28 and 29, they led a follow-up coaching session related to peer engagement strategies to promote belonging. On November 15, Bowman presented on “Lesson Planning in Inclusive Classrooms: Creating Grade-Level Standards-Based Lessons for ALL” at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network HELIX Conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. |
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Jennifer Hall-Lande, Libby Hallas, Drake Bauer, Julie Bershadsky, Sandra Pettingell, and Sheryl Larson. On November 5–8, Hall-Lande
(pictured) presented three posters that she authored or co-authored at the Association of University Centers on Disability Conference (AUCD) Conference in Washington, DC. She was the sole author of “Partnering to Engage Communities and Promote Equitable Early Identification: LEND, Act Early, and Autism Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.” Among her co-authors of “Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence in Somali Children in Minnesota: Data from the MN-ADDM Study” were Hallas and
Bauer. Among Hall-Lande’s co-authors of “Estimating Prevalence of Spina Bifida in the U.S. Using Administrative Databases” were Bershadsky, Pettingell,
Larson, and Hallas. |
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Sheryl Larson and Jon Neidorf. On November 5–8, Larson (pictured) presented tips for using data from ICI’s
Residential Information Systems Project (RISP) at a symposium of AIDD Longitudinal Projects of National Significance at the AUCD Conference in Washington, DC. In November, Larson and Neidorf
presented a briefing on the project, highlighting RISP’s new homepage and new products, to federal staff from the U.S. Administration on Community Living and National Institutes on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation (NIDILRR) in Washington, DC. |
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Julie Bershadsky and Sandra Pettingell. On November 13–14, Bershadsky (pictured) and
Pettingell delivered an in-person SupportWise Data Boot Camp for human resources and administration staff in Rhode Island. SupportWise Data is part of ICI’s Direct Support Workforce Solutions, a national consulting group addressing the workforce needs of organizations providing community-based supports for individuals with disabilities. |
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Amy Hewitt and Julie Bershadsky. On November 14–17, Hewitt (pictured) and
Bershadsky attended the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) conference in Alexandria, Virginia and shared information about Direct Support Workforce Solutions
. Hewitt presented the conference plenary “Rhode Island Statewide Workforce Initiative” along with ICI’s partners in this state: Kevin Savage, BHDDH Director; Tina Spears, CPNRI Executive Director; Kin Einloth, Sherlock Center; and Judy Neibala, Perspectives Corporation. |
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Charity Funfe Tatah Mentan, Darrell Peterson, Yi-Chen Wu, and Kristin Liu. On November 15–19, Funfe Tatah Mentan
(pictured) presented in a ”conversation with the authors” session at the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) Conference in Montgomery, Alabama. She described a book chapter that she co-authored, “Creating Social Change for English Language Learners by Improving Access to Grade-Level Instruction.” It appeared in the book, Literacy, Vocabulary, and Acculturation: A Critical Education Triangle for English Language Learners, which was published earlier this year. Her co-authors on the book chapter were Peterson,
Wu, Liu, and Kym O’Donnell. O’Donnell was a graduate research assistant at ICI. |
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Julie Kramme. On November 16, Kramme
presented at the Minnesota Disability Ministry Connection at Constance Church in Andover, Minnesota to a group of professionals and volunteers in faith community ministries. She explained how to support adults, including young adults, to develop relationships with others in inclusive ministries and challenged faith communities to proactively remove barriers to inclusion. Kramme shared ICI resources and described the ministry she helped form in a local faith community. |
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Martha Thurlow and Gail Ghere. On November 30–December 1, Thurlow (pictured) and
Ghere presented ”Talking About MTSS For All: Increasing Understanding Through Straightforward Language” at the 2023 TASH Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Ghere also co-presented ”Transforming Schools Together: A Roadmap to Inclusive Excellence” at the TASH conference. |
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Lessons in Chemistry, and Advocacy
As a graduate chemistry student, Adam Langenfeld (MNLEND 2019–20) worked on a research project in spinal muscular atrophy that sparked his interest in studying developmental and genetic differences.
Later, as a medical student and then a pediatric resident, he focused on newborn patients placed in hospital intensive care units due to premature birth or who were at risk for genetic or developmental differences. His own experience as a parent of a baby born prematurely helped solidify his interest in working with children with neurodevelopmental differences, which led him to a University of Minnesota Medical School fellowship in developmental-behavioral pediatrics.
“His life as a father, I think, is where his humbly powerful approach to child advocacy comes from,” said Andrew Barnes, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Barnes also serves as medical director for the Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (MNLEND) program. “As a MNLEND fellow, he integrated being a fantastic dad with his roles as a great physician and scholar, and contributed to successful partnerships MNLEND maintains with community organizations.”
Now a developmental pediatrician at Children’s Minnesota, Langenfeld has stayed in the community to practice and has been active in advocacy work through the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Read more about Langenfeld. |
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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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