2024 UIC Department of Disability and Human Development Annual Report
ANNUAL REPORT 2024
Department of Disability and Human Development
Institute on Disability and Human Development
Photo description: "My People Are Part of the Soil / This Is Not My Grave" (2024). A work of paper mosaic featuring bright, metallic purple tree roots extending from a stump at the center of concentric circles. The circles are like tree rings, each made up of small segments of paper. Half of the rings are rich brown, like soil, the other half vibrant, starry blue. The roots extend disconcertingly into the sky rather than the earth. Auden Granger, 3Arts/Bodies of Work Resident Artist.
ANNUAL REPORT 2024
PAGE 02
PAGE 03
WELCOME STATEMENTS
3ARTS/BODIES OF WORK RESIDENCY
PAGE 05 CUTTING-EDGE STUDENT RESEARCH
PAGE 07 DHD POST DOCTORAL FELLOWS
PAGE 08 NEW CENTER ON FAMILY SUPPORT
PAGE 09 AWARDED GRANTS
PAGE 11 TECHNICAL STANDARDS INITIATIVE
PAGE 12 INCLUSIVE RESEARCH
PAGE 13 LEND PROGRAM
PAGE 14 FAMILY CLINIC
PAGE 15 ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY UNIT
PAGE 16 ADA GREAT LAKES CENTER
PAGE 17 RESOURCES DISSEMINATION
PAGE 18 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
PAGE 19 IDHD SUPPORTS IASSIDD CONGRESS
PAGE 21 IN MEMORIAM
PAGE 23 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
PAGE 24 SUPPORTING DISABILITY INCLUSION
PAGE 25 CONTACT DHD/IDHD
WELCOME STATEMENTS
Carrie Sandahl
After serving 15 years on Department of Disability and Human Development (DHD) faculty, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as Interim Head. Tamar passed the baton to me this January, and I am grateful to have been entrusted to carry the hallmarks of her extraordinary leadership into the future.
I bring to this position a lived experience of disability and a thirty-year career dedicated to the radical inclusion of disabled people in the arts and culture sector. Though trained as a theater artist/scholar, I learned very early on that barriers to inclusion could only be understood by unpacking the complex matrix of exclusionary practices in policy, education, culture, and health to find viable solutions. Finding these solutions necessitates interdisciplinary, collaborative research along with deep and meaningful partnerships with community partners and allies. We hold dear the disability rights slogan “Nothing about us, without us”; the involvement of disabled people themselves is integral to everything we do. As a theater artist, my strength lies not only in creatively imagining new worlds but also in making them a reality by assembling and directing diverse teams who can bring those worlds to life while being accountable to institutions; and most importantly, our audiences-the people we serve.
I had the honor of heading the DHD and its Institute on Disability and Human Development (IDHD) for over 20 years. During this period DHD became a leading academic program in the disability field with its nationally acclaimed disability studies doctoral program and its full array of undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs. It has also expanded its grant portfolios, community engagement, and impact on disability policies.
This year DHD transitioned to new leadership with Carrie Sandahl as its Interim Head and Sarah Parker Harris as its Associate Head. I will continue to direct the IDHD which includes the federally funded University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) for Illinois. IDHD emphasizes community engagement, applied research, and knowledge translation to break down barriers for people with disabilities and their families.
We are excited that we recently received federal funding for a Family Support Research and Training Center to Bridge Aging and Disability which will continue our work on bridging these two systems. I look forward to the coming year and your continued support.
Tamar Heller
3ARTS/BODIES OF WORK RESIDENCY
Carrie Sandahl and her team of staff and students support four Chicago artists with disabilities annually through the 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency program. Funded by 3Arts, this residency provides artists with essential resources, mentorship, and connections, fostering inclusive, disability-centered art practices and amplifying their voices in the Chicago arts community.
Kal Lee focused on career-building by preparing their first solo exhibition, which showcased ideas they had been developing since graduating from School of the Art Institute Chicago (SAIC). This project provided Kal with professional experience in planning and presenting work, as well as an opportunity to engage directly with viewers and students.
Photo description: Kal Lee, 3Arts/Bodies of Work Resident Artist. The image captures a close-up of a quilt with colorful patterns, including caterpillars. On top of the quilt, there is a small white paper model of a bed with a note that reads “fill in boxes for cert.” From exhibition Dust Beneath Snow at the Center for Mad Culture (2024).
Photo Credit: Mikey Mosher.
Janhavi Khemka developed narratives on personal space and identity, expanding her cross-disciplinary art practice by incorporating drum lessons. Building on her background in performance, installation, and printmaking, Janhavi created sculptures and videos that animate her woodcut prints. This residency also allowed Janhavi to experiment with an artist talk that combined spoken Hindi, English, and American Sign Language in collaboration with an interpreter and curator.
Photo description: Janhavi Khemka, 3Arts/Bodies of Work Resident Artist. Image from 2023 performance at Comfort Station, Chicago. The artist is on a plywood platform, kneeling on her elbows and knees, in front of a wall filled by large windows. She is framed by two microphones and holds one in her hand. She is surrounded by tools and utensils that assist her as she creates sound art.
Photo credit: Mikey Mosher.
Ariella Granados worked on Chroma Key After Me, an installation and video series exploring identity, family history, and disability. The project involved archival research and green-screen footage, placing themselves and family members in familiar childhood settings. Also, Ariella built new skills, explored creative solutions, and developed an aesthetic language in clay in working in ceramics, a new medium for them.
Photo description: Auden Granger, 3Arts/Bodies of Work Resident Artist. A screenshot of a Zoom call shows Granger’s online student workshop, shot from an overhead camera to show their desk and hands. Auden holds a collage art piece of eight orange mosaic pill bottles with gold lettering, spelling out the words “Ill at Ease” (2024) against a bright blue marbled background. Other materials and completed works of art lie at the edges of the panel.
Photo Credit: Reveca Torres.
Photo description: Ariella Granados, a femme Latinx artist in all black with glasses, long dark hair with bangs, and red lipstick, sits on a stool next to a greenscreen fabric-clad mannequin wearing a pink wig with bangs and a suit and tie and a textured woven hand with patches made to look like tattoos including one that says “mom” in a heart with an arrow. In the background are a green screen, lights, and camera equipment.
Photo credit: Daniel Delgado, Chicago Reader.
Auden Granger advanced their work in paper mosaic and collage and developed teaching skills through a workshop on disability-centered artistry and the use of found materials. During the residency, Auden refined the Wardrobe Justice project toolkit and workshop series, practiced delivering an introductory lecture, and gained valuable experience advocating for inclusive practices in theater settings.
CUTTING-EDGE STUDENT RESEARCH
Doctoral Dissertations
The Capability of Arab Muslim American Women to Care for Older Adults by
Randa Abdelrahim
This study explores the impact of family caregiving policies on shaping the opportunity to care for older adults among Arab American Muslim women in Cook County suburbs.
I Love You Just The Way You Are: An Autoethnography About Disability, Belonging, Acceptance, and Inclusion by Denise R. Arnold
This research includes data of experiences living nonverbal and provides insights into the ways in which systems impact the well-being of nonverbal people with autism.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Transition to School Among African American Children with Disabilities by Jasmine P. Brown-Hollie
This study looks at how the pandemic impacted the school readiness process for African American children with disabilities and delays during a time of heightened stress and crisis for families and educators.
Exploring Experiences of Disabled Students Accessing Higher Education in China by Yanling Li (Millie) Gould
This dissertation research study aims to explore disabled students’ personal experiences in accessing higher education in China.
“It Starts With the Littlest Things”: Young Disabled Women’s Experiences Navigating Everyday Ableism by Emily Horowitz
This research explores young disabled women’s lived experiences navigating ableism in everyday life.
Unruly Embodiment: Analyzing Reviewers’ Reactions to Roxane Gay’s Memoir, Hunger: A Memoir of (My)Body by Ashley Isabell Miller
This study explores the contention within recent disability studies scholarship that the identification of and with disability itself matters less than the political and cultural critique of systems of oppression that impact people with non-normative bodies and minds.
Disability Studies and Critical Race (Dis/Crit) Legal Theory: Using Storytelling as Methodology by Katherine Perez
This study discovers the disconnect between legal theory and practice, the contingency and role of racism and ableism in America, and the strategies employed to assist disabled clients caught in the criminal legal system whether or not they reinforce a broken system.
Experiences of People with Intellectual Disabilities and Caregivers in Kenya: An Inclusive Research Study by Rachael Wanjagua
The aim of this research was to determine support needs and services of people with intellectual disabilities and caregivers in Laikipia County in Kenya.
DHD Graduate Students
Navigating Life After Breast Cancer: Exploring Participation, Disability, and Support by
Amy Roder McArthur
This study supports the need for healthcare systems and society at large to recognize connections between cancer survivorship and disability to validate the lived experiences of breast cancer survivors and design survivorship supports that attend to disability rights relevant to survivors.
Master’s Theses
A Thematic Exploration of Mental Health and Multidimensional Social Factors in Suicidality Discourse by Gus Budiarta
This study acknowledges the fragmented movements of disability and mad movements, presenting an understanding that positions mental health problems and suicide within the concept of disability.
From the Institution to the Community: Exploring Physical Restraint in Home and Community-Based Services by Alison Cassidy Norton
This study explores how two states that authorize restraint use for adults with intellectual disabilities living in Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) implement restraint use procedures.
Exploring Conceptualizations of “Eating Disorders (ED)” in Self-Help Texts by Nour
Adele Ghobrial
This thesis studies three ED self-help books to investigate how the books conceptualize distressed eating and appropriate responses to it.
A Beautiful Work in Progress: Queer, Trans Autistic Storytelling about Identity Development by Em Peacock
This thesis explores how queer, trans autistic folks create and understand their autistic, gender, and sexual identity.
To access the dissertations and theses abstracts, please follow this link: https://go.uic.edu/PHDabstract
DHD POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS
Funded by the Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training (ARRT) program of NIDILRR (PI:Tamar Heller), two outstanding post-doctoral fellows, Mariana Garcia-Torres and Sabrina Jamal-Eddine, are actively engaged in promoting community inclusion for people with disabilities.
Mariana Garcia-Torres
Mariana Garcia-Torres has dedicated her work to supporting the Latino disability community. As part of the Americans with Disabilities Act Knowledge Translation (ADAKT) Center, she has been part of the Spanish Language Outreach Project (funded by NIDILRR) to increase understanding of barriers faced by the Latino community in accessing information about the ADA and disability rights. This study also addresses these barriers by developing a series of Spanish webinars to educate the community about the importance of the ADA.
In a similar project with the ADA Great Lakes Center, funded by the Ford Foundation and NIDILRR, Garcia-Torres worked to increase outreach efforts to the Latino community in relation to employment rights across the Great Lakes Region. This project included training community members, understanding their needs, and developing new material about the ADA. Lastly, Garcia-Torres delivered webinars for IL and CA parents of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder to provide tools and support around the topics of sexuality and adolescence. Garcia-Torres offered more than twenty sessions and continues to support local community-based organizations in the Chicagoland area.
Sabrina Jamal-Eddine
Prior to joining the Department of Disability and Human Development, Sabrina Jamal-Eddine PhD BSN RN earned her PhD in Nursing and the Certificate in Disability Ethics from UIC. Her research explored the use of spoken word poetry as a form of critical narrative pedagogy to educate nursing students about disability, ableism, and disability justice. She seeks to dismantle ableism in nursing education and practice through anti-colonial pedagogic strategies rooted in the lived experiences of multiply marginalized disabled people.
This year, Jamal-Eddine was honored with AARP’s 2024 Equity-Minded Nurse Award, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National League for Nursing. Additionally, she published a critical article entitled ‘Assets, not burdens: Disabled students in nursing education’ in the International Journal of Nursing Studies with Teresa Savage and the late Carol Gill. Finally, Jamal-Eddine received seed funding to complete her project ‘Crip critique: A spoken word poem and performance on the lived pasts and imagined futures of work’ through Arizona State University.
NEW CENTER ON FAMILY SUPPORT
Family Support Research and Training Center
IDHD in partnership with Brandeis University has been awarded the five year Family Support Research & Training Center (FSRTC) to Bridge Aging and Disability grant by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The FSRTC’s outstanding team of researchers include its principal investigator Sumithra Murthy and co-principal investigator Tamar Heller; along with co-investigators Kelly Hsieh, David Camacho, Randa Abdelrahim, Tanvi Bhatt, Spyros Kitsiou, Jae Jin Pak, and Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr., and statistician Edward Wang, and project coordinator Abby Schindler.
The Center’s goals are to: 1) Bridge aging and disability across the life course to advance family support; 2) Promote promising and evidenceinformed practices for diverse and underserved family caregivers; 3) Generate new knowledge and policy recommendations in critical family support areas; and 4) Create a National Resource Center on Family Support to provide training, technical assistance and resources. Caregiving and the limited availability of family support services can have significant economic and health impacts on families.
To support family caregivers across disability and lifespan contexts, it is critical to build knowledge based on the lived experiences of families caring for a family member with a disability, especially those underrepresented in research. FSRTC research will focus on underrepresented populations including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their family caregivers and Hispanic/Latino, Black, and LGBTQ+ caregivers.
We will conduct cutting-edge research projects related to perspectives of caregivers on thriving, future planning, and caregiver health promotion, as well as analyze national datasets and policy related to caregiving and family support. The FSRTC National Stakeholder Engagement Taskforce, consisting of diverse group of organizations, people with disabilities, and family caregivers will oversee all Center activities.
Through innovative research, resource dissemination, and community engagement, the Center aims to improve family support policies and practices and community living and participation outcomes for people with disabilities and their families. We are looking forward to the exciting work and breakthroughs that will emerge from this collaborative effort in the coming years.
Tamar Heller
David Camacho
Sumithra Murthy
Kelly Hsieh
Joe Caldwell
Syd Pickern
Abby Schindler
AWARDED GRANTS
2024 New Grants and Contracts
Access to Fly: Development of User-based Recommendations to Support Air Travel for People with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI). Foundation Craig H. Nielsen, 5/1/24-4/30/26 Principal Investigator (PI): Delphine Labbé, Co-Investigators (Co-Is): William C. Miller, Ernesto Morales.
AWARDED GRANTS
FY 2024 New Grants and Contracts
Access to Fly: Development of User-based Recommendations to Support Air Travel for People with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI). Foundation Craig H. Nielsen, 5/1/24-4/30/26 Principal Investigator (PI): Delphine Labbé, Co-Investigators (Co-Is): William C. Miller, Ernesto Morales.
ACT-UP: Adapted Autism CATCH-IT Unlimited Possibilities. National Taiwan University, University of Illinois System Joint Research and Innovation Seed Grants Pro-gram, 1/1/24-12/31/25 (PI: Kristin Berg, Co-PI: Chengshi Shiu).
ACT-UP: Adapted Autism CATCH-IT Unlimited Possibilities. National Taiwan University, University of Illinois System Joint Research and Innovation Seed Grants Program, 1/1/2412/31/25 (PI: Kristin Berg, Co-PI: Chengshi Shiu).
AD-2020C3-21046 Supplement: Behavioral Health Stratified Treatment (BEST) to Optimize Transition to Adulthood for Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD). Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), 5/1/24-11/30/27 (Co-PIs: Kristin Berg, Benjamin Van Voorhees).
ATU to Clients of Illinois Dept of Human Services-Home Services and Rehabilitation Services Combined. IDHS-Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), 7/1/23-6/30/24 (PI: Glenn Hedman).
Analysis of Movement from Illinois Developmental Centers. IDHS, 07/1/24-6/30/25 (PI: Caitlin Crabb. Co-PIs: Kelly Hsieh, Tamar Heller).
AD-2020C3-21046 Supplement: Behavioral Health Stratified Treatment (BEST) to Optimize Transition to Adulthood for Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/ DD). Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), 5/1/24-11/30/27 (Co-PIs: Kristin Berg, Benjamin Van Voorhees).
Assistive Technology Services to Williams Consent Decree Members. IDHS-Division of Mental Health (DMH), 7/1/236/30/24 (PI: Glenn Hedman).
Career Options and Leadership (COLEAD) through Storytelling, Data Visualizations & the Arts. Creative Arts Award Program, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC, 10/1/239/30/24 (PI: Rooshey Hasnain).
ATU to Clients of Illinois Dept of Human Services-Home Services and Rehabilitation Services Combined. IDHS-Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), 7/1/23-6/30/24 (PI: Glenn Hedman).
Analysis of Movement from Illinois Developmental Centers. IDHS, 07/1/24-6/30/25 (PI: Caitlin Crabb. Co-PIs: Kelly Hsieh, Tamar Heller).
CATALYST: Customized Adaptive Teaching and Assessment by Leveraging AI Systems in Higher Education. AHS Student Success Intramural Grant, 06/01/24-08/01/25 (PI: Christianna Danguilan, Co-PI: Kristin Berg).
Career Options and Leadership (COLEAD) through Storytelling, Data Visualizations & the Arts. Creative Arts Award Program, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC, 10/1/23-9/30/24 (PI: Rooshey Hasnain).
Assistive Technology Services to Williams Consent Decree Members. IDHS-Division of Mental Health (DMH), 7/1/23-6/30/24 (PI: Glenn Hedman).
Dementia Caregiver Program for Underserved Populations. Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), 10/1/23-6/30/24 (PI: Mansha Mirza, Co-PI: Sumithra Murthy).
Enhancing Accessibility of Communities Through Meaningful Engagement of People with Disabilities. Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, UIC, 9/1/23-5/1/24 (PI: Delphine Labbé, Co-PI: Yochai Eisenberg).
Evaluation of Easterseals’ PEACHE Project. Easterseals, 9/1/23-12/31/24 (PI: Tamar Heller, Co-PI: Kelly Hsieh).
Everybody Moves! Supporting Access to Leisure-Time Physical Activity for Individuals with Disability from Racial and Ethnic Minority Backgrounds. Field Initiated Projects Program: Minority-Serving Institution (MSI), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), 9/1/238/30/26 (PI: Delphine Labbé, Co-Is: Monika Stodolska, Yochai Eisenberg, Cassandra Herman).
Experiential Learning in Rehabilitation Sciences: Bridging Classroom, Careers, & Community (EL-CCC). AHS Student Success Intramural Grants, 5/1/24-5/31/25 (PI: Rooshey Hasnain).
Family Support Research and Training Center (FSRTC) to Bridge Aging and Disability. NIDILRR, 9/1/24-8/31/29 (PI: Sumithra Murthy, Co-PI: Tamar Heller, Co-Is: Kelly Hsieh, David Camacho, Randa Abdelrahim, Tanvi Bhatt, Spyros Kitsiou, Jae Jin Pak, Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr.).
Improving Inclusion by Addressing Gaps in Measuring Disability in Transportation Data Systems. Transit Cooperative Research Program, a subcontract through Transpo Group, 12/1/24-11/30/26 (UIC PI: Yochai Eisenberg).
Institute on Disability and Human Development-University Center for Excellence in DD. Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD), Administration for Community Living (ACL), 7/1/23-6/30/28 (PI: Tamar Heller, Co-PI: Kelly Hsieh).
Ligas Plans of Corrective Actions. IDHS, Division of Developmental Disabilities, 10/01/236/30/24 (PI: Caitlin Crabb, Co-PI: Sumithra Murthy).
Money Follows the Person. Office of Medicaid Intervention, University of Illinois, 01/01/2406/30/25 (PI: Tamar Heller, Co-PI: Caitlin Crabb, Co-I: Kelly Hsieh).
Seed Fund. Crossroads Fund, 7/1/24-No end date, (Co-PIs: Jae Jin Pak, T.J. Gordon).
UIC-The Autism Program. The Hope Institute for Children and Families, 7/1/23-6/30/24 (PI: Tamar Heller, Co-PI: Mark Dixon).
TECHNICAL STANDARDS INITIATIVE
Technical Standards that Welcome Students with Disabilities in Health Professions Education
UIC’s mission creates an environment where all students, faculty, staff, and visitors can fully engage in UIC’s programs, services, and activities without barriers. Technical standards (TS) are the non-academic skills and competencies necessary for the completion of a given educational program. These standards sometimes require accommodations created in an interactive process between the student, program, and disability services office.
In 2021, Sophia Hamilton, Director of UIC’s Disability Resource Center (DRC) began an initiative to revise TS across all health science and professional programs across campus. Revising TS is critical to remove admission barriers for disabled students and to increase provider-patient concordance to ensure cultural humility of healthcare practice and improve health equity for patients with disabilities. UIC’s TS Initiative provides a replicable model to engage all health profession programs and leverage work done by faculty in the Department of Disability and Human Development (UIC) and Rush University College of Nursing to adopt inclusive TS.
bit.ly/TSPAPER
White Paper on Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Nursing Educational Programs for the CCEPD
DRC assembled and charged designated representatives from all relevant health science and professional colleges with revising or authoring standards for their units that are accurate, inclusive, and publicly accessible. Units revised and finalized standards using different approaches and at very different rates. The DRC was available for consult and to provide deadlines and accountability measures throughout, but ultimately the content area experts within colleges were asked to define the essential non-academic competencies necessary for a student to successfully complete their academic program.
In 2023, Hugo Trevino, DRC’s Assistant Director of Health Sciences and Erin Broskowski, DRC’s Assistant Director of Medical School and Clinical Accessibility, revitalized the project. With a final push, the standards were completed and are available publicly in one place on the DRC’s Technical Standards Page. On August 6, 2024, UIC’s Office for Access and Equity and the Disability Resource Center invited colleagues, including guest speaker Lisa Meeks to a celebration of this accomplishment four years in the making. By revising the standards to be accessible and inclusive, we send a message to current and future graduate and professional students with disabilities – You are welcome here at UIC.
go.uic.edu/DRCTS
DRC’s Technical Standards Page
Sophia Irini Hamilton
Erin Broskowski
Hugo Trevino
INCLUSIVE RESEARCH
Inclusive research means that research includes people with intellectual disabilities as researchers.
Inclusive research teams have researchers with academic training and researchers with lived experience of disability. Sometimes they have both. Inclusive research teams want to make the lives of people with intellectual disabilities better. Lieke van Heumen, Clinical Associate Professor at DHD, and Courtney Krueger, Special Olympics Athlete and Health Messenger have been an inclusive research team for five years. In their last project they made a training to support other people with intellectual disabilities to do research.
They traveled to the Netherlands together in April 2024. There they met with a local self-advocacy group and gave presentations about their experiences with inclusive research at the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, the University of Amsterdam, and the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht. In August 2024 Lieke and Courtney participated in the World Congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD). They spoke during the opening keynote panel and gave presentations about their work.
At the IASSIDD World Congress Courtney talked about what inclusive research means to her. This is what she said: ‘As an inclusive researcher, I tell my own story and share my personal stories and experiences with the world. Ever since I started with inclusive research, I have grown and changed a lot. Being an inclusive researcher has boosted my confidence level. I feel empowered as a person with intellectual disability, I have developed independence, and I have learned self-determination skills I did not have before. I am now more self-aware of my interests and desires and more motivated to share my ideas.’
Lieke added: ‘I believe research becomes more meaningful and relevant when it is conducted in an inclusive way. Inclusive research advances knowledge by utilizing the expertise that lived experience brings. It is a privilege to support highlighting that expertise.’ Lieke and Courtney are looking forward to continuing their journey in inclusive research. Their work is supported by Award Number NU27DD000021, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Golisano Foundation, and the European Union Center through support from the US Department of Education’s Title VI NRC Program.
Photo description: Courtney Krueger on the left and Lieke van Heumen on the right standing outside in jackets with a river and buildings in the background.
LEND PROGRAM
LEND Trainees Making an Impact in the Community
Each year, LEND trainees choose a Research and Leadership Project that they work on throughout the academic year. Potential projects are interdisciplinary and focus on IDD. Trainees work in groups with faculty and community organizations on policy, advocacy, and research in the disability field. There are two Research and Leadership Projects from the 2023-2024 IL LEND cohort that highlight collaboration with community organizations and show the important impact of self-advocates.
IL LEND trainees partnered with Planned Parenthood to host a storytelling workshop where individuals with IDD were invited to write about their sex education experience. The project’s goal was to understand what level of sex education individuals with IDD received or comprehended during their adolescence to prepare them for the future Trainees partnered with multiple community organizations to develop and promote the workshop. A key finding included identifying the need for comprehensive, accessible sex education.
Another group of LEND trainees collaborated on a civic engagement project with the Going Home Coalition. The project’s overall goal is to increase civic engagement in people with IDD specifically related to building skills to advocate for preferred living arrangements. The trainees assisted with the initial steps including creating two directories (Illinois Legislators Directory and Going Home Coalition Member Directory) that will help selfadvocates organize around civic activities and share concerns with lawmakers.
A unique aspect of the LEND program is the inclusion of self-advocates and family members as LEND trainees. These trainees are an integral part of the cohort community, bringing their lived experience to LEND lectures and Research and Leadership Projects. One new aspect of the LEND program was the Crest Project. The 20232024 trainees spent the year creating a crest that represented their cohort that was presented at the LEND Open House. The Crest Project illustrates the contributions of trainees from all disciplines and experiences. IL LEND is looking forward to continuing this project with the 20242025 cohort!
Photo description: Three rows of smiling IL LEND trainees and faculty stand outside the Disability, Health, and Social Policy Building in front of green trees.
FAMILY CLINIC
DD Family Clinic Promotes Holistic and Inclusive Health Care Experiences
The Developmental Disabilities Family Clinic (DDFC) provides expert services for individuals with IDD, their families, and those who support them. Services include Speech and Occupational therapies for children, and mental health care for both children and adults. The Child Development Center team offers Early Intervention services both in the clinic and in the community for children aged birth to three years old with a focus on family education and support.
Our psychologist, Joan Ingram, specializes in adult diagnostic evaluations for IDD including Autism. Her expertise is widely recognized for viewing her clients from a holistic, strengthsbased perspective. She often provides expert testimony on behalf of individuals with IDD who are seeking to assert their rights to dignity, inclusion, and access to community living.
The DDFC promotes a seamless and inclusive healthcare experience by providing collaborative and integrated services with other UI clinics, including the new Lifespan Disability Clinic and DHD’s Assistive Technology Unit. Our experienced clinicians are actively sought out to provide trainings for self-advocates, educators, professionals, agencies, students, and law enforcement and legal communities.
New Program Offering Short Term Behavioral Treatments Combined with Intensive Family Training
The Cognition, Behavior, and Mindfulness (CBM) Clinic marked its fifth year of operations within the Family Clinic of DHD. Over this time, CBM has focused on delivering contemporary assessment and intervention services to autistic children, as well as parental support and training. Long waitlists, shortages of providers, and rising numbers of children with autism have created service gaps across the nation. Due to these rising challenges for families, CBM has created a unique new offering which combines short-term behavioral treatments coupled with intensive parent training. Our vision is that if we can provide the parents with the tools to help their child, then they themselves may be in the best position to foster long term growth.
In contrast to most service providers that often deliver years of intensive services, this new program at CBM encompasses just 40 hours of child and parent intervention. During this time, evaluations are done to detect individual strengths of the child. Then CBM staff craft interventions to grow the seeds of greater cognition and social abilities. Parents are taught innovative ways of catching their child in natural learning opportunities and capitalizing on those to further support the treatment. Behavior challenges are also identified and addressed using positive and proactive strategies such as mindfulness and increasing child happiness.
This new program is in its early stages of enrollment and outcomes evaluations, yet it promises to be a great way to close the service gaps and wait times for many families. If this program is successful, it may have major implications for existing treatment models.
Photo description: A child playing with a stacking toy.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY UNIT
Assistive Technology Training Program Accreditation Renewed
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) has awarded a full 5-year renewal of accredited status to the Assistive Technology (AT) training program in DHD. The Committee on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Education, an independent board of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), had recommended accreditation renewal of the DHD AT program to CAAHEP.
The renewal process involved submittal of an extensive self-study, an in-depth analysis of the curriculum, and a virtual site visit. During the site visit, interviews with faculty, students and advisory committee members were conducted, as well as a survey of facilities.
The accredited status applies to all AT training in the department, including the Assistive Technology Certificate and the Master of Science in Disability Access and Inclusion - AT area of concentration. Each requires DHD 440 - Introduction to Assistive Technology course, as well as a course that allows the students to demonstrate their skills in delivering quality services. Students and working professionals can fill in the remaining credits according to their identified area of focus.
Assistive Technology Faculty Restart Design and Fabrication Course
The popular summer semester course, DHD 441 - Adaptive Equipment Design and Fabrication, was restarted during the summer 2024 semester. The course, involving hands-on work in the AT Unit shop, had been on hiatus since the onset of COVID-19.
The course transitioned to a blended format whereby students worked with content on design strategies, measurement methods, materials, and fasteners via UIC’s Blackboard content management system.
Two 3-day, in-person sessions occurred during the second half of the course. In these sessions, students had the opportunity to work with fabrication machines and hand tools to produce a mini-project and a final design that addressed a consumer-identified need.
This year, the final student project was a unique design of a cup holder for use by an individual with a spinal cord injury at three different locations (kitchen countertop, dining room table, and computer workstation). Following the completion of the course, students were able to view videos of the consumer using each of the designs.
Photo description: DHD 441 Adjunct Instructor Nancy McNamara (left) works with student Rosemary Shabu.
ADA GREAT LAKES CENTER
Expanding Training through the ADA Trainer Leadership Network
The Great Lakes ADA Center joined the ADA Trainer Leadership Network (TLN) which is a project of the ADA National Network. With the goal of enhancing the capacity to serve individuals throughout the country, the TLN was established by the Northeast ADA in 2007 and became a national initiative in 2013. It is comprised of a group of disability professionals, employment counselors, educators, diversity and inclusion coordinators, and self-advocates who use a nationally vetted curriculum to train individuals, organizations, businesses, and government agencies about their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). TLN members serve as change agents in their communities by staying aware of current events and trends that influence local needs for training and assistance with ADA implementation.
Great Lakes joined the ADA TLN program with the aim of expanding its capacity to meet the need for training on various aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act and to implement programs in local communities within our six state region that will contribute to improving the economic, employment, social, community, and democratic participation of people with disabilities in our society.
The Center currently has 55 TLN members across our supported states. We have hosted three train-the-trainer workshops over the past 12 months. We collaborated with the Michigan Departments of Civil Rights and Rehabilitation to train 24 members of its staff who work directly with state agency staff and external employers regarding ADA compliance. We held a session in February of 2024 that focused on recruiting and training individuals representing underserved populations and we have two workshops planned in 2025 with a target of adding an additional 25 members from across our region to the network.
The Center refers training opportunities that come in through the Center to members of the TLN and these individuals also seek their own training opportunities within their states/regions. Individuals interested in knowing more about the TLN can contact the Center at adagreatlakes@ uic.edu
Photo description:
Attendees gathered around tables looking at a screen showing PowerPoint slides of the Training Network curriculum.
RESOURCES DISSEMINATION
Virtual Future is Now
The Virtual Future is Now (VFIN) is a future planning curriculum for families and their adult relatives with IDD developed to support them in making residential, financial, and legal future plans for their later years. The VFIN training runs for six weeks, with a one-and-a-half-hour weekly online meeting and self-paced content. By learning about planning strategies and having opportunities to engage in peer discussions, persons with disabilities can make informed choices and jointly develop goals for their future with their families.
The curriculum is both person-centered and family-centered, recognizing the importance of considering family dynamics. So far, four cohorts have completed the VFIN training across Illinois, California, and Kansas. Families and individuals with disabilities who participated in the training reported creating a special needs trust, acting on residential planning, increasing choice-making by individuals with disabilities, decreasing caregiving burden, and increasing discussions of plans by individuals with disabilities and their families. We are looking to conduct a cohort in Spanish.
Launching of New Website on Dual Diagnosis
Dual diagnosis refers to simultaneously experiencing an IDD and a mental health condition. The Illinois National Training Initiative to Support People with Dual Diagnosis (NTI) funded by the Administration for Community Living (PI: Tamar Heller, Co-PI: Judith Cook) is a collaboration between the UIC University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) and the UIC Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy (CMHSRP). Among other goals, the initiative aims to develop, implement, and disseminate training to meet identified needs for people who have dual diagnoses. As part of this effort, the team has developed a website of resources designed to equip caregivers, professionals, and families with the latest insights in dual diagnosis support.
The website contains information about dual diagnosis, modified assessment and diagnostic tools for use in a dual diagnosis population, and links to specific services available within Illinois. It also contains more specific information geared toward therapists and clinicians on multiple models of care including Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Crisis Intervention & De-escalation, Trauma-informed Care, and Recovery-Oriented Care. Some products created by the NTI team to meet identified training needs include a video on the basics of trauma-informed care, a video training for families on creating trauma-informed environments for their family members, and accessible research briefs on articles related to dual diagnosis.
The website can be accessed at: www.illinoisdualdiagnosis.com
Photo description: Two adults working with a laptop, papers, and pens.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Engaging the Community
IDHD serves as a bridge between UIC and the community in the areas of education, research, community service and information relative to the needs of the disability community. Our TAP/IDHD/ LEND webinar series held 10 webinars. Topics included neurodiversity, trauma-informed care, navigating special education, addressing readiness gaps with physical activity, and the intersection of Autism and Latino families.
Faculty and staff activities and projects that sustain community connections include the Disability Pride Parade, Chicagoland Autism Connection resource fair/picnic, Virtual Future is Now, and We Walk 4 Health. Members of the IDHD team participated on various committees and boards including the Going Home Coalition, Dignity in Pay, Democratic National Convention’s Accessibility Committee, Statewide Independent Living Council, Quality Care Board, ICDD Council, and Access and Functional Needs Advisory Committee.
Supporting Chicagoland Disabled People
of Color
The Chicagoland Disabled People of Color Coalition (DPOCC) with T. J. Gordon’s and Jae Jin Pak’s leadership and its IDHD & community sponsorship shared local disability rights and advocacy resources, including voting information from REV UP Illinois at several community events.
Here are some examples of DPOCC sponsored events:
•The ArtTism 2024 Panel Discussion: Autism in the Black Community (September 29, 2024)
•Disability Voting Rights Week (September 9-13, 2024)
•Chicagoland Autism Connection’s Family End of the Summer Picnic (September 12, 2024)
•Chicago Disability Pride Parade (July 20, 2024)
To follow and support more of Chicagoland DPOCC’s work, visit http://linktr.ee/chidpocc.
COLEAD Promotes Inclusive Economic Justice
The Career Opportunities and Leadership (COLEAD) initiative promotes an inclusive economic justice agenda for people with disabilities from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. The initiative addresses the employment and vocational development challenges that individuals with disabilities from immigrant and refugee backgrounds face. Funded by UIC’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (PI: Rooshey Hasnain), COLEAD includes self-advocates, allies, artists, and researchers.
First of its kind, this unique initiative centers the voices of refugees, immigrants, and asylees with disabilities through storytelling, data visualizations, and the arts. As part of its mission, COLEAD has engaged in outreach and advocacy; produced testimonial podcasts and video clips; generated data visualizations; and engaged 50 key players in a public-facing roundtable discussion. COLEAD is designed to empower refugees and immigrants with disabilities as primary influencers and change agents in work-equity research and policies. Web page: https://co-lead. ahs.uic.edu/
Image description: Created by artist Ube Leopoldo, this multi-media illustration captures the April 23 COLEAD roundtable discussion on strategies to address the disability employment gap in the US and Illinois.
It includes a diverse group of 32 people around large conference tables with a drawing of the COLEAD Council’s logo on the chalkboard on the left side of the room.
IDHD SUPPORTS IASSIDD CONGRESS
As chair of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Tamar Heller welcomed attendees to the 17th World Congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) held in Chicago August 4-8, 2024. The Congress’s theme was “Reimagining Connections,” as it provided an opportunity for colleagues from around the world to connect and learn about major advances in the biological, behavioral, humanities, and social sciences related to intellectual and developmental disabilities.
UIC faculty Lieke van Heumen organized local self-advocate and college student Ambassadors to volunteer at the Congress, while UIC faculty Jasmina Sisirak, organized a workout session with Special Olympics Illinois. Key sessions co-sponsored by IDHD include the Inclusive Research Self-Advocacy session and the Global South and Disability Panel. IDHD also held an Alumni Social event attended by nearly 100 alumni, current and former students, staff, and faculty, and invited guests.
Self-Advocates Make Recommendations on Inclusive Research
Self-advocates from around the world attending the IASSIDD Inclusive Research Self-Advocacy Session held a vibrant facilitated discussion. They brought up issues that are important to them and how they can be included in all phases of research. It was sponsored and funded by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD).
Jae Jin Pak (IDHD) facilitated the session, along with panel members T.J. Gordon (IDHD), Curtis Harris (ICDD), Tia Nelis (Inclusion International), Vincent Smith (ICDD) and Erin Compton (Special Olympics Illinois). The advocates emphasized the importance of having people with disabilities meaningfully involved through every step of the research.
As a disabled individual, there is a huge reluctance when seeing a study about people with disabilities. It has felt like being seen as a variety of symptoms with the design of making me ‘normal.’
Photo description: Self-advocates Tia Nelis, Jae Jin Pak, Curtis Harris, T.J. Gordon, and Erin Campton standing & wearing IASSIDD Congress registration lanyards.
Self-advocates talked about the importance of involving people with disabilities from the very beginning of research projects, rather than only when their input is needed at later stages. They emphasized that simplifying the language of research, including IRB, would allow more people to participate in research. One advocate explained, “There is a benefit of having a self-advocate bring their own story and lived experiences into research.” Including people with disabilities in the research process not only enriches the research but also ensures that the outcomes reflect their real-world needs and challenges.
One self-advocate pointed out, “It is important for people with disabilities to be interactive in the research process as they are often impacted by the findings of the research.” There was also a call for fair compensation for people with disabilities when they take part in studies, as their contributions are invaluable to the success of the research.
Work on changing legislation and minds of other people.
Self-advocates wanted researchers to study issues that are important to them, such as accessible housing, education, employment, transportation, marriage laws, sexuality, and assistive technology. Other topics include disability culture and history, both locally and globally, and the intersection of disability and race.
Self-advocates shared tips about how people with disabilities can get more involved, such as sharing what they learn and networking, doing things at their own pace, and participating in policy-making training. One of the self-advocates said: “Be part of an organization, find out my strengths, and work on them.” Another emphasized, “Start young in speaking up.”
IASSIDD Co-Op Presentation
This past August, three alumni of the Co-Operative Career Experience presented at IASSIDD conference. In their roundtable discussion “Student Perspectives on Future Directions For Inclusive Higher Education,” Co-Op alumni Carly Graf, Soumaya Pasha, and Jada Thompson provided their insight and suggestions regarding the current state of inclusive post-secondary programs. Focusing on topics such as self-advocacy, disability studies, and pursuing a bachelor’s degree, the presenters shared their own experiences and thoughts while facilitating meaningful conversations with the roundtable attendees to explore how access and inclusion can be better improved in higher education.
UIC
Gary Albrecht Global Disability Impact Fund Sponsors Global South and Disability Panel
The Global South and Disability panel funded by the UIC Gary Albrecht Global Disability Impact Fund and coordinated by UIC faculty Robert Gould, brought together DHD alumni from around the world to discuss their research. These scholars included Patrick Ojok (Uganda), Vladimir Cuk (Madrid), and Rachael Wanjagua (Kenya). There was great discussion about doing research in the Global South and about the World Report on Disability. Both Ojok and Wanjagua acknowledged the support that they received for their dissertation research from the Albrecht fund.
Photo description: Tamar Heller, Patrick Ojok, Robert Gould, and Rachael Wanjagua standing, with Vladimir Cuk sitting, at the IASSIDD session.
IN MEMORIAM
Honoring Stevie Hopkins and his Entrepreneurial Spirit
Stevie Hopkins, a friend of DHD, passed away on January 24, 2024. He and his sister Annie Hopkins attended UI Champaign-Urbana and Annie then became a PhD candidate in disability studies at UIC before her untimely death at the age of 26 in 2009. Annie designed the wellknown image of a stick figure sitting in a wheelchair with heart-shaped wheels used in the business known as 3E Love (Embrace, Educate Empower) that she started shortly before her death. Stevie took the business over and grew the business up to 100 employees, many who had disabilities.
Stevie was a sought after public speaker. His UIC Applied Health Sciences commencement speech provided an important message to the graduates about “reaching for the stars” and following their passions. A staunch disability rights advocate, his work focused on awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities.
Stevie’s family established the Annie Hopkins Scholarship at UIC that benefits DHD graduate students interested in disability and sex, relationships and dating, social model of disability, or social entrepreneurship.
Through his groundbreaking entrepreneurship with 3E Love, he revolutionized the way society perceives individuals with disabilities. With his iconic wheelchair heart logo, Stevie spread a powerful message of love, empowerment, and unity.
Dissertation Title
I Love You Just The Way You Are: An Autoethnography About Disability, Belonging, Acceptance, and Inclusion.
Denise Arnold ’24 PhD
Stevie Hopkins
Carol Gill
Alumni Honor their Mentor Carol Gill
Carol Gill, DHD professor emerita, visionary leader in disability studies, powerful advocate, and mentor, passed away on September 3, 2024. At DHD, she was instrumental in developing our internationally recognized disability studies program and served as its director of graduate studies from 2004 to 2011.
With master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology from UIC in the 1970s, Gill worked across disciplines of social science, humanities, and health. Through the Chicago Center for Disability Research that she founded and directed, she conducted groundbreaking work on disability ethics and the intersections of disability with other identities, including race, gender and sexuality.
Her legacy will live on with the many people she influenced. Carol mentored so many students who went on to be great advocates, researchers, and practitioners. As noted in the following tributes from her former students, Gill not only sparked their scholarly work, but she also had a profound effect on their self-identity.
Carol has played a vital role in shaping the person I am. Coming from a culture where disability is viewed as a shame and disgrace, I was completely enlightened by Carol’s DIS 501 class. I have learned not only to accept my disability but also to embrace it as an essential part of my identity and to take pride in it.
(Millie Gould, PhD ‘24)
It was Carol’s belief in me as a potential graduate student, professional, and academic, that fostered and mentored me into, and throughout my graduate program. She was generous with not only her time, but also with sharing her personal childhood memories with polio in physical therapy that influenced her because it related to my research. Her teaching and mentoring truly transformed my professional and academic life and soul, to direct my passion to bridge the two professions [disability studies and physical therapy] and to help change the course not only of my life, beliefs and practice, but also to lead and join with others to help change our profession.
(Faye Weinstein, MS ‘16)
Her work helped lay the foundations for our field and continues shaping the ways we conceptualize disability identity, culture, and ethics today.
(Carli Friedman, PhD ‘16)
Carol was my advisor, a mentor, and friend. She gave me encouragement, support, and steady guidance through a difficult journey.
(Terri Thrower, PhD ‘15)
Meeting Carol opened a world of possibilities, and as a young woman with a disability, I found in her a powerful role model. She exemplified how a disabled woman could not only achieve her goals but also lead a fulfilling and purposeful life. (Heather Stone, PhD ‘16)
Carol drove me hard to produce my best work. Nothing but my absolute best was good enough for her. (Andrea Cooke, PhD ‘20)
Having had the honor of working closely with Carol Gill through her Disability Ethics Certificate, I can confidently say that Carol radically transformed my interdisciplinary doctoral research and my development as a health humanities scholar-activist. (Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine, PhD ‘23)
The Carol J Gill and Larry Voss Disability Ethics Memorial Fund in memory of Carol Gill and her husband Larry Voss has been established to advance work in disability culture, identity, and ethics in DHD. To donate please go to: https:// www.givecampus.com/campaigns/48414/donations/new
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
The Department of Disability and Human Development (DHD) is a leader in disability research, scholarship, and education. Its interdisciplinary approach and universal design provide access to diverse faculty mentors and resources across health fields, social sciences, and humanities.
PhD in Disability Studies
This program promotes social justice, self-determination, and the full participation of people with disabilities. Scholars in disability studies view disability not merely as a defect but as a complex interplay between society and individuals who function differently from the norm. UIC’s PhD program addresses this complexity, fostering an understanding of how support services and social change can empower individuals. It offers a unique opportunity to explore the multilayered dynamics of disability.
Graduate Studies in DHD
PhD in Disability Studies
go.uic.edu/DHDPhD
Bachelor of Science in Disability and Human Development
Students explore disability as a complex experience shaped by biological, social, cultural, political, historical, and economic factors. They learn strategies to remove barriers for people with disabilities and critically analyze how to reshape society and the built environment justly. The program emphasizes universally designed instruction, fostering barrier-free learning environments.
Undergraduate Studies
DHD Major
go.uic.edu/DHDBachelor
Minor in Disability and Human Development
Open to students from any discipline, the Minor allows engagement with disability studies. With faculty and peers from various backgrounds, students gain a rich interdisciplinary perspective on the complexity of disability.
Undergraduate Studies
DHD Minor
go.uic.edu/DHDMinor
Assistive Technology Certificate Program
Students learn to deliver cutting-edge assistive technology (AT) services. Instruction from AT experts enables them to understand AT principles and collaborate with individuals with disabilities to select effective devices and strategies. The courses complement students’ unique scholarship and professional backgrounds, preparing them to become leaders in AT.
We’re here for you
AT Certificate Program
go.uic.edu/ATCert
Do you want to be contacted when we have updates to our master’s program? Have questions on how to pursue our PhD in disability studies instead? Reach out when you need help and we’ll make sure you get the answers you need. You can contact DHD’s Office of Student Affairs: Email: dhdosa@uic.edu Phone: 312.996.1508
SUPPORTING DISABILITY INCLUSION
UIC Disability and Human Development Annual Fund for Excellence. For unrestricted use in the Department of Disability and Human Development.
UIC Institute on Disability and Human Development Annual Fund. For funds to support community engagement, public service, and applied research activities of the Institute on Disability and Human Development.
Other Funds
Anne Hopkins Scholarship Fund. For DHD graduate students interested in any of the following research topics: disability and sex, relationships and dating, social model of disability, social entrepreneurship.
Carlos Drazen Memorial Research Award. To support educational opportunities for DHD graduate students interested in the intersection of race and disability.
Edward Page-El Fund MD Student Award Fund. To support educational opportunities for DHD graduate students interested in social or medical aspects of neurological disabilities.
UIC Gary Albrecht Global Disability Impact Fund. To support DHD Disability Studies doctoral students conducting evidence based global research, scholarship, practice, education, and policy.
UIC Assistive Technology Unit (ATU) Fund. For support of the ATU, including but not limited to equipment purchase and modification, community distribution, and educational efforts.
UIC Bodies of Work Support Fund. For the Bodies of Work Project, which is a network of artists and organizations whose art showcases and celebrates the disability experience, housed in DHD.
UIC DHD/OT Black and Latinx Student Scholarship Fund. For support of DHD and Occupational Therapy students. Preference is given to students who contribute to the diversity of each unit, with further preference given to students that aim to serve or do research with Black and Latinx communities or that are involved in or interested in student organizations at UIC that promote Black and Latinx interests in society.
UIC Disabled People of Color Coalition (DPOCC) Fund. For support of the collaborative work between IDHD and the Chicagoland DPOCC including a DHD student scholarship fund, accessibility accommodations, travel costs, seminar support.
UIC Dr. Carol J Gill Disability Ethics Memorial Fund. To advance work in disability culture, identity and ethics.
UIC Neal H. Gottlieb Memorial Scholarship Fund. For junior or senior undergraduate students enrolled in the BS in DHD program who have a physical disability.
We appreciate your donations to our funds at: https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/48414/ donations/new
To donate, select one of the Main Funds from the drop-down menu under Gift Designation. If you want to donate to one of the Other Funds, choose ‘Other’ and write in the specific fund you’d like to support.
CONTACT DHD/IDHD
DHD Interim Department Head
Carrie Sandahl, PhD csandahl@uic.edu
DHD Associate Dept Head, IDHD Training Director, and Director of Graduate Studies
Sarah Parker Harris, PhD skparker@uic.edu
DHD Director of Undergraduate Studies
Robert Gould, PhD rgould3@uic.edu
IDHD Director
Tamar Heller, PhD theller@uic.edu
IDHD Associate Director
Kelly Hsieh, PhD hsieh@uic.edu
Consumer Advisory Committee Self-Advocates and Family Members
