In This Issue

Fall 2006

Gathering Celebrates the Dream
of Inclusive Communities

Director’s Corner

Television Campaign
Targets Awareness

Awards Banquet Goes Hi-Tech

Equity and Excellence in Higher Education—Collaboration for Learning

Growing Ideas Tipsheets
Benefit Young Children

New Initiatives Underway

Disability Studies Scholars Receive Certificates of Completion

Teambuilding III Offers Training
for Educational Surrogate Parents

Prevention Center of Excellence
at CCIDS

Zeph Testifies Before
House Appropriations Committee

CCIDS Introduces Colloquium Series

Statewide Database Links At-risk
Babies with Services for Early
Intervention

Researchers Specialize in
Epidemiology of Child Development

Early Childhood Professionals
Advance Skills, Services

Upcoming CCIDS Events

IDS Enrollment Increases

Presentations & Publications

CenterPoint Home

Director’s Corner

Welcome to the Fall 2006 issue of CenterPoint! As you will see in the following pages, the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) is engaged in a broad range of projects, partnerships, and challenges. This great array of activities and the ever-changing nature of our work, sometimes make it challenging to convey what CCIDS is and what we do. While the particulars may change, our vision and mission have remained constant for nearly fifteen years. Our vision is one of inclusive communities. Our mission is to bring together the resources of the university and the community through education, research, and service that enhance the quality of life of individuals with disabilities, their families and communities.

In the spirit of inclusive communities, CCIDS cultivates partnerships to carry out its work. As you read this issue of CenterPoint, you will see that our mission is alive and well throughout CCIDS and you will find evidence of our partnerships—across the University of Maine and throughout the state and beyond. Through partnerships we seek to create sustainable change that will result in inclusive communities where diversity is recognized as strength, access is universal by design, and social justice is reality. While some of our partnerships are longstanding ones with our many friends and colleagues in the disability community, others are more recent and reflect a more inclusive perspective and expand opportunities for the future. For example, in the article Growing Ideas Tipsheets Benefit Young Children we describe how our recent partnership with Coastal Access and the Women’s Business Center at Coastal Enterprises is contributing to Maine’s commitment to inclusive child care .

In this issue you will find examples of how CCIDS engages UMaine students in our mission. In addition to our graduate assistants who work alongside faculty and staff engaged in teaching, research, and community service—students in our interdisciplinary academic programs learn to apply their knowledge, skills, and creative energy to address real world problems. I hope you enjoy reading about many of the projects completed by our Disability Studies and Early Intervention students. Our students report that their experiences in using their academic preparation and research skills to identify and address real world challenges is a valued part of their education and something they bring with them to their future roles regardless of discipline or profession. Many student projects make lasting contributions to the creation of inclusive communities throughout Maine—from early childhood education to higher education and from research to policy and practice, students incorporate the principles of universal design, diversity, and social justice into their work.

Please enjoy this issue of CenterPoint. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments and any ideas you have for future issues.

— Lu Zeph