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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Forum: Implications of Closing Institutions
Supporting people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) to move from large, state-run institutions to individualized community settings has been a foundational aim of the Institute on Community Integration for more than 30 years. With the end game in sight, what is left to be done?
A free public forum on June 23 will discuss stark differences among states in their approaches to ending institutional care, challenges threatening the progress of deinstitutionalization, research documenting how the lives of people with IDD changed after moving into community settings, and policy recommendations for supporting all individuals with IDD.
ICI’s Sheryl Larson will present her recent Policy Research Brief, Are Large Institutions for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities a Thing of the Past?
“A lot of states have already figured this out, including 17 that have completely closed their institutions,” said Larson. “So, what do we have to do now so we don’t forget the people who still live in institutions? How do we make sure we aren’t forgetting them?”
Mary Sowers, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, and Celia Feinstein, former executive director of Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities, will discuss the implications of the research for the field.
Read more about Policy Research Brief and Policy Forum. |
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New DSP survey
Two years after creating the largest survey to date of direct support professionals, the Institute on Community Integration and the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals recently launched an expanded survey that will explore how technology has changed the field during the pandemic.
The new survey also asks DSPs and supervisors about their hours worked, changes to their wages, how their mental health has been affected by the pandemic, and whether the daily routines of the people they support are getting back to pre-pandemic levels, among other questions. This is the fourth survey in a series that has uncovered racial disparities in DSP wages and hours, revealed DSPs having to pay out of pocket for their own protective equipment, and documented the impact of the pandemic on staff turnover rates that were already at crisis levels.
“Our stakeholders and advisers have been using this survey data in their policy advocacy, and they wanted more,” said ICI Director Amy Hewitt, noting that the pandemic is still disrupting the lives of people with disabilities and those who support them.
By taking the survey, DSPs can play a direct role in shaping public policy and bringing attention to the dire need for better pay and working conditions in the field, Hewitt said. “The strong response rates to our previous surveys indicate that these professionals want to be heard.”
Read more about the new DSP survey. |
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MNLEND 2021–22
“We Grew and Learned from One Another”
From developing more inclusive 4-H programs to identifying best practices in teaching medical and dental students about intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), the Institute’s 2021–22 Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (MNLEND) program fellows made significant contributions to the field. On May 19, ICI celebrated their accomplishments at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus.
“We grew and learned from one another,” ICI Director Amy Hewitt, addressing the 33 newest MNLEND alumni online and at McNamara. “We have a better understanding of the various professional roles in supporting individuals with neurological and developmental disabilities and greater clarity on the truths experienced by people with disabilities and their families. We understand better the disparities and disproportionality experienced by people with disabilities who have intersecting identities based on race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Most import, we all learned together, and are better people because we did.”
In the alumni keynote address, Sheyhan Gelle (MNLEND 2020–21) urged the cohort to be relentless in pursuing their passions. Gelle, who has worked in a variety of social service roles, has a son with autism.
“After you leave here today, remember you are in a position to create inclusive spaces,” she said. “Think of my son, and the many other children who will be impacted by the decisions you make.”
Read more about the MNLEND graduation. |
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Layers of Color
ICI celebrates disability pride, along with pride in other identities, with an exhibit of visual artist Avery Hunter’s Finding Myself in Color, running July 7 – September 9 at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain’s Brenden-Mann Community Center, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis.
It is the first solo show for Hunter, a transgender man living with developmental, psychological, and physical disabilities. His acrylic on canvas works include abstracts and self-portraits.
“People have said to me they don’t think I look autistic, or that I don’t seem like someone who has hallucinations,” said Hunter, who grew up in England and came to Minnesota as a young adult. “I want people to see that there are struggles beyond what people can see, and to know there are so many aspects to identity beyond disability.”
Hunter will discuss his art and identity pride at 4 p.m. on July 7 at Brenden-Mann. An opening reception will follow from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event and parking are free and open to the public.
Read more about Hunter. |
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“At the beginning of this year, I was scared about moving away from home, but then I met everybody and they’re so friendly. It’s perfect for me and I’m loving it.“ Marni Lane talks about her first year as an EAGLES student at Auburn University in this Impact article about inclusive higher education for people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities. |
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NCEO Report 433: A Summary of the Research on the Effects of K–12 Test Accommodations: 2019
Authors: Chris Rogers, Martha L Thurlow, Sheryl Lazarus,
Virginia A Ressa, and Ghada Swadek
This report provides an update on the state of the research on testing accommodations. Previous reports by ICI’s National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) have covered research published since 1999. In this report, NCEO summarizes the research published in 2019. During 2019, 11 research studies were published on the topic of testing accommodations in the U.S. elementary and secondary education system. Part of the NCEO Reports
series. |
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NCEO Report 435: The Formative Assessment Practices Landscape for Students with Disabilities: An Analysis of State Definitions and Practices, 2021
Authors: R. Huynh, C. Midyett, D. Quan, Martha L Thurlow, and Sheryl Lazarus
This report outlines the approaches that state education agencies (SEAs) have taken in defining and using formative assessment practices, including practices to explicitly support students with disabilities. At the state level, there have been efforts to develop or adopt formal definitions of formative assessment practices that guide how these practices are used in instruction. Given the different approaches and definitions that might exist for formative assessment practices, this report aims to describe how states are communicating and supporting these practices with their districts and schools. Part of the
NCEO Reports series. |
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TIES Center Brief 9: Communication Supports for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: What Parents Need to Know
Authors: Ricki Sabia, Martha L Thurlow, and Jacqui Kearns
This Brief describes how families and other members of Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams can help students get the supports they need to build their communicative competence in inclusive classrooms. All students communicate, but some students may need options other than oral speech, or in addition to oral speech. Being able to communicate is an important skill for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Communication does not need to be oral. But it should be sufficient for conveying messages to others. Part of the
TIES Center Briefs series. |
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NCEO Newsletter: June 2022 issue
This issue
highlights several new products available from NCEO including the updated guide to universally designed assessments, an analysis of how states include students with disabilities in test security policies, and the findings of a survey on how states monitor alternate assessment participation decisions. There is also an article about two resources that address the role of related service providers in making accessibility and accommodations decisions. This issue includes a summary of all the sessions in which NCEO is participating during the National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA). Finally, there is an article on the forum that follows NCSA on assistive technology interoperability with online assessment platforms, and other technology and services. |
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What New Special Education Directors Need to Know about Academic Assessments
Authors: C. M. Riley, Sheryl Lazarus, and Martha L Thurlow
The purpose of this toolkit is to provide easy access to information that will help special education directors fulfill their role in ensuring the participation of students with disabilities in assessments. The toolkit is meant to assist directors in locating information and resources on the website of ICI’s National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
The information and resources highlighted in this resource can help support special education directors in ensuring that all students with disabilities are included in state, district, and school assessments and accountability systems in a manner that is appropriate for each student based on their specific instructional and assessment needs. |
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TIP 23: Supporting the Communication Needs of Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Users who are also English Learners
Authors: Jacqui Kearns, Kristin K Liu, and Jane Kleinert
Students with significant cognitive disabilities who are also English Learners or emergent multilingual language users present unique opportunities for inclusive education teams. This TIP provides five strategies for General Education, Special Education and English Language teachers to support multilingual Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users in inclusive classrooms. Part of the TIES Inclusive Practices Series (TIPS). |
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Schleien Scholarship Accepting Applications
The Jason David Schleien Memorial Scholarship offers $3,000 to qualified students who actively promote the community inclusion of individuals with disabilities, disadvantaged youth, and other underserved populations. These activities could take place in the spring, summer or fall. Students must be enrolled full-time at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development and report their experiences to the Schleien family after completing the project. Applicants should submit a one-page proposal to ICI’s
Nik Fernholz outlining their interest in the stated examples of areas of study and working with the relevant populations. Read more about this scholarship opportunity. |
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ICI Web Site Survey
Please take a moment to let us know what you think of the ICI website (https://ici.umn.edu/) and how it can better serve you in the future. The short one-question survey takes only a few moments to complete and can be found at https://umn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0D4v82keKDehnV3. Thank you! |
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Renáta Tichá and Brian Abery: On May 3, Tichá and
Abery presented the webinar, “A Person-centered, Longitudinal Approach to HCBS Outcome Measurement,” to the U.S. Administration for Community Living. On May 28–30, Tichá and Abery presented, “Trends in Self-Determination Behaviors of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities and Their Direct Support Professionals in Residential Settings,” and “Factors Associated With the Self-Determination of People With Intellectual Disabilities in Community-Based Residential Settings: The Importance of Direct Support Professionals Attitudes and Behaviors,” at the Association for Behavior Analysis International’s annual convention in Boston. |
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Sarah Hall: On May 16, Hall was a speaker for Episode 12 of the Sibling Leadership Network Podcast about Sibs and Spirituality at
https://siblingleadership.org/2022/05/16/sln-podcast-12-sibs-spirituality/ |
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Jennifer Hall-Lande. On May 23–26, Hall-Lande
was among the co-presenters of a poster titled, ”Collaborating with Health Care Providers and Early Childhood Systems using the CDC’s ‘Learn the Signs. Act Early.’ Resources to Improve Public Health Outcomes for ALL Children and Families!” The poster was presented at the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs’ national conference, which was held online. |
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TeleOutreach Center. On May 28–30, Betul Cakir Dilek and
Phuong Tran represented the ICI-led TeleOutreach Center at the Association for Behavior Analysis International’s annual convention in Boston where they presented the poster, ”Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions Provider Utilization of Telemedicine Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Other authors of the poster included Nicole Berning (Minnesota Department of Human Services), and Quinn Oteman,
Anne Floyd, Jessica Simacek, and Adele Dimian
of the TeleOutreach Center. Simacek (pictured) serves as the Director of the TeleOutreach Center and the TeleOutreach Research Core at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain. |
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Sherri Larson. On June 1, Larson
participated in a webinar on housing for people with disabilities that was co-sponsored by New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, New Hampshire’s Protection and Advocacy organization, and the state Developmental Disabilities Council. Also participating were former ICI staff members Kelly Nye-Lengerman (now Director of the New Hampshire Institute on Disability) and Jody Van Ness (retired). The publication upon which the session was based can be viewed online. |
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Derek Nord
Leading an academic research organization through the trauma and uncertainty of the global pandemic might not have been what Derek Nord was expecting when he left the Institute on Community Integration for Indiana University back in 2016, but there were clearly formative experiences.
“I still reflect often on the culture of ICI,” said Nord, director of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, which, like ICI, is a federally designated University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. “The grant world has a lot of ups and downs, and you have to learn to get creative and really push yourself at times, which we did often at ICI. At times it feels chaotic, but in that chaos, there are opportunities to grow and learn.”
Since he took the helm in Indiana, the organization has taken the opportunity to add three new disability research and training centers, focusing on equity in public health, collaborative systems change, and accessibility in public parks and lands.
“It was an eye-opening move to go from grant work and projects to teaching, managing budgets, and helping people grow into new responsibilities. It’s been a lot of juggling, but you learn to balance a lot of plates at one time,” he said.
The disruption and trauma of the pandemic over the last two years took its toll, as it did with all organizations.
“University centers had to figure it out as we went along, from how to get office equipment to people’s homes to how to keep delivering on grants,” he said. “That we did all that is a big achievement we haven’t recognized much, but it was a huge effort at every level of the organization.”
While at ICI, Nord worked in the Research and Training Center on Community Living, predominantly focusing on increasing competitive employment among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Nord’s wife, Kristin Hamre, also formerly with ICI, is now an assistant professor of social work at Indiana. They have a daughter, Ingrid, 8; and a son, Ted, 5. |
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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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