2019 AUCD Conference Engages Leaders to Lead Change
Over 1,100 people from around the United States and internationally participated in the 2019 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference in Washington D.C. from November 17th to November 21st, 2019. The theme, “Leading Change Together,” focused on how people with and without disabilities come together to celebrate the many ways to lead change as an organization that works with diverse communities and people through research, practices, and advocacy that impacts a broad spectrum of disabilities. The extensive pool of resources and knowledge in one setting ignited interesting discussions and generated ideas on how to implement new program services as well as to enhance existing services to better serve individuals with disabilities and their families.
During the conference, AUCD also hosted a meeting with Julie Hocker, Administration on Disabilities Commissioner, who provided insights on the administration’s initiatives: increasing life expectancy of individuals with disabilities, health education, healthcare, and post-secondary transition services.
The AUCD is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. Network members consist of 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) receiving core funding from the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD); 43 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs receiving core funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB); 15 Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRC), receiving core funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Development (NICHD). These programs serve and are located in every U.S. state and territory and are all part of universities or medical centers. They serve as a bridge between the university and the community, bringing together the resources of both to achieve meaningful change.
Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the US Virgin Islands. Pictured from the front row (LR) Carol Pagan, Puerto Rico UCEDD Director; Jennifer Castro, Saipan UCEDD Director; Kimberly Mills, Virgin Islands UCEDD Director; Pamela Sablan, Saipan Developmental Disabilities Center Director. Second row (L-R) Michelle Aguigui, Guam CEDDERS Associate Director; Shamika Thomas, Virgin Islands UCEDD Program Coordinator; Dawn Rudolph, AUCD Senior Director of Technical Assistance & Network Engagement; June DeLeon, Guam CEDDERS Interim Director; Tafa Tua-Tupuola, American Samoa UCEDD Director.
