David Mank, director of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, announced his retirement from the federally-designated Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, according to an IU press release. Mank has been director of the center since 1996.
As a prolific writer and researcher, Mank also served as professor of special education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the IU School of Education, according to the release.
“David has been a leader in the field of special education and employment of people with disabilities,” Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of the IU School of Education, said. “He has made distinctive contributions to the preparation of future teachers and scholars in the field and to the IU School of Education in general. We appreciate his service to the school and know that he leaves the IIDC well-positioned to continue its leadership role serving people with developmental disabilities well into the future.”
In 2012, Mank received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, which is given to individuals who make lifetime contributions to people with disabilities and their families, according to the release.
Mank is also a former president of the ?Association of University Centers on Disabilities and served on the board of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Mank received the Franklin Smith Award for National Distinguished Service from the Arc of the United States, which has 700 state and local chapters nationwide. The Arc has worked to promote and protect the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to actively support their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetime, according to the Arc’s official website.
In December 2014, Mank was appointed by Labor Secretary Thomas Perez to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive, Integrated Employment for People With Disabilities and was subsequently elected chair of the committee.
The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community is made up of seven research centers focused on different needs and issues related to developmental disabilities: the Early Childhood Center, the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, the Center on Community Living and Careers, the Center on Aging and Community, the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, the Center for Disability Information and Referral and the Center for Planning and Policy Studies.
The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community has become a leader in transferring research and new knowledge related to disabilities from the University setting to communities in Indiana and nationwide since its establishment ?in 1970.
The institute’s centers provide expertise in policy analysis, statewide training and technical assistance, service to government agencies in implementing best practices and solidarity with families and self-advocates with disabilities, according to the release.
“We thank David very much for his many years of service as director of IIDC,” Rick Van Kooten, interim vice provost for research at IU Bloomington, said. “Under the leadership David has provided on disability issues across the disciplines and across the lifespan, IIDC’s centers have produced excellent research and scholarship as well as provided vital training and assistance to many thousands of individuals, from developmental disability professionals to family members to people with disabilities ?themselves.”
Beginning in early fall, a committee will launch a national search to identify, recruit and interview candidates for the position of Indiana Institute on Disability and Community executive director. The members of the search committee will be identified by end of summer. Mank will continue to serve as director during the search process.
