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Welcome to the Center for Disabilities Studies

Our Mission

The mission of the Center for Disabilities Studies is to enhance the lives of individuals and families through education, prevention, service, and research related to disabilities. We promote independence and productivity so individuals and families can fully participate in the life of their communities in Delaware and beyond.

What's your Word to Describe CDS on our 20th Anniversary?

We at the Center for Disabilities Studies are celebrating our 20th anniversary during 2013 with the theme, "Transforming Communities – Inclusion, Empowerment and Well-being." We will be commemorating our founding, celebrating the present and building toward the future.

We would like your help in creating a piece of artwork based on words that our friends and partners share with us. What does CDS mean to you? What word or words would you use to describe the Center and the work we do?

To contribute your words, go to this document today.

Spread the Word to End the Word Day Observed March 6

Students at the University of Delaware and in schools and organizations across the country observed Spread the Word to End the Word Day on March 6. This campaign for respect and unity is an ongoing effort by Special Olympics and Best Buddies to raise the consciousness of society about the demeaning and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed),” and to encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word. Two UD student groups, Best Buddies and Central Complex, hosted tables with banners for students to sign to pledge to end the use of the R- word.

CDS Receives $900,000 Grant for Healthy Delawareans with Disabilities (HDWD) Project

The grant, titled "Improving the Health of People with Disabilities Through State-Based Public Health Programs," will develop and strengthen health-related disability programs in Delaware. CDS will work with the Department of Health and Social Services to reduce disparities in key health indicators, including obesity, physical activity, tobacco use and preventive screenings, and identify and reduce disparities in health care access for people with disabilities.

More information is included in the UDaily article.

Delaware's Governor Signs Employment First Bill into Law

On Monday, July 16, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed the state’s first Employment First bill into law. As the newly elected chair of the National Governors Association, he has also made the employment of people with disabilities a priority of his term as chair.

Read the full article on Governor Markell's website.

New Castle County ATRC and DATI Central Administrative Office Move to CDS

The New Castle County Assistive Technology Resource Center and the central office of the Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative, formerly located at A.I. Dupont/Nemours Hospital for Children, have relocated to the Center for Disabilities Studies on the campus of the University of Delaware. Staff members Marvin Williams and Joann McCafferty are now at this site. Contact information is as follows:
461 Wyoming Road
Newark, DE 19716

302-831-0354 (Voice)
800- 870-DATI (3284) (Voice/TTY)
302-831-4690 (Fax)

See UDaily article about the ATRC open house.

New Edition of Connecting the Dots is available

The Center for Disabilities Studies and Delaware Family Voices/Family to Family Health Information Center have created a new edition of Connecting the Dots, A Guide to Finding Services for Children and Adults with Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs in Delaware. The guide includes suggestions about where to begin your search for information and services; extensive lists of resources for first steps and next steps; a glossary of terms; commonly used acronyms; and stories about families who have been successful in finding support for a child with disabilities or special health care needs

This guide is may be seen or downloaded from this website.   To request a printed copy, contact Mary Thomas at maryt@udel.edu.

Support our work

As a research and public service center at the University of Delaware, the Center for Disabilities Studies relies on public and private support from individuals, corporations, foundations and state and federal entities to operate its programs.  All gifts to the Center for Disabilities Studies are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Learn how you can help fulfill our mission by contributing to CDS.

More about CDS >>

CDS in the News

Volunteers, people with disabilities connect over art therapy projects (October 2012)

The University of Delaware Review published this article about University students who volunteered for the Center's 2012 Artfest and worked alongside people with disabilities to create artwork.

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