Message from the Director

David R. Johnson, Ph.D.

As a university-based center on disability, we do our work in an environment that has at the heart of its mission education in service of the common good. The belief that education has its greatest value in its application to real-life needs and issues is also part of our identity as participants in the international community of individuals and organizations working to bring about societal change and improvement in relation to people with disabilities. During this past year, through an array of new and expanded activities, we have used education – the discovery and sharing of new knowledge and understandings – as one of the means for continuing to work to remove barriers to the full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of community life. These activities have addressed disability issues across the lifespan and even across continents.

Some of those activities during this last fiscal year include the following:

• The Twin Cities and Zambia Disability Connection, creating a customized and collaborative learning experience for a delegation of change-agents from Zambia who are working to improve supports and services for people with disabilities and their families.
• The College of Direct Support, delivering online, competency-based training to over 95,000 direct support professionals, supervisors and managers nationwide, enhancing the quality of community services to people with disabilities.
• The Check and Connect program, equipping educational and youth organizations to implement a comprehensive student engagement intervention with students at risk of dropping out of school.
• My Voice My Vote, using online resources to educate young adults with disabilities, their teachers and families about voting rights, the voting process, and the importance of civic engagement.
• Minnesota High School/High Tech, connecting youth with disabilities to educational and other resources that will help them successfully meet 21st century workforce demands.
• Diversity, Disability and Access for Health and Welfare Project, conducting data-gathering research to use in educating health and social service providers and policymakers about the needs and experiences of immigrants with disabilities who are trying to access health and social services in Minnesota.
• NASDDDS Emergency Response Preparedness Self-Assessment Instrument, providing state officials nationwide with a Web-based, self-assessment tool that enables them to educate themselves about strengths and needs within their emergency preparedness plans in relation to individuals with disabilities.

In these and our other endeavors we’ve been privileged to have partners in the discovery and sharing of knowledge: schools, service providers, advocacy and selfadvocacy organizations, government agencies, academic departments and research centers at this University and elsewhere, and professional associations. Together we’ve committed ourselves to the belief that education is a powerful force for positive change. And we look forward to moving together into the coming year as we continue to seek to use education in service of the real-life issues and needs impacting people with disabilities and their families.