University Center For Excellence in Development Disabilities

The Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute (IHDI), University of Kentucky, operates as the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The mission of IHDI is: To promote the independence, productivity, and inclusion of people with disabilities and their families throughout life. IHDI was founded in 1969 as a center-based UAP in the UK Department of Pediatrics. It has since reached out to embrace critical issues facing individuals with disabilities and their families, at both state and national levels, and has worked to leverage core funding to develop significant resources from state and federal agencies to implement programs across the life span, and in a broad range of programmatic areas. Through the sustained involvement and advisement of its Consumer Advisory Council, through an Institute-wide strategic planning effort initiated last year, and in partnership with its sister agencies -the KY Developmental Disabilities Council and the KY Division of Protection and Advocacy -IHDI has developed this five-year plan addressing each of the core functions of interdisciplinary training, consumer education, research, and information dissemination. The five overarching goals of our proposal cut across each of the eight U.S. Administration on Developmental Disabilities areas of emphasis, with a special focus on education/early intervention, employment related activities, housing related activities, and recreation related activities. In collaboration with consumers and families, our five core function goals are: 1) To provide interdisciplinary pre-service training to promote the independence, productivity, and inclusion of people with disabilities and their families throughout life. To provide continuing education programs that promote the independence, productivity, and inclusion of people with disabilities and their families. To provide consultation and technical assistance to national, state and local agencies, providers, and advocacy groups that contribute to improvements in practice and outcomes in the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. To conduct research that contributes to improvements in practice and outcomes in the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. To disseminate IHDI products through a variety of methods, including electronic and alternate formats, to assure that multiple audiences have timely access to information to improve services and results. Within each of these goals, we will insure that all activities are conducted in a culturally competent manner. Within each programmatic objective, we will also consider the needs of unserved and underserved groups -including persons living in poverty, especially in rural areas and in Appalachia; persons with disabilities living with aging caregivers; racial and ethnic minorities; and individuals with the most severe disabilities -as we continually strive to make our UCE more inclusive of the diverse peoples that we serve.