CCIDS Community Advisory Committee

What is the Community Advisory Committee (CAC)?

The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) partners with the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), to advise, plan and implement the activities of the Center. The CAC  is comprised of a majority of individuals with developmental disabilities and family members, and includes a representative of Maine’s protection and advocacy system, a representative of the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, and a representative from a self-advocacy organization.

Why do we have the CAC?

The Consumer Advisory Committee is required by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, PL 106-402, (DD Act). You may view the DD Act here. CACs are meant to “advise the system on policies and priorities to be carried out in protecting and advocating the rights of individuals with developmental disabilities.  For more information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act, follow this link to the U.S. Department of Justice website.

What is required of a CAC member?

CAC members:

• Attend CAC meetings (usually held twice a year)
• Develop an understanding of CCIDS and its work
• Advise researchers and staff on projects
• Evaluate the activities of CCIDS and provide feedback

Meet the CCIDS Community Advisory Committee members by following this link.

Resources:

• AUCD webinar: Enhancing the Effectiveness of Consumer Advisory Committees (CACs) [PDF]
• The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) CAC Orientation Curriculum
• The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Council on Leadership in Advocacy (COLA)
• The Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Maine’s CAC Bylaws Updated November 2016 (PDF)

CAC Members Only (password required)

Contact information for Director of CCIDS:

University of Maine
Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies
5717 Corbett Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5717
207.581.1084 (v)
207.581.1231 (fax)
800.203.6957 (v)
TTY users call Maine Relay 711
https://ccids.umaine.edu/