CCIDS Faculty and Staff Present Research and Work-in-Progress at AUCD Conference

Faculty and staff from the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies recently presented their research and work-in-progress at the 2017 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference in Washington, DC. AUCD, founded in 1971, is a network of interdisciplinary centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities. The 2017 conference theme, Lift Your Voice!, underscores the critical importance that communication and advocacy, both collective and personal, have in our public lives.

CCIDS faculty and staff were the lead presenters for two peer-reviewed poster presentations that addressed their work in the following areas: a comparison of growth in the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test between children with disabilities and children without disabilities in Educare Central Maine; and the Center’s role (as Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities) as a statewide resource and collaborative partner in advancing inclusive practice in Maine’s early care and education system.

Cobo-Lewis, A. B. (2017, November). Picture vocabulary growth in students with and without disabilities in an early childhood program that targets poor families (PDF). Peer-reviewed poster presentation at the 2017 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference, Washington, DC.

Abstract: We compared growth in the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test between children with disabilities and children without disabilities in Educare Central Maine, a highly resourced data-driven Birth-5 early care and education program that targets children at risk of school failure because of socioeconomic factors. Children with disabilities made up 13% of enrollment. Children with disabilities tended to catch up with the typically developing children as they spent more time in Educare.

In addition to his poster presentation above, Alan Cobo-Lewis was also one of three panelists invited to participate in a pre-conference session, Using Research to Address Policy Change. Panelists shared examples where research results have had a direct and positive impact on policy changes at the local, state, and federal levels to benefit individuals with disabilities. Handout title: State Comparisons for Wait List for Home and Community Based Services Waiver for Persons with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (PDF).

Labas, L. (2017, December). Partnerships promoting a culture of inclusion in Maine’s early childhood workforce (PDF). Peer-reviewed poster presentation at the 2017 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference, Washington, DC.

Abstract: This poster session highlighted the Maine UCEDD’s role as a statewide resource and collaborative partner in advancing inclusive practice in Maine’s early care and education system. It covered the delivery of a continuum of supports for inclusion; examined collaborations that create systemic impact; and reviewed the services needed to increase knowledge, skills and application of practices to improve the quality of early care and education settings in Maine.

Handouts: About CCIDS with Early Childhood Focus (PDF); CCIDS and MRTQ: Professional Development for Maine’s Early Childhood Workforce (PDF); Growing Ideas: Laws that Support Early Childhood Education for All; and Growing Ideas: Admissions Policies and Practices that Build Inclusive Child Care Communities (for Providers).

CCIDS faculty and staff were also co-presenters or partners on three additional poster presentations addressing research or work-in-progress in these areas: the ongoing effort by faculty in the New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NH-ME LEND) Program to implement Team-Based Learning (TBL); how faculty from the NH-ME LEND Program re-envisioned and implemented a comprehensive set of leadership, policy and advocacy experiences to further build upon the leadership potential of 23 LEND trainees; and the NH-ME LEND Program’s engagement in quality improvement efforts aimed at increasing trainees’ understanding of health equity and cultural competence.

Kurtz, A., Sonnenmeier, R., Humphreys, B. P., & Russell, S. (2017, November). Improving effective interdisciplinary teamwork using team-based learning within the NH-ME LEND curriculum: Evaluation from years 1 – 3 (PDF). Peer-reviewed poster presentation at the 2017 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference, Washington, DC.

Abstract: This poster provided an update on an ongoing effort by faculty in the New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NH-ME LEND) Program to implement Team-Based Learning (TBL). Three years of evaluation data was presented. Changes made to improve the process were identified as well as some of the unique obstacles to implementing TBL in a seminar that was conducted in two classrooms connected through video conferencing and had a high faculty-to-student ratio.

Russell, S., Humphreys, B. P., Kurtz, A., & Sonnenmeier, R.  (2017, November). Engaging LEND trainees in a leadership and policy experience (PDF). Peer-reviewed poster presentation at the 2017 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference, Washington, DC.

Abstract: This poster illustrated how faculty from the New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NH-ME LEND) Program re-envisioned and implemented a comprehensive set of leadership, policy and advocacy experiences to further build upon the leadership potential of 23 LEND trainees by intentionally threading leadership skill development throughout the LEND curriculum.

Humphreys, B. P., Russell, S., Kurtz, A., & Sonnenmeier, R. (2017, November). Assessing trainee understanding of health equity & diversity (PDF). Peer-reviewed poster presentation at the 2017 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference, Washington, DC.

Abstract: The NH-ME LEND Program engages in quality improvement efforts aimed at increasing trainee’s understanding of health equity and cultural competence. This poster 1) provided an overview of the curricular components related to health equity and diversity, 2) reported on six cohorts of trainees’ self-assessments in these areas, and 3) shared trainees’ personal reflections on their growth. Finally, ongoing program improvements efforts in these areas were discussed.