Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies - Orono, Maine, United States
The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) is Maine's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). Established in 1992, CCIDS is part of a national network of 67 UCEDDs congressionally authorized under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-402), also known as the DD Act. UCEDDs facilitate the flow of disability-related information between the university and communities. Centers work closely with people with disabilities, families, state and local government agencies, community providers and others on projects providing training, technical assistance, service, research, and information sharing. The focus of this work is on building the capacity of communities to support full lives for all their citizens with disabilities.UCEDDs have played key roles in every major disability initiative over the past four decades. Many issues, such as early intervention, health care, community-based services, inclusive and meaningful education, transition from school to work, employment, housing, assistive technology, and transportation have been directly benefited by the services, research, and training provided by UCEDDs (Source: Association of University Centers on Disabilities, 2016).CCIDS is sponsored by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living.