Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities Newsletter – 2022, Issue 4

Director’s Message

Greetings, readers! Autumn brings not only cooler temperatures and falling leaves, but the return to school, the Room to Grow: Journey to Cultural and Linguistic Competency Virtual Conference, and of course, exercising our right to vote.

COVID-19 Resources

Please take a moment to read these important pandemic-related resources from state and national agencies and organizations. Topics include updated COVID-19 boosters, booster and vaccine updates, and Kennedy Krieger Institute’s vaccination clinic.

IDDRC Corner

The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) at Kennedy Krieger supports any investigator doing intellectual and developmental disability research at the Institute, regardless of independent funding status. A range of specialized services, including one-time consultation and navigation services, is available through the IDDRC’s cores

Back-to-School Resources

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) recently released a back-to-school checklist for parents and families. The purpose of the checklist is to help parents, caregivers and families understand how school leaders are supporting students as they recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Expanding the Public Health Workforce

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provided funding to recruit, hire and train public health workers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future public health challenges. As a result, on November 10, 2021, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced a $150 million investment to expand the public health workforce within the aging and disability networks across the U.S.

Invitation to Complete the Disability and Faith Community Survey

Please help the MCDD promote inclusive practice and improve health outcomes for people with disabilities and their families by responding to a short seven-question survey about the disability training needs of Maryland’s faith communities.

Autism Research and Engagement Core News

The website of the Simons Powering Autism Research (SPARK) ASD research project recently published two articles on suicide prevention and autism spectrum disorder (ASD): “Autism and the Troubling Risk of Suicide” and “Working to Prevent Suicide in Youth with Autism.”

People On the Go Maryland Update

People On the Go Maryland (POG) gave a presentation, “The Importance of Advocacy,” at Project SEARCH’s 15th annual national conference, which took place in Baltimore from July 25 through 29. POG’s presentation was well received.

Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities

In September 2019, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) awarded a three-year, $500,000 grant to the MCDD to establish the Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities (CDHPD). Eight national coalition partners collaborated on the project, with the goal of identifying and reducing life-limiting healthcare inequities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) by improving access to antidiscrimination medical protocols.