Projects

LEND Family Faculty

Are you a parent of a child with Autism or another disability?

Would you like to assist in teaching graduate students who have an interest in working in the field of disabilities?

Over the past decade there has been an emerging role in LEND programs for family faculty members to provide interdisciplinary teams with the invaluable perspective of the family. This role is unique in that the experience of being a family member or parent of an individual with a developmental disability cannot be learned in any university course. The family’s experience is an irreplaceable body of knowledge and represents qualifications to improve service to families beyond what any degree or certification might provide. Our LEND program is committed to having a family perspective at each training on disability topics that we offer to students and community providers. We are seeking parents who can effectively use their experiences to train others. An effective family faculty has personal experience with specialized services, and also knows how to use those experiences to positively impact the training of future professionals.

Qualifications

Be the parent or family member of an individual with a developmental disability.
Have the ability to participate in all aspects of the LEND curriculum (i.e. core courses or seminar sessions).
Have a willingness and commitment to advance the philosophy of LEND principles and practice.
Demonstrated experience in parent leadership is preferred.

Competencies

Each family trainee will demonstrate:

An understanding of the history of the disability movement in the United States and what constitutes best practice in the field today;
An understanding of and the ability to practice advocacy at the individual, family, community and systems levels;
A working knowledge of and ability to implement principles of family centered care;
An understanding of and ability to advance culturally competent practice;
A working knowledge of family service and support systems at a local, state and national level;
The ability to support other health care providers in their understanding of the family perspective and its importance to effectively serving families;
The ability to be an effective partner and exhibit leadership on the interdisciplinary team;
An understanding of developmental disabilities and related issues as they pertain to a variety of families.

The Family Faculty meet a minimum of every other month, have an opportunity to participate in other leadership and training initiatives at the Center, and may be eligible to receive a small stipend for their participation in LEND trainings.