Archives

Spring 2016

Colleen McLaughlin, MEd Honored with the Distinction of Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Colleen McLaughlin, MEd, Community Training and Technical Assistance Manager at The Boggs Center (pictured left), was honored with the distinction of Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). The ceremony was held at AAIDD’s 140^th Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on June 8, 2016. The designation of Fellow is conferred after an individual has at least seven years of continuous membership in AAIDD, participation in the professional and business affairs of the Association, and are judged to have made a meritorious contribution to the field of intellectual disability. Also honored was Carol Britton Laws, PhD, a graduate of Rutgers School of Social Work and a former Boggs Center student and Training & Consultation Specialist, along with ten other 2016 AAIDD Fellows.

Voting: It's Your Right

Voting: It's Your Right, a guide about voting rights and the voting process in New Jersey, has been revised and re-printed. The guide was written for individuals with intellectual disabilities in clear language. It should also be of interest to anyone who would like to learn more about the legal and practical issues related to voting.

Voting: It's Your Right includes information about topics such as: Who can vote in a government election?; What are you asked to decide when you register to vote?; How do you vote in person?; and How do you vote by mail?

Voting: It’s Your Right was developed by The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in collaboration with New Jersey’s Administration on Developmental Disabilities Partners, Disability Rights New Jersey and the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities. It was funded by Disability Rights New Jersey’s Protection and Advocacy for Voter Access (PAVA) from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Administration on Children and Families, US Department of Health and Senior Services.

Available in English, Spanish, and text-only versions. View and order Voting: It's Your Right

Boggs Center 2015-2016 Interdisciplinary Trainees Graduate

On May 6, 2016, The Boggs Center celebrated the accomplishments of this year’s Interdisciplinary Trainees with a graduation colloquium, where each student presented on their significant projects and the lasting impact of their Trainee experiences. The Boggs Center’s Interdisciplinary Traineeship, coordinated by Caroline Coffield, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Interdisciplinary Training Coordinator, offers an array of learning opportunities available in both a long-term and intermediate format based on the number of hours and scope of requirements. Six Trainees graduated from The Boggs Center's 2015-2016 Interdisciplinary Traineeship Program:

• Abimbola Adegbola, an undergraduate Public Health student at Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, completed her Intermediate Interdisciplinary Traineeship under the supervision of Deborah Spitalnik, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Executive Director of The Boggs Center.
• Lisa Ankrah, an undergraduate Public Health student at Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, completed her Intermediate Interdisciplinary Traineeship under the supervision of Caroline Coffield, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Interdisciplinary Training Coordinator at The Boggs Center.
• Survandita Dhawan, an undergraduate Cell Biology and Neuroscience student at Rutgers University, completed her Intermediate Interdisciplinary Traineeship under the supervision of Philip Smith, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Boggs Center.
• Tena Fernandez, an MSW student at Rutgers School of Social Work, completed her Long Term Interdisciplinary Traineeship and social work field placement under the supervision of Robyn Carroll, MSW, Communications Manager.
• Rachel Newman, an undergraduate psychology student at Princeton University, completed her Intermediate Interdisciplinary Traineeship under the supervision of Deborah Spitalnik, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Executive Director of The Boggs Center.
  
• Sarah Stern, an MSW student at Rutgers School of Social Work, completed her Long Term Interdisciplinary Traineeship and social work field placement under the supervision of Michael Knox, PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Deputy Director.
  
  

Over 2,000 Participants Learn About Disabilities Through The Boggs Center’s
Disability Trivia Prize Wheel Booth at Rutgers Day

On April 30, 2016, The Boggs Center participated in Rutgers Day, an annual, family-oriented open house held on the New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden Campuses to highlight the University’s schools, centers, institutes, and programs as well as the valuable contributions Rutgers makes to those in New Jersey and beyond. This year’s event was attended by a record 94,000 people on all three New Brunswick campuses and 100,000 statewide.

The Boggs Center coordinated a Disability Trivia Prize Wheel booth on the Busch Campus in Piscataway. Over 2,000 people learned about disabilities from Boggs Center faculty and staff through a family-friendly trivia game that addressed topics including important public policies, person first language, and common myths.

Getting the Community Life You Want: A Guide to Home and Community Based Services Advocacy

The Home and Community Based Settings (HCBS) Final Rule, a federal policy change announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), provides new opportunities for people with disabilities to have the kinds of community services they want. The Rule requires that the places where people receive HCBS waiver services offer full access to the benefits of community life. This guide contains information about the HCBS Final Settings Rule and resources to help you provide your support coordinator and service providers with input about the services you receive and how they can to help you get the community life you want. Available in English, Spanish, and text-only versions.

View and order Getting the Community Life You Want

Highlighting Autism Awareness at Rutgers

In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, Congressman Frank Pallone toured Rutgers University’s Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, accompanied by Deborah M. Spitalnik, PhD, Executive Director of The Boggs Center and Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. Spitalnik was also interviewed by News 12 New Jersey at the event.

View Congressman Pallone’s press release

The Boggs Center and NJ APSE Co-sponsor 24th Facing the Future Conference

On Friday, March 18, 2016, The Boggs Center and the NJ Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE) held their 24th annual transition and employment conference at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick. Over 500 disability and education professionals attended the Facing the Future: Discovering a World of Employment Opportunities conference, which featured keynote presentations by Allison Wohl, Executive Director of national APSE, and Temple Grandin, PhD, Professor of Animal Science and Author, along with 18 workshops and the NJ APSE Awards. In addition to coordinating the conference and co-chairing the conference committee, The Boggs Center presented several workshops.

Michael Steinbruck Featured in NJ Department of Education Video for Person Centered Approaches in Schools and Transition Project

The New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), in partnership with The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, has developed a video production highlighting the Person-Centered Approaches in Schools and Transition (PCAST) project. The video highlights the work being done statewide to explore the use of person-centered approaches in schools and to implement promising practices in participating districts. The video features multiple participant perspectives, including students, parents, and educators who have been actively engaged in the work. Michael Steinbruck, Program Coordinator at The Boggs Center, is featured in the video.
View the PCAST video

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School