Pre-Service Training and Continuing Education at the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities

The MCDD has a formalized pre-service training program that serves to increase the quantity and quality of persons interested in exploring, learning, and incorporating disability knowledge in their future careers and lives. The pre-service program uses our core projects to provide a variety of mentored experiential and didactic activities.

Undergraduate and graduate students from a range of fields, including: law, policy, public health, education, social work, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, neuropsychology and behavioral psychology train at the MCDD. Trainees gain practical skills and knowledge that inform their work about the needs, strengths, and perspectives of people with disabilities across the lifespan. Collaborations include the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Towson University, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work and a number of other colleges, universities, and local and state agencies.

Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law) hosts law trainees, as well as trainees from other disciplines, throughout the year. Click here for additional information about Project HEAL's training program. 

The MCDD’s interdisciplinary pre-service training curriculum is an experiential and instructional program that:

1. Integrates knowledge and methods from multiple disciplines using an interdisciplinary / interprofessional approach;
2. Incorporates direct contributions to the field made by people with disabilities and their family members;
3. Examines and advances professional practice, scholarship and policy that impacts the lives of people with disabilities and their families; and
4. Is designed to improve an individual's knowledge and academic or professional credentials.

The program is designed to provide well-rounded exposure and learning opportunities to all MCDD scholars/trainees.

Examples of specific activities include:

• Engage in research, data management, policy work, advocacy, community service, training, and information dissemination on topics important to the intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) population and field
• Assess, develop, deliver, and evaluate trainings, technical assistance systems and resources for  a number of stakeholder groups including professionals who work with children and adults with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities
• Work with self-advocates, family members, and provider systems to identify and develop new services and information for people with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities
• Evaluate and identify changes in needs and resources data, needed changes or new data items needed in activities or organizations to continue to provide inclusive and quality service
• Engage and participate in legislative and educational advocacy coalitions and projects, I/DD awareness campaigns, and consumer advisory committee meetings
• Participate in meetings with school system administrators to advocate for effective educational policies relevant to MCDD's mission
• Attend legislative hearings in Annapolis and work with People On the Go on their legislative agenda and other projects. 
• Organize events and meetings, and contribute to the decision-making process of the MCDD team

Leadership

Mirian Ofonedu, PhD, LCSW-C
Director of Training
Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities
7000 Tudsbury Road
Baltimore, MD 21244
Phone: 443-923-9555
TTY: 443-329-9205
Email: Ofonedu@KennedyKrieger.org

Valeria Tskhay, BS
Training Coordinator
7000 Tudsbury Road
Baltimore, MD 21244
Phone: 443-923-4114
Fax: 443-923-9570
Email: Tskhay@KennedyKrieger.org

You can also contact us at Training.MCDD@KennedyKrieger.org for questions about our internship opportunities.

External Collaborations

MCDD Programs

Trainee Testimonials

Interdisciplinary, Pre-Service Preparation and Continuing Education Factsheet (PDF)