Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published the 2022 Maine Shared Community Heath Needs Assessment Reports (CHNA) by county. (Update) The 2022 Statewide Report is now available online. The county-by-county reports note, “The pandemic is affecting different segments of the population more than others. The August 2021/COVID Resilience Survey showed that younger […]

Source: NH-ME LEND Spotlight May 2022 For the first time in 2 years, NH-ME LEND faculty, staff, trainees, and community partners celebrated together at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) on Friday, May 6, 2022. Being together in-person after so much virtual participation was especially meaningful to everyone who attended. The event was filled with […]

Source: New Report on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on People with Disabilities – Research Findings The Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) National Institute of Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) has released a report, Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on People with Disabilities (PDF) that highlights key research findings on the impact […]

Source: Introducing CaringForMe.org  Given the critical need for direct care and behavioral health workers in Maine, the Maine Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services and Economic Development developed a targeted marketing campaign to recruit more entry-level direct care and behavioral health care employees into these fields. A survey effort with 700+ current and future workers […]

Twenty-two University of Maine students were honored on April 26th during the 2022 Interdisciplinary Disability Studies Celebration of Achievement at Wells Conference Center. Dr. Alan Cobo-Lewis, Director of the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and Associate Professor of Psychology, delivered the opening welcome. Three students were recognized for completing the 9-credit […]

The Maine Developmental Disabilities Network (University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Disability Rights Maine, Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, and Speaking Up for Us) collaborated with Gray Media Group (WAGM-TV) to design, produce and broadcast three video public service announcements (PSAs) to encourage parents to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19. WAGM-TV […]

Source: Trauma in Children and Youth with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Impact and Evidence Based Interventions Health professionals from a wide variety of disciplines support children and youth with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual and developmental disabilities or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder who have been impacted by trauma. This half-day conference will provide educational opportunities related to the […]

Source: SLN Celebrates National Siblings Day 2022 (March 25, 2022) National Siblings Day is an unofficial holiday observed each year on April 10 to honor the bonds between brothers and sisters. This National Siblings Day, the Sibling Leadership Network (SLN) is celebrating and recognizing the power of sibling support. How do siblings support each other? How does […]

Speaking Up For Us of Maine (SUFU), is a statewide organization run by and for adults who live with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). They recently produced three resources to help educate and guide adults with I/DD on the following topics: speaking up; making informed choices; and moving from self advocacy to self determination. The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion […]

Source: Licensing deal brings Afari mobility device invented by UMaine professors to market (UMaine News, March 22, 2022) In 2013, professor of interdisciplinary disability studies and social work Elizabeth DePoy had been persuaded by her husband to run in a 5K. She knew she was fit enough to complete the course, but balance challenges had her worried […]