In the Community

• Tami Goldsmith of People On the Go Maryland has been appointed to the board of Comunidad de Recursos Hispanos, or Hispanic Community Resources, a new organization serving individuals of the Hispanic community with special needs. The organization offers inclusive opportunities and recreational activities for family members with disabilities living in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Its goal is to serve individuals with disabilities and their families by offering support, understanding and inclusive opportunities for the Spanish-speaking community.
• Maureen van Stone, director of the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD), has been selected as MCDD’s representative on the statewide leadership team of the Maryland Community of Practice for Supporting Families (CoP). The goal of CoP is to build capacity in Maryland at the statewide and local levels to enhance the lives of families and people with disabilities across the lifespan by establishing partnerships, policies, programs and supports.
• Alyssa Navarrete, Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law) staff attorney, has been selected to participate in the Maryland Family and Self-Advocate Leadership Collaborative Charting the LifeCourse Framework Ambassador Series. The series will include conference calls, videos, assignments and coaching groups from March through July 2019.
• In January, Dr. Paul Lipkin, of the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), and Christine Schoenberger of MCDD attended a learning session for PCORnet Learning Health Network (LHN) grantees funded by PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network in Atlanta, Georgia. The learning sessions allow grantees and network clinical site participants to meet in person and design quality improvement activities to achieve their network goals aimed at improved clinical care. Through the grant, IAN joins with other autism research networks including Autism Speaks’ Autism Treatment Network and the HRSA-funded Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health to form the Autism Learning Health Network (ALHN) to leverage the combined strengths of each into a single national learning health system for autism spectrum disorders. The Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is the LHN coordination center and has been instrumental in advising ALHN on how to move the mission forward.
• Megan Reed, MCDD project coordinator, was cordially invited to join the 2019 Customer Advisory Board (CAB) for Social Solutions Global (SSG). CAB is a highly select, diverse group of 10 individuals chosen from the 3,000-plus administrators and 20,000-plus users of the Apricot data system. CAB plays a key role in SSG’s product development process to ensure impactful, valuable, well-designed products are created based on the needs of SSG customers and the communities they serve.
• On January 15, Dr. Mirian Ofonedu, MCDD director of training, facilitated a panel presentation, “Developmental Disabilities: Challenges, Opportunities and Future Directions,” at a Kennedy Krieger Institute core course.
• On January 29, Dr. Ofonedu facilitated a panel presentation, “Challenging Common Perspectives on Disabilities,” at a Kennedy Krieger core course.
• On February 20, Dr. Ofonedu gave a two-hour presentation, “What is Sexual Health? Talking to your Young and Grown Children about Sexuality,” for parents and caregivers at Kennedy Krieger’s Montgomery County campus, as part of the Institute’s CORE Foundations and Project SEARCH programs.
• On March 6, Dr. Ofonedu gave a three-hour presentation, “Effective Strategies for Promoting Positive Mental Health Outcomes for Black Youth,” to the Baltimore City Social Work Association group in Baltimore, Maryland.
• On March 27, Dr. Ofonedu led “What is Sexual Health? Understanding Healthy Relationships, Sexual Self-Advocacy and Making Informed Choices,” a two-hour workshop for individuals 18–35 years old with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, at Kennedy Krieger’s Montgomery County campus, as part of the Institute’s CORE Foundations and Project SEARCH programs.
• On April 17, Dr. Ofonedu gave a two-hour presentation, “Sexual Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: How providers can help,” for professionals at Kennedy Krieger.
• Dr. Natasha Ludwig, a pediatric neuropsychologist who completed a minor policy rotation with MCDD this semester, accepted a full-time faculty position within Kennedy Krieger’s Neuropsychology Department.
• On March 18–20, van Stone participated in the 2019 UCEDD Directors Retreat and Technical Assistance Institute in Washington, D.C.
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• On March 18, van Stone, Dr. Ofonedu, MCDD staff attorney Mallory Finn, Navarrete, Goldsmith and Ken Capone, public policy director for People on the Go Maryland, attended the AUCD for All 2019 Gala: Celebrating Leadership in Civil Rights in Washington, D.C.
• On Saturday, March 30, MCDD resource coordinator Jenny Jones attended the Baltimore County Public Schools Post-Secondary Transition Expo.
• On April 5, van Stone and Finn delivered a three-hour training, “Legal and Ethical Issues for Social Workers in an Urban School System.” More than 75 Baltimore City Public Schools social workers who participate in a social work club attended the presentation.
• On April 12, Finn gave three free trainings on the following topics: special education law; disciplining students with disabilities; and the bullying, harassment and intimidation of students with disabilities. The trainings took place at the Bethel A.M.E. Church in Cambridge, Maryland.
• On Saturday, April 13, Jenny Jones  represented the MCDD at the Harford County Youth & Family Resource Festival.