Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities Newsletter – 2021, Issue 4

Director’s Message

Greetings! The Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD) will be submitting its five-year plan to the Administration for Community Living. As community stakeholders, it is very important that we have your input in creating our plan.

COVID-19 Resources

As the coronavirus pandemic lingers, and variants of the virus add to the need to be ever more diligent of our surroundings, the MCDD will continue to provide resources for staying strong through this challenging period.

IDDRC Corner

The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) at Kennedy Krieger Institute and The Johns Hopkins University is continuing its collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics for Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program.

Kennedy Krieger Departments Join Forces in Delaware Outreach

Kennedy Krieger and the Sussex County Health Coalition hosted a virtual community forum on September 13.

Autism Research and Engagement Core Update

While summer may seem like a season of downtime for many, members of the MCDD’s Autism Research and Engagement Core have been as busy as ever. Collectively, the team produced a number of articles and webinars during July and August.

Training Update

The MCDD welcomed a number of trainees over the summer.

MCDD’s Annual Summer Learning Series was a Success

From June 1 to July 29, the MCDD hosted its fourth annual Summer Learning Series, consisting of 17 virtual, live, interactive workshops across a range of topics for psychologists, social workers, educators, counselors, nurses, medical staff, clinical and other community providers, parents, caregivers, students and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and many others.

People On the Go Maryland Update

People On the Go Maryland, Maryland’s statewide self-advocacy group, in conjunction with Project ACTION!, Washington, D.C.’s self-advocacy group, joined forces for a virtual biannual conference on September 23. The conference’s theme was “ALL Means ALL: Inclusion, Diversity, Acceptance.”

In The Community

The MCDD has appeared at a number of recent events supporting services for individuals with disabilities.