Maine LEND faculty participate in disability conference in nation’s capital

Members of UNE's Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program participated in the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) annual conference in Washington, D.C., last fall. The event brought together over 1,100 attendees from various sectors of the disability community.

The conference, themed “Stronger Together: Creating a More Inclusive World,” focused on collaboration to advance rights and opportunities for people with disabilities. Attendees included researchers, policymakers, practitioners, advocates, and students from 52 LEND programs nationwide and representatives from University Centers on Excellence in Developmental Disability and Self-advocates Becoming Empowered.

Key participants from UNE’s Maine LEND program included Eileen Ricci, PT, D.P.T., M.S., PCS, LEND program director, who participated in the annual director's meeting, and Jessica Molloy, M.Ed., LEND training director, who presented a poster titled “Six Ways to Improve Self-Advocacy Competency Skills.”

The Maine LEND program, a federally funded project, provides interprofessional training to health care and service professionals, including graduate and doctoral students across the University. Its mission is to support the health and community participation of individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.