OHSU UCEDD Community Partners Council (CPC)

09/03/2025

September is National Preparedness Month! Now is a great time to explore resources to get ready and stay safe in an emergency.

Wondering where to start? Check out the Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities Resource Hub: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/emergency-preparedness-people-disabilities

September is National Preparedness Month, an important opportunity to consider how we can prepare for disasters and emergencies at home. Visit ready.gov/september to get started.

09/02/2025

Upcoming mini webinar series for teachers! Register for Sexuality Education for Users

In this two-part online webinar series, special education teachers who work with high school and transition aged youth will learn about how to offer s*x ed to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users directly from AAC users themselves.

September 29th 9-10:30 a.m. PDT and
September 30th 3-4:30 p.m. PDT

Learn more and register: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/s*xuality-education-aac-users-mini-webinar



[ID: Young adult in green jacket talks with student in blue shirt using AAC device and smiles.]

Image from UK Human Development Institute

08/29/2025

We had another fantastic cohort of summer interns this year – They completed some amazing work in 8 short weeks! Learn more about what they worked on:

2025 UCEDD Summer Intern Maria S.G. (pictured second from the left) was placed in the Autism Alert Program and worked under the mentorship of Michelle Owens. Maria spent her time observing Autism Alert Program activities and studying clinician-client interactions.

“It was a wonderful experience overall to see things in action in a clinical setting,” shared Maria. “It made me feel assured that this is the type of environment that I would like to work in in the future.”

Learn more about the UCEDD Summer Internship Program: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/summer-internship-program

[ID: Eight professionally dressed young adults sitting around a rectangular table turn and smile for a selfie taken by one of their group.]

08/28/2025

Zoom Registration is Now Open for the 3rd Annual Inclusive Leadership Summit, hosted by the Oregon Self Advocacy Coalition. Space is limited, register today: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/dAllExeaSOyNg20Wq-g0gg #/registration

¡Ya está abierta la inscripción de Zoom para la 3ª Cumbre de Liderazgo Inclusiva Anual! El cupo es limitado – ¡Inscríbase hoy! https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/dAllExeaSOyNg20Wq-g0gg #/registration

Zoom Registration is Now Open for the 3rd Annual Inclusive Leadership Summit! (In-person registration is FULL!)
Space is Limited – Register Today!
Click this link https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/dAllExeaSOyNg20Wq-g0gg to register or call: (503) 308-1310

When signing up to receive a Zoom link, please provide the following information:

1. Your first and last name

2. Your email address or your support person’s email address
Please Note:
Support person should also register, if they will not be with you and plan to join zoom separately

3. Check the correct box, if you are attending as a self-advocate, family member or professional

4. Your support person’s email address (if needed)

5. List any accommodations you may need, such as:
- Spanish Interpretation
- American Sign Language (ASL)
- Other (Please tell us anything else you may need to have the best experience attending on Zoom)

We are excited to see you online!

08/28/2025

Did you know about this opportunity to develop your leadership and advocacy skills? Apply to attend the Oregon Partners in Policymaking® Leadership Series (PIP): https://www.droregon.org/pip

Partners Leadership Series Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders in Disability AdvocacyINFORMATIONAL BROCHUREAPPLICATION Oregon Partners Leadership Series is a leadership training program designed for: parents, guardians, or family members of children with a developmental disability, traumatic brain injur...

08/26/2025

Update!
Congress is still working on the FY26 budget that will decide if University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), like the OHSU UCEDD, will stay as independent programs.

Getting rid of UCEDDs directly conflicts with federal law and will result in immense nationwide harm for people with disabilities, research institutions, and the disability workforce. This will have a dire impact on the current and future disability population.

UCEDDs have been supporting people with disabilities for over 60 years through research, training, and community services. UCEDDs are part of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), which has a tool to help you contact your representatives and ask them to fund UCEDDs and their important work. It has a message where you can add your thoughts on why UCEDDs need to be funded: https://aucd.quorum.us/campaign/135821/

🚨 Updated Alert – Take Action Now!
The Senate has released its LHHS bill and the House is next. This is a new alert — even if you've taken action before, it's time to do it again!

🧠 Tell Congress to fund UCEDDs and critical disability programs in FY26:👉 https://aucd.quorum.us/campaign/135821/

📣 Share widely and tag

08/25/2025

We had another great group of summer interns this year who did a lot of amazing work in 8 short weeks. Learn more about what they worked on:

2025 UCEDD Summer Intern Hayden F. was placed in Pediatric Cardiology and worked under the mentorship of Dr. Kathryn Holmes. Hayden's project focused on reviewing Dr. Holmes’ pediatric aortopathy patients to see which families could benefit from school letters about their child’s condition and which patients over age 18 still need to follow up with adult cardiology. She also helped select patients that are eligible for Dr. Holmes’ and Dr. McGrath’s study, CLARITY.

Hayden shared that, “I learned about what it can look like to work in medicine, how to interact with patients, the process of clinical research, and what parents and families with aortopathies need. I am so grateful for this internship opportunity. The experiences I gained from this placement will always be remembered and useful for my future.”

Learn more about the UCEDD Summer Internship Program: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/summer-internship-program

[A young adult with long, wavy, blonde hair, light skin, wearing a cream colored spaghetti-strap dress with a dark green floral pattern, and a bright smile.]

08/21/2025

We had another fantastic cohort of summer interns this year – They completed some amazing work in 8 short weeks! Learn more about what they worked on:

2025 UCEDD Summer Intern Kristen L. (pictured right) was placed in Public Health: Emergency Preparedness and worked under the mentorship of Rachel Benson and Larissa Yoshino. Kristen worked on a series of videos for the Ready Now! Tool Kit. The project aims to make the toolkit more accessible and engaging for people with I/DD by sharing information about emergency preparedness in a visual format.

“I had an incredible time interning this summer at the UCEDD. I learned how vital it is to make emergency preparedness as inclusive and accessible as possible,” shared Kristen. “I got to explore and learn more about ADA rights, people with disabilities’ lived experiences, ways to advocate for people with I/DD, and tools for self-advocacy."

Learn more about the UCEDD Summer Internship Program: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/summer-internship-program

[Four young adults sit at a table with four cups of multicolored frozen yogurt in the center of the table. They all smile and turn towards the camera for a selfie.]

08/19/2025

We had another fantastic cohort of summer interns this year – They completed some amazing work in 8 short weeks! Learn more about what they worked on:

2025 UCEDD Summer Intern Nihitha V. (pictured far-left) was placed in Speech Language Pathology and worked under the mentorship of Hannah Sanford-Keller. Nihitha worked on multiple projects that promoted community engagement and improved access to resources at OHSU. For example, she organized a book donation drive that collected over 180 books for children and created monthly awareness posters to educate about disability and cultural topics.

Nihitha shared that, "I learned the importance of thoughtful representation whether in books, posters, or written content. I realized that small details, like including diverse characters or using inclusive language, can make a big impact in helping people feel seen, respected, and included.”

Learn more about the UCEDD Summer Internship Program: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/summer-internship-program

[ID: Eight professionally dressed young adults sitting around a rectangular table turn and smile for a selfie taken by one of their group.]

08/16/2025

We had another great group of summer interns this year who did a lot of amazing work in 8 short weeks. Learn more about what they worked on:

2025 UCEDD Summer Intern Iman K. (pictured center) was placed in Speech Language Pathology and worked under the mentorship of Dr. Emily Quinn. Iman worked on the Augmentative and Alternative Communication ( ) Peer Support Project using the forwards and backwards reference screening technique.

This screening method looks at research articles in two ways. Backward reference screening means looking at the sources listed in a research paper to find other helpful articles that researchers might have missed. Forward reference screening means checking to see if any new articles have mentioned their work since it was published.

“This was my first time doing any kind of work, and it helped me build valuable foundational skills. I learned how to follow a structured screening process, apply criteria, and navigate academic databases,” said Iman. “I also gained experience in managing research tools and troubleshooting access issues—skills that will be important in any academic or clinical research I pursue in the future.”

Learn more about the UCEDD Summer Internship Program: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/summer-internship-program

[ID: Five young adults in casual clothing sit together at a table at an Italian restaurant.]

08/13/2025

OCDD needs your input by August 15th! Take their short, anonymous survey in any of the following languages:

English https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NZ66NDV
Spanish https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/93NK8N3
Vietnamese https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J587YZ3
Russian https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QYWYFBW
Korean https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q958B6L
Simplified Chinese https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WQ9B32C
Have questions? Reach out to kate.thompson@ocdd.org or call 503-779-5389.

📣 It's time to develop our next 5-Year State Plan. Help us prioritize what matters to you! Every 5 years, OCDD is required to develop a new state plan to guide our work. We are asking all Oregonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), family members, caregivers and support persons, and IDD community partners to complete our public input survey. The survey is anonymous and should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Take the survey in:

👉 English: surveymonkey.com/r/NZ66NDV
👉 Española: surveymonkey.com/r/93NK8N3
👉 Русский: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QYWYFBW
👉 한국인: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q958B6L
👉 Tiếng Việt: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J587YZ3
👉 简体中文: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WQ9B32C

Need another language or have a question? Email kate.thompson@ocdd.org or call 503-779-5389.

Learn more about OCDD: https://www.ocdd.org/

08/13/2025

OCDD needs your input by August 15th! Take their short, anonymous survey in any of the following languages:

Spanish https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/93NK8N3
English https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NZ66NDV
Vietnamese https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J587YZ3
Russian https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QYWYFBW
Korean https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q958B6L
Simplified Chinese https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WQ9B32C
Have questions? Reach out to kate.thompson@ocdd.org or call 503-779-5389.

📣 Es hora de desarrollar nuestro próximo Plan Estatal Quinquenal. ¡Ayúdenos a priorizar lo que le importa! Cada 5 años, OCDD debe desarrollar un nuevo plan estatal para guiar nuestro trabajo. Solicitamos a todos los residentes de Oregón con discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo (IDD), familiares, cuidadores y personas de apoyo, y socios comunitarios de IDD que nos digan cuáles son sus prioridades. La encuesta es anónima y solo le tomará unos 10 minutos completarla. Responda la encuesta en:

👉 English: surveymonkey.com/r/NZ66NDV
👉 Española: surveymonkey.com/r/93NK8N3
👉 Русский: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QYWYFBW
👉 한국인: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q958B6L
👉 Tiếng Việt: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J587YZ3
👉 简体中文: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WQ9B32C

¿Necesita otro idioma o tiene alguna pregunta? Envíe un correo electrónico a kate.thompson@ocdd.org o llame al 503-779-5389.