Author: HDITrex

Photo of State Senator Will Schroder, Ashley Meier Barlow, Parent Allison Ball, KY State Treasurer Amanda Stahl, Advocate

Accessing the New Kentucky ABLE Accounts

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The STABLE Kentucky program has launched in Kentucky to make savings more accessible for everyone! This program allows qualified individuals with disabilities to save up to $14,000 a year in an ABLE account without jeopardizing their eligibility for federally-funded means tested benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. The funds in the account can be used for disability-related expenses that assist in increasing and/or maintaining health, independence or quality of life. For more information visit StableKentucky.com. Continue reading →

Spring Seminar: “Seeing STARS: Children with Special Needs in Early Care Settings”

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“This seminar is designed to engage staff from early care settings across Kentucky in new ways to see the ‘STARS’ in our young children with special needs. The seminar will review appropriate ways to identify and include children with special needs in their early care settings. We will introduce practical resources for screening, assessment, and inclusion of children with disabilities, and offer strategies for implementation of each area.” – Dr. Caroline Gooden 

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AUCD 2016 Conference Report from HDI

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HDI staff recently attended the Association of University Centers on Disabilities 2016 Conference in December and also actively contributed to the conference through sessions, posters, and increased attendance by trainees.

Dr. Harold Kleinert contributed to a panel on inclusive education and participated in a poster about “Building Capacity and Vision Among Faith Communities, Seminaries, and Disability Organizations.” In addition, Dr. Kathy Sheppard-Jones, Dr. Allie Rhodes and Marylee Underwood shared a poster on “Using Statewide Needs Assessment  Continue reading →

Photo of Lisa Dunkley

Research Assistant Spotlight: Lisa Dunkley

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Article by Bill Mazzoleni. Photo by Kari Jones.

Lisa Dunkley was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She has a BSC in Psychology and a MA in Rehabilitation Counseling. She is pursuing the doctoral program in Rehabilitation Counseling in the Department of Early Childhood, Special Education, and Rehabilitation.

Her research interest is focusing on the offender population inclusive of juvenile offenders. She is currently working at HDI as a Research Assistant with Jill Griffiths on the College and Career Readiness Project. She is also pursuing the graduate certificate in Developmental Disabilities and the AUCD Trainee Liaison.

I’m interested in working at HDI because it offers me an excellent overview of intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan. It has given me a great opportunity to learn more about working with the childhood and adolescent population as opposed to adults.

Ms. Dunkley’s long term goal is to become a Dean of an institute and employ what she has learned to create a more inclusive and accessible environment for individuals with disabilities in higher education.

Health Dyad Participants with Art

Research Brief Winter 2016

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Healthier Together! A Dyad Approach to Inclusive Health & Wellness Programming

For people with disabilities, maintaining health and wellness is essential to self-sufficiency, becoming or staying independent, actively participating in the community, and preventing the onset of secondary health conditions. This research brief highlights the pilot efforts of the Health Partners project that works to incorporate a dyad social structure with inclusive universal design for learning strategies for health and wellness programming geared towards individuals with intellectual disabilities and a partner of their choice.

by Lindsey Mullis, Megan Jaspersen, Tela Warren, Alice L. Rhodes, & Rachel Jacob

Download researchbrief_winter2016_digitalfinal