Center for Disabilities Studies

UD gets $1 million grant for special education training Applications are now available for the Special Education Administrative Leadership (SEAL) program, a collaboration between CDS, other UD education centers and the Delaware Department of Education. The program, funded over five years by the U.S. Department of Education, offers special education administrators leadership training, disability-specific instruction and internship opportunities. SEAL will hold four 18-month courses with a total enrollment of approximately 55 educators.

Leveling the playing field When the University of Delaware’s Spectrum Scholars college-to-career program for students with autism launched in September 2018, President Dennis Assanis noted that it personifies the university’s goal of “inclusive excellence,” which is all about “leading every student to success, both in and out of the classroom.”

Safely accessing their home Nowhere Else to Turn, a CDS program helping Delawareans with paralysis afford home modifications, facilitated the purchase of equipment enabling 11-year-old Cole Thorne to travel up and down stairs without relying on his mother to carry him.

Autism sex ed scholar presents at CDS An expert in sexuality and intellectual and developmental disabilities advocated for teaching healthy sex practices, not just how to recognize and resist nonconsensual actions.

Student feedback necessary to improve school climate At a CDS event on school climate, a member of the Center’s Positive Behavior Support project and leaders from the Brandywine School District demonstrated how educators can use data to make the classroom safer and more engaging.