Interdisciplinary Education

The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies offers numerous ways to increase knowledge and practice in the field of disabilities.

Interdisciplinary Disability Studies (IDS)

The interdisciplinary curriculum in Disability Studies provides students a means to explore disability within the larger context of diversity and to examine professional practice, scholarship and policy related to persons with disabilities. Administered through the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, students may enroll in both graduate and undergraduate programs of study.

IDS Course Offerings

Early Childhood Opportunities (EChO) Scholars

The University of Maine’s Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and the College of Education and Human Development are collaborating in EChO Scholars, a four-year project to support the preparation of highly qualified early intervention professionals serving children with disabilities in Maine. The College of Education and Human Development offers a Master of Education in Special Education with Specialization in Early Intervention (MSEI). The program represents Maine’s only graduate study designed with an emphasis on high needs young children ages birth-5 with disabilities and their families, including children who live in poverty, are homeless, are in foster care, are English language learners, or who reside in rural, remote, and sparsely populated areas with limited access to resources.

MSEI Course Offerings:

Graduate Specialization in Early Intervention (GSEI)

The University of Maine’s Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and College of Education and Human Development, in collaboration with the Maine State Department of Education, sponsor this four-year project to develop, implement, evaluate, and institutionalize an innovative, interdisciplinary graduate personnel preparation program.

GSEI Course Offerings: Please see Early Childhood Opportunities (EChO) Scholars above for course information.

Interdisciplinary Courses in Universal Design (INT)

INT Course Offerings:

New Hampshire Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program Partnership

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies has joined the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Institute on Disability, and Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth as a partner in the New Hampshire Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NH-LEND) Program. The NH-LEND Program provides graduate level interdisciplinary training for students and professionals from diverse disciplines, including developmental pediatrics, early childhood education, social work, psychology, occupational therapy, health management and policy, and speech language pathology. Through the use of eLearning and videoconferencing technology at UNH, University of Maine trainees participate remotely in the weekly NH-LEND seminar. Ultimately, this new partnership will reach an area not currently served by a LEND training program, develop infrastructure, and address regional needs, particularly in rural underserved regions of Maine.

University of Maine Academic Links:

The University of Maine Confidentiality of Student Records Policy – Policies and practices in handling student records

UMaine Undergraduate Admissions – Information on undergraduate admissions and programs available at UMaine.

UMaine Graduate Admissions – Information for applying to graduate school.

UMaine Academic Calendar - Listing of academic calendar for current academic year.