Latest newsletter from the Human Development Institute.
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A Word from the Executive Director
Hello and Happy Wild Weathered Spring!
Welcome to HDI’s latest newsletter. As you can tell from the content, there has been a lot going on around here! We will be hosting the final 2018 Spring Seminar, “Building Healthy Inclusive Communities” on April 27. This seminar will be led by the National Center on Health, Physical Activity & Disability, and it is shaping up to be an exciting event. Check out our website for registration information! We are particularly pleased that our own Christine Hausman has been selected by the Centers for Disease Control to serve as Kentucky’s Act Early Ambassador. Christine will work to improve early identification of developmental delays for children in the Commonwealth.
In other news, HDI has accepted the University of Kentucky’s Inclusive Excellence Department Award for 2018. From my perspective, receiving this award is meaningful to HDI for several reasons. For one, many at the University may not even know us or the work that we do. Some of us are housed at the Mineral Industries Building here on campus, where we work with students across Colleges and offer coursework around a Certificate in Developmental Disabilities and Certificate in Universal Design. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Most of our work is done off campus. You see, our mission revolves around promoting the inclusion, independence and contributions of people with disabilities and their families across the lifespan. We do this in a variety of ways, from providing training that enhances the quality of early care and education settings that supports all young children, to enabling people with disabilities to have access to the supports, resources, and assistive technology that are needed to live up to potential at work, at school, at home, and in the community.
It is also meaningful for HDI to receive this award because we appreciate the recognition of disability as an important aspect of diversity: one that cuts across perspectives, across backgrounds, and across identities. In Kentucky, nearly 30% of people have a disability. If you don’t have a disability, you have friends or family who do. So disability affects us all. On behalf of the 235 staff and research assistants at the Human Development Institute, we appreciate the recognition. But more importantly, we look forward to working with the University community to wipe out disparities in health, in education and employment. Together, we can build the strong inclusive communities of tomorrow, today.
Enjoy the newsletter and stay in touch!
Kathy Sheppard-Jones
HDI Receives 2018 University of Kentucky Inclusive Excellence Award!
HDI was recently selected as a recipient of the 2018 University of Kentucky Inclusive Excellence Award in the Department/Unit category in appreciation for the institute’s dedication and passion to advances in diversity and inclusion, which aligns with the University’s Strategic Plan.
“I congratulate all of HDI. This award speaks to the dedication and impact of HDI staff and students. Although our state faces huge challenges, recognition such as this gives us an opportunity to share the power of our work and the importance of collaborating to help build a more inclusive world. This is a great recognition by the University community, as HDI continues to promote the inclusion, independence and contributions of people with disabilities and their families throughout Kentucky, and builds strong inclusive communities!” —Kathy Sheppard-Jones
Spring Seminar: Building Healthy Inclusive Communities
“Inclusion is vital in today’s society for so many reasons and health is one of the most important! In order for people with a disability to be included they must be invited to participate at all levels from the planning process down to the programs. NCHPAD is here to help all organizations commit to inclusion in their programs and practices when it comes to health and wellness.” —Kelly Bonner
Join us in person or online for our Spring Seminar series on Friday, April 27, 2018 from 1 – 3pm ET to learn more about the “Building Healthy Inclusive Communities .” Learn more from Dr. Kelly Bonner, Senior Inclusion Specialist at the National Center on Health, Physical Activity & Disability—NCHPAD. She is a Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine and has a passion for designing inclusive workout programs. Additional NCHPAD staff will also serve as presenters. The seminar will be held at the UK Coldstream Research Campus Human Development Institute Training Room 1525 Bull Lea Road, Lexington KY. A link to the live video stream of the seminar will be sent to registrants.
The 4th Thursday ADA Talks
HDI and HDI CATS have launched an ADA Training series to be held on the fourth Thursday of each month covering different topics surrounding the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Mark your calendars for upcoming ADA Talks:
- ADA & Employment—Part 2: It's about talent: April 26, 2018. Register today!
- Serving Customers with Disabilities: 10 Reasons for Reaching Out and Expanding Your Market: May 24, 2018
- Service Animals & the ADA: Implications for Title II and III Entities: June 28, 2018
- Program Access and Structural Accessibility of Public Facilities: Exploring Title II: July 26. 2018
- Public Transportation & the ADA: FTA-DOT Regulations: August 23, 2018
- Disability & Law Enforcement: Interaction and Emergency Response: September 27, 2018
- ADA & Public Accommodations: Legal Applications of Title III: October 28, 2019
- (No 4th Thursday ADA Talks in November & December)
- Accessible Technology & the Workforce: AT as a Reasonable Accommodation: January 24, 2019
Transportation Initiative Seeks to Find Solutions for Rural Kentucky
KentuckyWorks and Kentucky E3TC held a joint community conversation on March 20 in Jackson, Kentucky. The goal of the activity was to bring together a diverse group of concerned citizens in the Breathitt County area to examine what could be done to increase transportation options for people with disabilities. Our expectation is that success with this task will result in an increase in inclusion.
KentuckyWorks Morehead Community Conversation Update
A Community Conversation held in Morehead, Kentucky on February 27, 2017 identified two major projects local volunteers determined would provide significant initiative to promote the transition of youth from school to work. One was the development of a Project Search like activity and remains in the early stages of development. The other is an employer engagement project referred to as the Inclusive Community Project for which a significant amount of progress occurred during the reporting period.
Join us for the Summer Leadership Experience Camp!
I liked the Summer Leadership Experience Camp because of all the new opportunities it brought me, the friendships it brought me as well. I also liked it because the atmosphere was great and the leaders were excellent, had a love for the camp and the campers as well. –Emma
The Summer Leadership Experience is an overnight camp that will begin at 1 pm on Sunday, July 8th and will run through Wednesday, July 11th. Participants will spend three nights in the UK Residence Hall with meals included. Register online today!
HDI Is ... Video Series
Over the past year, HDI has released six chapters in our "HDI is ..." video series to share the good work we do here at the Human Development Institute across the lifespan for people with disabilities.
In February, we shared our fifth chapter in the HDI video series to highlight our work promoting healthy living for people with disabilities. And in March, we shared a video highlighting our work toward promoting inclusion and post-secondary support.
Please consider making a donation today to support the good work at HDI as we support families and professionals every day!
HDI Promotes Health and Wellness at the Special Olympics Kentucky State Basketball Tournament: The Healthy Athletes Event
HDI’s Elaine Eisenbaum, Lindsey Mullis, and Anna Fuller promoted good health with friends at the Special Olympics Kentucky State Basketball tournament—the Healthy Athletes event! Lindsey and Megan are the Kentucky Clinical Directors for the Health Promotion discipline, and Elaine is the Kentucky Clinical Director for the Strong Minds discipline. Strong Minds is a newly added Healthy Athletes discipline and this is the first time it was hosted in Kentucky!
Latest Fund for Excellence Grants: Winter 2018
We’re excited to share that HDI is funding the following four outstanding Fund for Excellence projects this quarter! With improved consumer advocacy, leadership, and transportation options, take a look at these projects to learn how HDI plans to build more inclusive and empowered communities in Kentucky and nationwide.
This round of Fund for Excellence projects represent timely and exciting recognition of pressing needs in Kentucky. We hope that findings will be used to directly impact lives of Kentuckians with disabilities and their families, with the potential to add to the literature and develop larger projects as well!—Kathy Sheppard-Jones
HDI’s Christine Hausman Selected as Act Early Ambassador for Kentucky
We’re excited to share that HDI’s Professional Development Content Coordinator for Child Care Aware, Christine Hausman, has been selected as an Act Early Ambassador for Kentucky and will serve as a state liaison to the “Learn the Signs. Act Early” campaign! In this role, she will support the work of Act Early State Teams and other state/territorial or national initiatives to improve early identification of developmental delay and disability and promote the adoption and integration of “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” resources into systems that serve young children and their families.
Spring Seminar: Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: An Overview
“Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomology can overlap and present similarly. The presentation will provide an overview of TBI and PTSD while also outlining how the course of symptoms differ.” – Dr. Keli Blankenship
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can result in similar symptoms and can be easily confused. TBI may occur from a blow or jolt to the head or an object penetrating the brain, while PTSD can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like combat, assault, or disaster. In order to provide effective treatment, it is important to determine a correct cause of symptoms. In a recent seminar, Dr. Blankenship and Dr. Rudisell provided an overview of TBI and PTSD while also outlining how the course of symptoms are different.
Raising Awareness and Inclusion for Healthy Hearts
by Lindsey Mullis
The Kentucky CARE Collaborative (Cardiovascular, Assessment, Risk-reduction and Education) is a free blood pressure awareness program that aims to increase the number of people who are taking action to help control elevated blood pressure through appropriate counseling about health behaviors and/or lifestyle changes. Because Kentuckians with disabilities can have higher blood pressure than those without disabilities, HDI is coordinating the Project CHEER effort to provide more inclusive CARE programming.
