ICI in the News
ICI in the News Media - Archive
The following are archives of stories about ICI's work, staff, and resources that appeared in media more than three months ago.
Grant makes U of M home to state's first federally funded leadership education program in autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities
(July 23, 2009)
The University of Minnesota has become home to the state’s first federally funded LEND program (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities), coordinated by the Department of Pediatrics and the Institute on Community Integration (ICI). …
UMNews
(July 22, 2009)
THE U RECENTLY BECAME HOME TO THE STATE'S FIRST FEDERALLY FUNDED LEND PROGRAM (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities), coordinated by the Department of Pediatrics and the Institute on Community Integration (ICI). The program will be funded by a two-year, $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. LEND prepares future leaders who will serve children with autism and other neurodevelopmental related disabilities. For more information, see LEND.
University of Minnesota Faculty and Staff Brief
Changing Landscapes: An art exhibit – Paintings showcase works made by Twin Cities area artists with disabilities
(July 21, 2009)
An imaginary creature—a bulbous three-legged "froomish"—encounters an orange. A turbaned woman looks out at you with soft, haunting eyes. A beetle journeys through a landscape of twisty architecture and globes of nerve ending–like tendrils. A woman whose face is composed of neon yellow, pink, and orange sits in an abstract interior limned with lines of electric blue. …
University of Minnesota Faculty and Staff Brief
Pediatrics, ICI Partner on New Neurodevelopmental Disabilities LEND
(July 20, 2009)
On July 1 the University of Minnesota became home to the state's first-ever federally-funded LEND program (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities), coordinated by the Department of Pediatrics and the Institute on Community Integration (ICI). Funded by a two-year, $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, to the Department of Pediatrics, the Minnesota LEND is an interdisciplinary training program preparing future leaders who will serve children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, other neurodevelopmental and related disabilities, and their families in health care, education, human services, and policy settings.
CEHD News
Man with disabilities fights for job opportunity
(July 8, 2009)
Anyone searching for a job right now understands how challenging it can be. It can be especially difficult for those living with disabilities. But for one man, his job hunting journey is an inspiration. …
Fox9 News
Reprinted on U Faculty Staff News on Twitter on July 10, 2009.
Class helps Hemet High students with disabilities break down social barriers
(May 27, 2009)
The "Yes I Can" class at Hemet High is about making friends. If that sounds simplistic for a high school course, consider that special education teacher Teresa Ramirez relies on 20 lesson plans developed by experts at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration. …
The Press-Enterprise [Hemet, California]
Keeping Kids in Class: Check & Connect Demonstrably Lowers Dropout Rates
(Spring 2009)
EACH YEAR ROUGHLY 1.23 MILLION STUDENTS in the United States do not graduate from high school with their peers—an issue that has both societal and individual implications. Students who drop out are more likely to become unemployed, incarcerated, and/or dependent on social programs than those with a high school diploma. …
Connect
Mpls. Schools Dispute Dropout Vs. Graduation Rates
(April 22, 2009)
A national report by the America's Promise Alliance said between 1995 and 2005, more than one in four kids left high school without getting a diploma. That report said 45 percent of students in Minneapolis High Schools drop out.
On Wednesday, the district told WCCO-TV that the report is misleading and flat out wrong. …
…Minneapolis Schools officials said the Check and Connect program [developed at ICI] is one of the reasons the dropout rates have dropped dramatically. …
WCCO TV
Recession hits kids who need jobs for diploma
(April 12, 2009)
For some high school seniors, landing a job means more than extra cash for the movies or the mall - getting a paycheck means a chance to graduate. …
Written by the Associated Press and published in the Charlotte Observer and on WRAL.
U of M's "Check & Connect" program tackles problem of school dropouts: New grant will expand program to include community college students in Minneapolis and Kentucky
(March 31, 2009)
Nearly 1.23 million U.S. students do not graduate high school with their peers each year, and dropouts (who are more likely to become unemployed, incarcerated and/or dependent on social programs) are estimated to cost U.S. taxpayers $76 billion annually. The U of M’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI) in the College of Education and Human Development has been successfully combating this problem in K-12 education in Minnesota and around the country with its targeted “Check & Connect” program. …
UMNews
Social networking with Self-Advocacy Online
(March 3, 2009)
We usually think of our rights once they are taken away, but for people with developmental disabilities, having universal access and equal rights is a daily struggle. “Self-advocacy is a civil rights issue,” says Jerry Smith, award-winning filmmaker and media producer for the Research Training Center on Community Living at University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration. “In basic terms, self-advocacy is about people with developmental disabilities having control over their lives, over their own medical care. It is also about organizing a social and political movement,” adding that people with intellectual disabilities have far fewer rights than most, due in large part to challenges communicating what they want. …
HASTAC
PUBLICATION: Employment and Women with Disabilities
(February 2009)
In the Summer/Fall 2008 issue of their magazine “Impact”, the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI) has published a very thorough examination of many employment issues encountered by women with disabilities. Generally, this document focuses on issue overviews, personal profiles, and useful resources. Highly readable and informative! …
Disability Network
Is it time to close the door on Yakima Valley School?
(February 14, 2009)
Meet Michael Carpenter, a 41-year-old man who lives in an apartment with a caregiver in Ellensburg. He works, rides public transportation and is active in a disability-rights group. …
Yakima Herald-Republic
Staying the course
(February 14, 2009)
Amanda Avila Rojas and Maria Rojas know the drill at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays. …
The Gazette [Montreal, Canada]
Together We Make A Difference
(February 6, 2009)
The Bubel/Aiken Foundation and The Institute on Community Integration have teamed up together with a new inclusive service learning program called Together We Make a Difference. …
Clay Aiken News
ICI, Bubel/Aiken Foundation Unveil New Inclusive Service Learning Program for Youth
(January 31, 2009)
The Institute on Community Integration (ICI) and The Bubel/Aiken Foundation are unveiling a new inclusive service learning program, Together We Make a Difference, that brings together K-12 students with and without disabilities to make a positive difference in their communities. The program, developed through a three-year, $190,400 grant from the Foundation to ICI, has as its goals to engage all youth in service learning, and teach social and life skills to children of all abilities while helping to dispel stereotypes about people with disabilities. …
Reprinted from the Institute on Community Integration (January 15, 2009)
Specialnummer på engelska om kvinnor med funktionsnedsättning och arbetslivet från Institute on Community Integration och University of Minnesota
(December 8, 2008)
Feature Issue on Employment and Women With Disabilities. Published by the Institute on Community Integration (UCEDD) and the Research and Training Center on Community Living, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota • Volume 21 • Number 1 • Summer/Fall 2008
Forum - Kvinnor och Funktionshinder (Forum - Women and Disability in Sweden)
Disabilities and Amendment 51
(December 5, 2008)
To the Editor,
The election results are bittersweet: While I am excited about our country's new leadership, I am disheartened that Amendment 51 did not pass, even with the bipartisan support it generated. Over 10,000 Coloradoans with developmental disabilities will be waiting years for basic services, and the waitlist continues to grow. …
The Flume
Dec. 10: Tour ICI's "Changing Landscapes"
(December 3, 2008)
You are invited to celebrate the opening of a new installment of art at the Institute on Community Integration's (ICI) Pattee Hall. This exhibit showcases the work of artists from Interact Center for the Arts and is part of the "Changing Landscapes: Visiting Artists with Disabilities" project, a revolving display of artwork created by artists with disabilities from the Twin Cities area. …
CEHD Inside/Out
Texas time warp? State criticized for mental care
(December 3, 2008)
For more than a century, thousands of mentally disabled Americans were isolated from society, sometimes for life, by being confined to huge public hospitals. In at least one place, they still are. …
Associated Press
Reprinted on msnbc.com, on Stone Soup Station, and on The Coalition for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (December 3, 2008) as "Texas lambasted over care of mentally disabled"
Impact (Feature Issue on Employment and Women with Disabilities)
(December 1, 2008)
The Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, has published a publication offering personal stories, strategies, research, and resources to enhance employment options for girls and women with disabilities.
The Open Society Mental Health Initiative
Johnson and Thurlow in national special ed report
(November 26, 2008)
David R. Johnson and Martha Thurlow of the college's Institute on Community Integration are among the 14 researchers listed as "Selected Experts" in the new national report, "Special Education in America: The State of Students with Disabilities in the Nation's High Schools," released by the publishers of Education Week. …
CEHD Inside/Out
ICI launches several new projects
(November 19, 2008)
The Institute on Community Integration (ICI) has launched seven new projects to improve health care, education, and community services for people with disabilities in Minnesota and nationwide. …
CEHD Inside/Out
MN UCEDD develops new voter participation resource for young adults with disabilities
(November 1, 2008)
Election day is just weeks away, and to help motivate and teach young adults with disabilities about voting, and about other ways to participate in the political process, the My Voice, My Vote Web site (www.MyVoiceMyVote.org) has been launched by the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), University of Minnesota. …
AUCD News & Events
My Voice, My Vote: New resource for youth with disabilities
(October 16, 2008)
Election day is just weeks away, and to help motivate and teach young adults with disabilities about voting, and about other ways to participate in the political process, the My Voice, My Vote Web site has been launched by the college’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI). …
CEHD Inside/Out
Presidential candidate positions on issues and legislation of interest to persons with disabilities
(October 10, 2008)
by Charlie Lakin
Are you wondering where presidential candidates stand on various disability issues? A detailed chart was developed by Access Press to provide a brief summary of the position of the five primary presidential candidates on legislative proposals of interest to persons with disabilities. …
Access Press
Educators' interpretations of ambiguous accommodations
(October 9, 2008)
This exploratory case study examined how general and special education teachers in one school district interpreted three frequently used accommodations. Although a majority of both groups agreed on interpretations of extended time, there was little agreement, considerable variation, and some contradiction in their understanding of the changes intended by scribing and preferential seating. Recommendations include suggestions for replacing ambiguous accommodations with functional descriptions, linking accommodations more directly with barriers presented by disabilities, and paying particular attention to ensuring that interpretations are shared as students move through their school experience. …
redOrbit
Giving voice to voters
(October 9, 2008)
The "My Voice, My Vote" program, created by the U's Institute on Community Integration, has launched a new Web site to help motivate and teach young adults with disabilities about voting and ways to participate in the political process.
eNews
My Voice, My Vote
(October 6, 2008)
This is a new website for young adults with disabilities who want to learn about the voting process and make a difference in theircommunities. The site includes resources for voters in Minnesota and across the country, including the many different ways one can vote and what it means to be a good citizen. The website also includes an open-captioned video on the voting process. …
Monday Morning in Washington, D.C.
Website: myvoicemyvote.org Helps Young Adults Understand Voting Process
(October 4, 2008)
My Voice, My Vote is a new website for young adults with disabilities who want to learn about the voting process and make a difference in their communities. The site includes resources for voters in Minnesota and across the country, including the many different ways one can vote and what it means to be a good citizen. The website includes an open-captioned video on the voting process. It also includes an ASL video, "Voting: You Decide". More information on the website and the videos can be found at http://www.myvoicemyvote.org.
PLUK News feed
U of M “My Voice, My Vote” program launches new website to educate voters with disabilities
(October 3, 2008)
With the most important presidential election in recent history just weeks away, Republicans and Democrats alike are acutely aware of the importance of giving all American citizens a chance to have their voices heard. With that goal in mind, the University of Minnesota is doing its part to help young adults with disabilities partake in the political process with its new “My Voice, My Vote” program. The group recently launched a new website -- available at myvoicemyvote.org -- to give people with disabilities and their advocates convenient access to resources and information to promote civic engagement in Minnesota. …
University News Service
Abusive Language
(October 1, 2008)
In our last Health Skill Share at the Welcome Ministry, we talked about all the ways in which our guests experience oppression, and resources to come together to oppose oppression. One of the topics that the group choose to focus on was how being labeled with a mental health disability or cognitive disability was one locus of oppression in their lives. We talked about some ways to come together to work against specific forms of this oppression, and ways to challenge the assumptions and policies behind it on societal/systemic levels. …
Welcome Ministry
Zambia delegation explores disabilities advocacy in Minnesota
(Fall 2008)
In March nine delegates from Zambia traveled to the Twin Cities for an intensive two-week training program in disability advocacy and support. Together they learned local best practices in advocacy, policies, and services for those with disabilities through a series of seminars and on-site visits. Program content was modeled on the college’s certificate in disability policy and services. …
CONNECT
Tropic Thunder? Offense Taken!
(September 10, 2008)
The call to action was a offensive play title. The response was a movie. Now the call comes again—an offensive movie. …
Access Press
Kentucky Works to Keep Embattled Institution Open
(September 6, 2008)
Physically, Deron Dickerson was a 38-year-old man. Mentally, he was a toddler who needed constant supervision. …
Associated Press
Southside early ed: Green is go, stop is red
(September 2, 2008)
Kristin Green’s tutoring program for third and fourth graders at Grace Trinity Lutheran Community Church is moving forward. …
Southside Pride
Southeast Tech Gets Grant for Programs
(August 21, 2008)
Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical has received a federal grant to implement a new degree program and four new certificate programs. …
Winona Daily News
A Welcome Home: Caregivers Take In Disabled Adults for One-on-One, Long-Term Help
(August 10, 2008)
When Leila McDowell-Head thought about the future of her mentally disabled daughter, Layla, she kept coming up with unsavory scenarios. She and her husband, Tony, were both in their 50s and knew their ability to care for Layla, 24, would wane in coming years. Who would be there for her? There were group homes, but would they be able to give Layla, whose condition is complicated by autism and frequent seizures, the specialized attention she needed? …
The Washington Post
Reprinted in The Arizona Republic (August 25, 2008) as "Caregivers opening their homes"
Reprinted in the South Bend Tribune (September 3, 2008) as "Mentally disabled young adult given care around the clock"
Amy Hewitt: Direct Support Work is a Highly Skilled Job (July 17, 2008)
“If I had only one sentence, this would be it: Direct support work is a highly skilled job,” says Amy Hewitt. “Direct support work is not just about keeping people clean and fed and safe.... It’s about helping them have a life.” …
PHI Blog
What Happened to Ricky
(May 31, 2008)
Tom and Betty West committed their mentally disabled son to a state institution. His name was Richard, and he was three years old. It was 1959. The massive complex was remote and family ties not encouraged. The state eventually moved Richard to a different facility without informing the Wests of the location. Four decades passed without a family member laying eyes on Richard. …
The Wall Street Journal
Global Self-Advocacy Efforts
(May 10,2008)
A delegation of nine government officials, missionaries, educators, and advocates from Zambia in southern Africa was in the Twin Cities from March 28 to April 13 for an advanced disability leadership learning program sponsored by five local disability organizations. Arc Greater Twin Cities, the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, Fraser, St. David’s Child Development and Family Services, and Opportunity Partners are collaborating on a project titled “Twin Cities and Zambia Disability Connection,” which began with the two-week intensive learning residency and will continue this summer when trainers from the Twin Cities travel to Zambia. …
Access Press
ICI (MN UCEDD) Partners on 'Twin Cities and Zambia Disability Connection'
(May 1, 2008)
The Institute on Community Integration (ICI), University of Minnesota, is partnering with four community organizations (Arc Greater Twin Cities, Fraser, St. David's Child Development and Family Services, and Opportunity Partners) to provide advanced leadership training in disability advocacy, policy, and services for a delegation of nine government officials, missionaries, educators, and advocates from Zambia in southern Africa. Titled the "Twin Cities and Zambia Disability Connection," the project was launched with a visit to the Twin Cities by the Zambian delegation for a two-week intensive learning residency from March 28-April 13. It will continue this summer when trainers from the Minnesota partner organizations travel to Zambia. …
AUCD Member Spotlight
When Crisis Hits the Disabled
(April 29, 2008)
Seventy-nine year old Anna Dromgoole arrived at the Plano Specialty Hospital a month ago with severe wounds on her legs. Her 41-year-old son, Kent, who has Downs Syndrome, was at her side. …
The Wall Street Journal
Zambians pledge the need of a stronger voice in disability advocacy
(April 2008)
Early this year, January 2008 Arc members Amy Hewitt, Institute on Community Integration, and Sandy Beddor visited Zambia, met families and individuals with disabilities and made connections with government and education professionals. …
The African News Journal
Show and sell: U of M art exhibit promotes artists with disabilities
(March 2008)
Tired of the drab walls of your place of employment? Turn it into an art gallery. That's what folks did at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. …
Access Press
U of M national study finds students with disabilities do better after receiving same diploma as classmates
(February 2008)
In a study of the nation’s high school graduation requirements and diploma options, the University of Minnesota has found that some graduation policies may prevent students with disabilities from pursuing the same educational and life opportunities that their classmates have. …
University News Service
U of M center on developmental disabilities wins funds from MacArthur Foundation
(February 2008)
The Research and Transition Center on Community Living (RTC) was one of 17 projects to receive funding as part of the MacArthur Foundation’s first-ever Digital Media and Learning Competition. RTC received $72,000 to build a Web site for people with disabilities. …
University News Service
ICI (MN UCEDD) launches "Changing Landscapes: The Visiting Artists with Disabilities Project"
(January 7, 2008)
More about the art exhibit.
Association for University Centers on Disability
Additional News
See also more recent stories about ICI in the News Media