The IU Indiana Institute on Disability and Community was awarded a $2.7 million grant and will become Indiana’s only University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, IU announced Tuesday.
The five-year grant will be used to transfer research conducted in disability studies at IU to communities around Indiana, the U.S. and the world, according to an IU press release.
As part of the funding, the IIDC will be designated by the federal government as a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, becoming the only one in Indiana. There are 67 UCEDDs in total nationwide, with at least one in each U.S. state and territory, according to the Association of University Centers on Disabilities website.
The centers were created in 1963. They serve people with intellectual disabilities through advocacy and systematic change. Research and training at the centers has benefited disability initiatives targeting inclusive and meaningful education, transition from school to work, assistive technology and transportation.
“We are excited and honored to continue our work as Indiana’s UCEDD,” Derek Nord, director of the Indiana Institute, said in the release. “Over the last 45 years, much progress has been made to better integrate people with disabilities into mainstream society. Today however, far too many people, young and old, continue to lack critical services and supports to grow and flourish, such as education, health care or community-based support services.”
Nord will also serve as the director of Indiana’s UCEDD.
“As a result, a great many Hoosiers remain socially isolated and excluded from their communities and peers,” he said in the press release. “This is unacceptable, and we at the IIDC are passionate about changing this narrative through our ever-evolving research, training and technical assistance agenda. These dollars are critical to us supporting and serving our partners across the state and nation.”
The IIDC receives its core funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living.
Emily Eckelbarger
