The Connecticut Developmental Disabilities Network (DDN) was established to provide leadership for implementation of the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance
and Bill of Rights Act.
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People with disabilities and their families are
at the heart of how we plan, complete,
and evaluate our activities.
We also rely on a broad range of professionals, organizations and agencies
to bring about community-wide change.
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About The Center
Mission
We will work collaboratively to promote advocacy, capacity building and systems change to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities and their families
Vision
The A.J. Pappanikou UCEDD will be a premier center in the Northeast for innovative teaching, research, and technical assistance to enhance quality services and supports for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
The Center will:
- Promote inter-disciplinary collaboration across academic and community settings.
- Have a life span focus.
- Serve as a resource for public policy development through the dissemination of research findings and information about best practices
Values
The A.J. Pappanikou UCEDD is driven by the following values:
- Persons with disabilities and their families are integral to all planning, implementation and evaluation activities of the UCEDD.
- All activities represent interdisciplinary collaborations focused on systems-wide change between and amongst agencies.
- The core functions of education, research, dissemination and community service are interdependent, integrated and focused on the same outcome: improvement and expansion of services and supports for persons with disabilities and their families.
- The center provides exemplary education through workshops, courses and graduate assistantships throughout Connecticut.
History
The University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Developmental Disabilities was first established in May 1985 as a satellite to the Rose F. Kennedy Center University Affiliated Program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
In July 1991, after six years as a satellite, the Center applied for and was granted full University Affiliated Program (UAP) status. UAPs are authorized and administered under the Federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (P.L. 106-402) and are funded in each state by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
UAPs were first established in 1963 as part of a federal program designed to address the needs of persons with disabilities through a coordinated program of interdisciplinary training, dissemination, outreach services, and applied research.
In October 2000 through the reauthorization of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, UAPs were renamed as University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service.
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
The AJ Pappanikou Center joins more than 100 universities and medical schools belonging to the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) www.aucd.org. This national network includes:
- University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Services (UCEDD)
- Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (DDRC)
- Maternal and Child Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Programs.
AUCD members represent every state and most territories in the United States. Because members are part of a national network, innovations can be quickly deployed and implemented in individual communities across the country. AUCD serves its members by supporting and promoting network accomplishments.
The A.J. Pappanikou Center for Developmental Disabilities is a member as a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD).
UCEDDs work with people with disabilities, their families and communities and government agencies in projects that provide training, research, technical assistance, and information sharing.
A common goal of all UCEDDs is to "...focus on building the capacity of communities to sustain all their citizens."
Early Childhood initiatives at the UCEDD focus on evidenced based practices and learning outcomes. We provide training and technical assistance to early interventionists, teachers, therapists, service coordinators, policy makers and families on a variety of areas including social competence, early literacy, early childhood outcomes, service coordination practices, and evidenced based intervention practices.
School Age initiatives at the UCEDD focus on the inclusion of children with disabilities in typical school and community life. We provide training and technical assistance to families, school personnel and community members in a variety of areas including the special education process, inclusive education, adapted curriculum, assistive technology, disability awareness and person-centered planning.
Adult initiatives at the UCEDD focus on including people with disabilities in their communities. We provide training and technical assistance to individuals with disabilities, state agencies, service providers and other community members in a variety of areas including the hiring of personal assistants, accessible transportation, emergency preparedness and response, and health care.