Five UMaine Graduate Students Present Final Research Projects in Early Intervention

Dean Anne Pooler

Five UMaine graduate students presented their research projects during a celebration at Wells Conference Center on May 1, 2012. The students were recognized for successfully fulfilling the requirements for the M.Ed. in special education with specialization in early intervention, an interdisciplinary graduate personnel preparation program funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and sponsored by the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS), the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD), and the Maine Department of Education.

The program, Training Opportunities for Personnel (TOP): Birth – 5, emphasizes developmentally appropriate and evidence-based practices and is designed to address Maine’s critical need for highly qualified Early Childhood Special Educators who are fully credentialed to serve young children with disabilities, ages birth to five, and their families. Project faculty include Assistant Research Professor Sandra Doctoroff, Ph.D., who coordinates the project, and Assistant Research Professor Deborah L. Rooks-Ellis, Ph.D., who supervised the research projects.

The event’s welcoming remarks were delivered by Lu Zeph, CCIDS Director and Interim Associate Provost and Dean of the Division of Lifelong Learning, and Anne E. Pooler, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development.

The five graduate presentations: Melissa Crooker – A System of Supportive Supervision Within Home-Based Early Intervention Programs; Laura Hagelin – Ways to Enhance Child Development Through Play Opportunities; Diana Hardy - Playgroups as Support: Examining the Impact of Playgroups on Child Development and Child-Caregiver Interaction and Attachment; Heidi LeBlanc – Companion Document to Enhance Parental Understanding of Special Education Procedural Safeguards Statement; and Geraldine Stinson - Incorporating Ongoing Assessment Using the Assessment Evaluation and Programming System in Part C for Two Rivers Child Development Services.

(From left to right) Dr. Deborah Rooks-Ellis, M.Ed. graduates Melissa Crooker, Laura Hagelin, Diana Hardy, Heidi LeBlanc, Geraldine Stinson and Dr. Sandra Doctoroff

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Twenty UMaine Disability Studies Scholars Honored During Celebration of Achievement

Twenty UMaine Interdisciplinary Disability Studies scholars were honored for completing the 24-credit Undergraduate Minor in Disability Studies during the Celebration of Achievement at Buchanan Alumni House on April 23, 2012. The Interdisciplinary Disability Studies curriculum, administered through the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, provides students with a means to explore disability within the larger context of diversity and human rights, and to examine scholarship, practice, and policy related to persons with disabilities.

Disability Studies Minor honorees Caitlin Armstrong (Communication Sciences & Disorders), Janice Grant (Social Work), and Lisa Lyon (Social Work) delivered the student addresses. Stephen F. Gilson, Coordinator and Professor of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies and Social Work; and Elizabeth DePoy, Professor of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies and Social Work, and cooperating faculty in Mechanical Engineering, presented the certificates and stoles. (Read more about the 2012 Disability Studies Celebration here.)

Throughout the celebration, a PowerPoint_^®  presentation entitled, Promoting Full Juncture at the University of Maine, displayed the theory-based innovations that DIS 450 – Disability: Population Environment Diversity students proposed to eliminate barriers to full participation at the University of Maine. Creative solutions to problems included artistic ramping and “green” automated public transportation for campus navigation, iPad usage for viewing instructor equations on white boards occluded by crowded classrooms, and a redesign of the Maine Street registration website. Also, one of last year’s graduates included a slide indicating her goals of applying her learning to disability policy in Saudi Arabia to show the international scope of the IDS curriculum.

The students honored at the celebration of achievement have mastered complex and diverse theories of disability. Particular emphasis is placed on promoting equality of opportunity and full access and participation in all areas of daily life, and in creatively fashioning environments to fit the full range of human variation. Students who enroll in the Interdisciplinary Disability Studies courses represent majors from all colleges, schools, and departments throughout the university and apply their learning to their individual disciplines, interests, and lives outside of the academic environment. 

2012 Disability Studies Minor honorees pictured left to right (back row): Mykala Tompkins, Lisa Lyon, Randolph Gamache, Janice Grant, Dr. Liz DePoy, Dr. Stephen Gilson, Amy McFalls, Shannon Towle, Amanda Schleifer and Caitlin Armstrong. Pictured left to right (front row): Lauren Segalla, Marissa Ayer, Kara St. Hilaire, Amanda Maioriello, Hannah Snow and Christina Tibbetts. (Not pictured: Amanda Cupps, Kate DeCoste, Brian Hardy, Danni Perratto, Samantha Sawyer and Kristyn Seymour.)

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Where the Rubber Meets the Road: May, Kurtz and Taylor to Discuss Best Practices in Transitioning Youth with Disabilities

On May 24, 2012, Janet May, Alan Kurtz, and Billie Taylor will present, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: What Works in Transition and What We Need to Do to Get There,” at the TransitionME 2012 Raising Aspirations Conference at the University of Maine.

May, Kurtz and Taylor will discuss supports and strategies that have been identified as “best practices” in supporting the transition of youth with disabilities from school to adulthood. Relying heavily on what families have said about their experiences with transition, they will examine how typical transition practices often differ dramatically from those that are likely to improve adult outcomes. The presenters will also discuss steps that could be taken to more closely align transition planning for Maine youth with best practices; drawing on their recent experiences working with youth and families in transition-related projects.

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Registration Now Open for TransitionME 2012: Raising Aspirations Conference at UMaine

Family members, youth with disabilities, and professionals are invited to attend a one-day conference, TransitionME 2012: Raising Aspirations (PDF), at the University of Maine, Wells Conference Center, on Thursday, May 24, 2012. Find out what’s happening in the world of transition and services for youth with disabilities. The conference is free for family members, caregivers, and youth with disabilities, and $25 for professionals, providers and educators. A Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Workshops will be offered on employment, postsecondary education, transition, independent living and community supports.  The registration form (.doc) is available for download here. For more information, please contact Penny Steeves at the Maine Parent Federation at psteeves@mpf.org or 1-800-870-7746 (statewide).

TransitionME 2012: Raising Aspirations is offered through the collaboration of the following co-sponsors: Maine Parent Federation; Maine Department of Labor Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; Maine Department of Education Office of Special Services: Syntiro; the Downeast Communities of Practice Planning Committee; and the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies.

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Administration on Developmental Disabilities Renamed and Joins Newly Established Administration for Community Living

US Department of Health and Humans Services’ Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced a new organization within the Department: the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The ACL will include the efforts of the Administration on Aging, the Office on Disability and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) in a single agency with the goal of increasing access to community supports and full participation in all aspects of society, while continuing to focus specific attention and resources on the unique needs of older Americans and people with disabilities. In addition, the Administration on Developmental Disabilities will become the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies is part of a national network of congressionally authorized University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, sponsored by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (now the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities). “Aging and disability communities have been working together at the national level for a number of years supporting our common needs and desires of the disability and aging populations to be supported in the community,” stated Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Executive Director, George Jesien. Read the full AUCD statement on the establishment of the Administration for Community Living here.

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Hot Topics in Child Welfare to be Discussed at 18th Annual Conference at UMaine

The 18th Annual Child Welfare Conference will be held at the University of Maine on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at Wells Conference Center. Topics include childhood obesity, the trauma affected brain, poverty and its impact on brain development, and ethics, among others. This year’s conference will “go green” and all presenters’ PowerPoints and handouts will be available online. For more information about the conference, or to view the agenda or registration form, please download the conference brochure (PDF) here.

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Child Care Plus ME/RELATE Project Ends

CC+ME/RELATE Project Ends Announcement (PDF)

It is with great regret we inform you that on March 19, 2012, the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) was notified by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that the Child Care Plus ME/RELATE project would not be funded beyond the contract period that ended February 29, 2012. We had anticipated that DHHS would issue a contract amendment to allow the project’s work to continue through September 30, 2012.

The Child Care Plus ME/RELATE (CC+ME) project was established through a State-University Partnership Agreement between the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and the Maine DHHS, Office of Child and Family Services, Early Childhood Division, in the year 2000. Since then, the project has provided consultation, technical assistance and coaching to thousands of child care professionals throughout Maine. The aim of the Child Care Plus ME/RELATE project has been to prevent the expulsion of children from their child care programs and to ensure that infants, preschoolers, and children – including children with challenging medical, learning, and behavioral health care needs, have had an opportunity to be cared for and educated in high quality, inclusive educational and community child care settings.

As a direct result of CC+ME intervention, hundreds of individual children who were at risk for expulsion from their child care were successfully retained in their programs. CC+ME was a cost-effective and successful program that contributed to what has been a strong and effective system for support and quality improvement in early care and education throughout Maine. This system also included the regional Resource Development Centers that provided regional professional development, technical assistance, and resource and referral services to families and childcare providers that will close on March 31, 2012 due to state budget cuts. As a result of the loss of this funding, several CCIDS early childhood staff who have worked on the Child Care Plus ME/RELATE project will be leaving CCIDS or substantially reducing their time as of March 31, 2012. Families seeking child care or information about child care are advised to call Maine DHHS, Office of Child and Family Services toll-free 1-877-6805866 or visit the Maine DHHS website.

Providers requesting consultation and technical assistance, training and/or professional development assistance, or seeking information about Quality for ME, Maine’s Child Care Quality Improvement Rating System, are advised to contact Maine DHHS, Office of Child and Family Services at (207) 624-7909 or visit the Quality for ME website; (or) contact Maine Roads to Quality at 1-888-900-0055 or visit the MRTQ website.

While the Child Care Plus ME/RELATE project has ended, it is one of many initiatives of the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies. As Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, CCIDS will continue to serve as a resource in the area of early childhood to families of infants, preschoolers and children with developmental and related disabilities, throughout the state. In addition, CCIDS will continue to provide professional development, technical assistance, and consultation to programs, schools and agencies on a fee for service basis.

For more information on organizations or resources on quality inclusive care and education, social-emotional development, and early childhood mental health consultation, please visit the CCIDS Early Childhood Resources website or contact Linda Labas, M.Ed., CCIDS’ Early Childhood Coordinator, (207) 623-3925 ext. 17 (v) or email: linda.labas@umit.maine.edu. Online resources include the Center’s popular free Growing Ideas Tipsheets and Resources for Guiding Early Childhood Practices and Maine’s Expanding Inclusive Opportunities Initiative, Early Childhood Settings Inclusion Toolkit.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our many partners in the child care and education communities, parents, guardians, children and community members for your support for, and commitment to, high quality inclusive experiences for all children. We look forward to future collaborations.

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2011 Mark R. Shibles Distinguished Visiting Professor to Lead April Workshops on Supports for Young Children on the Autism Spectrum

Dr. Cathy Pratt

Dr. Cathy Pratt, 2011 Shibles Distinguished Visiting Professor, will be leading two workshops: Visual Supports for Young Children on the Autism Spectrum (April 10, 2012), and Understanding How to Support Young Children on the Autism Spectrum (April 11, 2012) at the University of Maine. Dr. Pratt is the Director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (Indiana University). She currently serves on the Board of the National Autism Society and the advisory board for the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders grant funded through the U.S. Department of Education. For more information on these workshops, please contact Lisa Daniel at lisa.daniel@umit.maine.edu or (207) 581-2441.

View flyer and registration form (PDF) for April 10, 2012 workshop, Visual Supports for Young Children on the Autism Spectrum here.

View flyer and registration form (PDF) for April 11, 2012 workshop, Understanding How to Support Young Children on the Autism Spectrum here.

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Franklin Volunteer Network to Host Inclusion Training – University of Maine Farmington – March 15, 2012

The Franklin Volunteer Network is hosting a unique opportunity to begin Erasing the Lines of “differences” in our community. An Inclusion Training will be held on Thursday, March 15th from 2:00-5:00 pm at the North Dining Hall in the Olsen Student Center at University of Maine at Farmington. The facilitator for this unique training will be Janet May, Coordinator of Transition and Adults at the University of Maine’s Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies.

Participants will learn strategies for engaging volunteers and others with disabilities. The training will also address organizational self-assessment strategies to determine the degree to which program and/or agency policies, procedures, and practices promote inclusivity. May will show examples of best practices and inform participants of specific tools and methods to assist organizations with offering reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. The goal of this inclusion training is to promote more diversity and inclusion in both the volunteer and employment sectors in Greater Franklin County.

PRE-REGISTRATION is not required but those who do register by Friday, MARCH 9th, will receive training materials in electronic format. For more information, please contact: Nancy Teel, Volunteer Center Coordinator, the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area (207)778-5048 or nancyteel@uwtva.org.

View/Download the “Erasing the Lines” Press Release (PDF) here.

View/Download the “Erasing the Lines” Inclusion Training flyer (PDF) here.

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Janet May and Maine Commission for Community Service Collaborate on Disability Inclusion Resources for Managers of Volunteers

Janet May, CCIDS’ Coordinator of Transition and Adults, recently collaborated with the Maine Commission for Community Service (MCCS) on a project to foster inclusive volunteer programs in the State. With funding support from the Corporation for National & Community Service, May updated an existing MCCS publication, Competencies for Managers of Volunteers (2008), to include disability inclusion resources in a number of critical areas such as inclusive recruitment, accommodations, orientation, adapting tasks and activities, matching volunteers with assignments, retention, and evaluation of volunteers with disabilities.

Download the MCCS Competencies for Managers of Volunteers-Dec 2011 [55 pg PDF] here.

Read more about the Maine Commission for Community Service Collaborative here.

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