Center for Disabilities Studies

Inclusive programs show resilience: Students with disabilities, staff adjust to remote learning amid coronavirus Students and staff in CDS’s Career and Life Studies Certificate (CLSC) and Spectrum Scholars programs are demonstrating their flexibility and resilience as they adapt to digital learning and socializing. Students are continuing to participate in coaching and mentoring sessions, attend clubs and hone self-advocacy skills. Staff are finding creative ways to move instruction online, though some offerings, such as CLSC internships, are proving hard to replicate.

Delaware piloting new internet-based voting system for disabled, overseas voters Delaware is piloting an internet-based voting system for people with physical disabilities and others voting absentee in the June primaries that CDS Director Beth Mineo says can provide a convenient, private way to cast a ballot. Mineo cautions that the system, designed by Democracy Live and using Amazon Web Services secure cloud technology, must be trusted or else the votes of people with disabilities may be called into question. While Delaware Elections Commissioner Anthony Albence describes the system as “ideal,” cybersecurity experts contend any online-based system is vulnerable to hacking.

COVID-19 and the disability community CDS’s interim director of health and wellness, Brittany Powers, offers recommendations to people with disabilities and their caregivers on how to navigate the coronavirus pandemic in a new posting at the Center’s Inclusion blog.

Joining forces makes early autism evaluations more accessible, panel says Presenters from CDS and its partners report that offering autism evaluations at the state’s early intervention program clinics – one part of a collaborative initiative called Building Bridges – significantly reduced barriers to receiving a diagnosis and accessing early intervention services.

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.