UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 31, Page 1
May 13, 1993
Fed grant supports aid for residents with disabilities

     The University of Delaware has obtained federal support to establish a
new program that will assist Delawareans with disabilities-3 percent of the
state's population-and their families.
     Under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration on Developmental Disabilities, the University has $50,000 to
run the program through July of this year and then, in future years, will
receive funding of approximately $200,000 a year.
     University President David P. Roselle announced on May 10 the new
University of Delaware/University Affiliated Program for Families and
Developmental Disabilities (UD/UAP). The program, he said, is designed to
enable persons with developmental disabilities to achieve their personal
goals in terms of independence, productivity and integration into the
community throughout their life spans, from birth to old age.
     Delaware's population with developmental disabilities is growing-from
9,678 in 1984 to 10,548 in 1990 to a projected 11,259 in 1995, Roselle
said.
     "Our goal is to coordinate the efforts of those in private, public and
academic sectors who work with persons with developmental disabilities," he
said.
     Donald L. Peters, Amy Rextrew Professor of Individual and Family
Studies, is director of the new program, and Penny Deiner, professor of
individual and family studies, who also chairs the Delaware Developmental
Disabilities Planning Council, serves as associate director.
     The target populations served by UD/UAP are individuals who were
diagnosed with developmental disabilities before the age of 22. These
developmental disabilities include impairment of hearing or sight; autism;
mental health problems; mental retardation; a physical disability, such as
spina bifida; or a chronic illness, such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy.
     One of UD/UAP's statewide goals is to reduce the number of children
with developmental disabilities. This will involve improving pre-natal care
and making it more available to pregnant women, as well as a public
awareness campaign emphasizing the hazards of drugs, alcohol, lead
poisoning and HIV and stressing the importance of using car seats and
obtaining immunizations.
     To accomplish its goals, UD/UAP will involve University faculty from a
range of disciplines, working in conjunction with several Delaware agencies
and organizations.
     The program's core faculty will consist of persons from education,
social work, psychology, nursing, physical therapy, family studies and
other disciplines who are involved in work with persons with disabilities.
     They will be involved in providing training for students and for all
levels of service providers, to help meet the shortage of trained personnel
in the field. Creating new courses and incorporating information about
persons with developmental disabilities into existing courses is another
UAP priority. Faculty also will help develop model programs geared toward,
for example, families with children with developmental disabilities or for
the elderly with developmental disabilities. The program will provide
traineeships for selected undergraduate and graduate students.
     A UD/UAP advisory board includes the deans of five U.D.
colleges--Human Resources, Nursing, Education, Arts and Science, and
Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation.
     Outside the University, UD/UAP will work with such organizations as
the Delaware Department of Public Instruction, the Delaware Developmental
Disabilities Planning Council and the Division of Mental Retardation.
Jefferson Medical College and the A.I. du Pont Institute also will
collaborate in joint program efforts.
     For example, Betty Paulanka, dean of the College of Nursing, is
already working with the A.I. du Pont Institute in the prevention area by
exploring the option of a training program for nurse practitioners and
midwives to make pre-natal and health care more available. The institute is
providing facilities for such training programs.
     Technical assistance is another area where UD/UAP can be helpful in a
number of ways, such as preparing grant applications, designing programs
for agencies, assessing programs, conducting seminars and disseminating
information, Peters said.
     An additional component of the program is a Consumer/Community
Advisory Board that will enable UD/UAP to get feedback and suggestions from
clients.
     In conjunction with the new program, the University has become a
member of the American Association of University Affiliated Programs for
Persons with Developmental Disabilities, a national network of UAPs, where
university-based programs share expertise and information on innovative
programs and solutions to problems.
     Over the past few decades, there have been dramatic changes in
providing assistance to people with developmental disabilities.
     Instead of custodial care or separate education, the trend now is to
include these persons into day care centers, schools, jobs and independent
living in the community, whenever possible, Peters said.
     As a result, families need more support, in such areas as learning
what services are available; accessing the system; obtaining after-school,
respite and sick care; and financial planning, among others.
     Part of the increase in the number of persons with disabilities is due
to the impact of drugs, alcohol and HIV infections, Peters said. Another
factor is the longer life span of the entire population, including those
with disabilities.
                                        -Sue Swyers Moncure