The Institute on Disability is working toward change
Published: Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families.
The IOD envisions a future where all persons—including those living with disabilities—are fully engaged members of communities, and where culturally appropriate supports that lead to independence, productivity, and a satisfying quality of life are available to individuals and families across the life span.
As its mission, the IOD advances policies and systems changes, promising practices, education and research that strengthen communities and ensure full access, equal opportunities and participation for all people.
The IOD values the participation of people with disabilities, the community, family members and a culturally diverse membership in its governance and research, teaching and service activities.
The IOD works to advance principles of choice, family and consumer-directed supports, community inclusion, and cultural competence throughout the life span. It does this through:
· Integrity in its working relationships, practices, and decisions.
· Leadership in generating and advancing promising practices.
· Excellence both in its individual and collective actions.
· Service to communities, people with disabilities and their families, the University of New Hampshire, the public, and others who are affected by its work.
· Respect for individuals’ roles, diversity, contribution, and viewpoints.
· Cooperation in the planning, management, and work of the IOD.
· Commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families.
· Partnerships with other individuals, diverse groups, organizations, and people with disabilities and their families.
· Openness in communications and decision-making.
To carry out its vision, mission, and values, the IOD:
· Trains students, self-advocates, families and professionals through coursework, seminars, workshops, and conferences.
· Provides technical assistance to organizations and individuals to improve their capacity to include all citizens.
· Serves as a resource for information to policymakers and government officials.
· Disseminates information to families, consumers, community members, and professionals via books, monographs, articles, videos, newsletters, the Internet, and press coverage including television, radio, newspapers, and consumer forums.
· Conducts applied research to better understand and address the needs of individuals with disabilities.
· Engages in collaborative activities and joint projects with organizations that share common goals.
The IOD is a member of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, a network of 67 university-based Centers located in every state and territory in the United States.
The IOD, working with the Division of Genetics and Child Development at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth and the Department of Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School; the Institute for Health, Law, and Ethics at Franklin Pierce Law Center; and the Center on Community Economic Development and Disability at Southern New Hampshire University, is the flagship for New Hampshire's University Center for Excellence on Disability (UCED).