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A Word from Executive Director Dr. Kathy Sheppard-Jones
Welcome to the Summer 2016 In Touch newsletter! Time flies, but you’ll want to slow down long enough to review some of the exciting work that has been going on at HDI. It’s always fun when an out of town guest comes to visit, and we were so fortunate to get to spend some time with AUCD’s Executive Director, Andy Imparato, in April. We also celebrated 25 years of employment with our colleague, Bill Mazzolini, at our summer All Staff meeting. Then in June, instead of things quieting down, we decided that it would be a good time to do some relocating! We’ve left our space in Lexington’s downtown KU building, bringing some staff to our Mineral Industries Building on UK’s campus, and other staff to our Coldstream site. So now we are under two roofs instead of three, and really pleased with the new space we’ve got, and the sleek new mobile workstations. We have lots of options for people to work and meet, and hopefully are using our redesigned and rethought out environments well at Coldstream.
But don’t be fooled. Campus is still a happening place to be. Mineral Industries is getting a facelift…or at least a stair transformation. A ramp is going in the front entrance to the building, offering a welcome approach for our staff, students and guests. And we’ll be expecting more students and guests, now that our Certificate in Universal Design has been approved. For the first time, HDI will be leading undergraduate coursework, promoting inclusion across all areas for the broadest array of people across the lifespan. We’ll be helping students think purposefully about creating an accessible world for all, thus creating more effective leaders, teachers, designers, and more. And to me, that’s a pretty great use of resources. Let the adventures continue!
AUCD Executive Director, Andy Imparato, Visits HDI
On April 22, AUCD Executive Director, Andy Imparato, visited HDI to learn more about our work and also share ideas with us about ways we can expand our programs and connect to other centers. He also participated in our Spring Seminar series, along with Jeff Edwards of Kentucky Protection and Advocacy, to speak about disability policy issues at the federal and state level. Read More…
Kentucky Disability Resource Guide: Now Interactive and Digital
In June 2016, the Human Development Institute released an interactive digital version of the popular Kentucky Disability Resource Guide (http://resources.hdiuk.org). This resource allows professionals, Kentuckians with disabilities, and their families to find a range of resources at their fingertips within just a few clicks. Read More…
Learn to Create a More Accessible World through New Universal Design Program at UK
From design students to special education teachers, individuals passionate about creating environments where all types of individuals thrive – regardless of age and ability – can now receive universal design instruction and training at the University of Kentucky.
“Universal design utilizes a broad set of strategies that promote inclusion and participation of all, particularly people with disabilities, within a diverse world,” said Kathy Sheppard-Jones, director of the UK Human Development Institute (HDI). “Because UD is highly interdisciplinary, students will find relevance to their own areas of interest regardless of major.”
The new Undergraduate Certificate in Universal Design is offered by the UK HDI and housed within the Division of Undergraduate Education, however, post-baccalaureate students may also apply to participate. Read More…
2016 Paul Kevin Burberry Award winner: Katie Terrell
Katie Terrell, Educational Specialist (EdS) student in Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, College of Education and HDI Research Assistant, has been named the 2016 Paul Kevin Burberry Award winner! This award is HDI’s highest student honor, and is given to a student involved with HDI who has exemplified in his or her life the leadership, advocacy and commitment to persons with disabilities and their families that Kevin demonstrated in his own life.
Co-nominator Barry Whaley stated, “Katie has always gone above and beyond … She has personally mentored no fewer than six students with developmental disabilities, facilitating their successful completion of postsecondary courses.” Read More…
Fellowship Student Spotlight: Amber Skeans and Pamela Hereford
HDI received a supplemental training grant to provide student scholarships for students in the Appalachian region of Kentucky to enroll in the Graduate Certificate in Developmental Disabilities, including Amber Skeans and Pam Hereford.
Skeans received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from UK in 2014. She is currently receiving her Masters of Arts in Teaching for Elementary Education from the University of the Cumberlands and will be starting the Master’s Program in Speech Language Pathology through Western Kentucky University this fall.
Hereford, provides direction and leadership as the Mental Health Manager for Big Sandy Head Start, a federally funded preschool program that serves low income children in a 5 county service delivery area of Eastern Kentucky. Read More…
New Online Learning Center Available through HDI
Virtual training at the Human Development Institute has a new look as a new online learning center is available for interdisciplinary online training. HDI is using a new learning platform to host free and low cost online training. The new online learning center meets requirements for accessibility, as well as responsive to the size of the device a learner accesses the site on.
Read More…
HDI’s National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources Presenting at Seminar in Japan
On June 3-4, 2016, Stephanie Meredith, Medical Outreach Director of the Human Development Institute’s (HDI) Lettercase Program/National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources at the University of Kentucky, spoke at a seminar in Japan for the Yokohama Project—an advocacy group in Yokohama City led by community leaders and disability advocates. Ms. Meredith was hosted by the Yokohama Project to speak about new and expectant parent support following a diagnosis of Down syndrome; outreach to medical professionals; and the value of community inclusion and cross-cultural communication to improve the diagnosis experience. Read More…
Routing a Path for Everyone
A group of students and HDI employee, Darrell Mattingly, led by HDI Disability Program Specialist Anna Bard, set out on a mission last year to map accessibility on campus so that everyone — no matter how they’re navigating — can have the information they need to get around campus efficiently. In the fall 2016 semester, UK Facilities Management’s Facilities Information Services will unveil the new interactive campus map that includes accessibility attributes and can route an appropriate path depending on a user’s needs. Read More…
HDI Shares Importance of Giving Updated Information With Genetic Diagnoses
A recent article in Pediatrics in Review, “Beyond the Genetic Diagnosis: Providing Parents What They Want to Know,” by Dr. Robert Saul (Children’s Hospital of Greenville Health System) and Stephanie Meredith (National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources at the University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute) talks about the importance of staying up-to-date about these outcomes for different conditions and also lists accurate, up-to-date, and medically reviewed resources that clinicians and parents can use at the moment of diagnosis. Read More…