Welcome to the Center for Disabilities Studies

The mission of the Center for Disabilities Studies is to enhance the lives of individuals and families in Delaware 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 the community.

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.

Our activities are separated into initiatives by age group: Early Childhood, School Age, and Adults. We also provide Community Education, University Education, and Research and Evaluation crossing the three main initiative areas. More about CDS >>

News from CDS

Disability Mentoring Day in the News

Read about Disability Mentoring Day in delawareonline. The article, "Enabled to Explore," appeared in The News Journal on October 18, 2009. There's also an article in the University of Delaware online publication, UDaily.

H1N1 Information Available at GoHDWD.org

The Healthy Delawareans with Disabilities: Bridging the Gap website, GoHDWD.org is a source of current information about H1N1. GoHDWD.org is a resource for individuals with disabilities, their family members, and providers who work with people with disabilities in Delaware o find out more about being healthy with a disability. It has information on the Healthy Delawareans with Disabilities Advisory Council, publications on access and disabilities, and links to local and national resources.

Swank Employment Initiative Presents Internship Certificates

The Swank Employment Initiative presented certificates of workplace competence to Brian Collins, Aaron Lewis, and David Limprun, the first three interns to complete the program. The three young men worked in the Department of Facilities' Grounds Services at the University of Delaware. A certificate also was presented to Mike Loftus, assistant director, Facilities-Grounds Services, in recognition of Facilities being Swank's inaugural internship provider. The presentation was reported on in UDaily.

A Tribute to Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who started Special Olympics in 1968, passed away August 11, 2009. Her dedication to Special Olympics and her belief in the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities is highlighted in a tribute written by her son, Timothy Shriver, who is President and CEO of Special Olympics.

Swank Employment Initiative Places Interns at the University of Delaware

Taking a person-centered approach to creating employment opportunities at the University of Delaware for individuals with neuro-developmental disabilities, the Swank Employment Initiative has placed its first three participants with UD's Facilities Department. The initiative has been funded by the Howard W. Swank, Alma K. Swank and Richard Kemper Swank Foundation and focuses on career exploration, employment training, and job placement. The success of this program was the subject of a front page article in The News Journal on August 10, 2009.

Young Delawareans STEP up

The Summer Transition Education Program (STEP) took place from July 12 to July 17 for people between ages 16 and 21 with all types of disabilities. STEP is an interactive college experience for young adults with disabilities presented by the Center. It involves career exploration, advocacy development, college-life orientation, and goal-setting and development of the skills needed to increase independence and capacity for successful transition to adulthood as defined by the young adults and their families.

The News Journal featured STEP on the front page of its July 20, 2009 paper.

Nicole Weakley, a participant in the 2009 STEP, wrote an article about her experience, which she titled, “A STEP to Independence”: Her article was posted on the website of the College of Education and Public Policy. Here is part of the article:

“We learned through more than lectures, which helped the lessons be better understood. Beside the workshops, some students actually went on externships to meet people in fields they were interested in, such as law and communications. This in itself was helpful in choosing the right career paths. During an externship we could experience classes we would need or we could ask questions and talk to people in the field."

Celebration for the presentation of an accessible bicycle to Bellevue State Park

Thirty-five people gathered on June 16 to celebrate the presentation of an adaptive tricycle to Bellevue State Park. Attendees included people from state agencies and disabilities groups, individuals with disabilities, CDS staff, and media. Lt. Governor Matt Denn spoke “as a friend and an advocate” for people with disabilities. The three-wheel bicycle was enthusiastically ridden by Tara Bustard.

Terry Hancharick, who works on the Center for Disabilities Studies Healthy Delawarean’s Transition Map project, secured the donation of the tricycle from the Rifton Company in New York, to provide people with disabilities opportunities for accessible recreation. This generous act led to a collaborative effort by several agencies in Delaware to provide teenagers and adults with disabilities with the opportunity to ride this special bike at Bellevue State Park. The Delaware Bicycle Council arranged for it to be placed at the park, which accepted the responsibility of housing the tricycle and making it available to riders as part of its bike rental program. Bellevue State Park is supported in this commitment by Delaware State Parks and the Division of Parks and Recreation. The Urban Bike Project of Wilmington agreed to do all repairs and maintenance on the tricycle free of charge. The Delaware Office of Highway Safety donated several bicycle helmets to the park for its bicycle program.

Also collaborating on this project were the Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens, Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council, and Center for Disabilities Studies, all of whom are represented on the Healthy Delawareans with Disabilities Advisory Council, which is working to increase opportunities for accessible recreation activities as part of its goal to improve the overall health of people with disabilities.

WDEL feature - June 17, 2009

UDaily story - June 17, 2009

The News Journal Crossroads story - June 25, 2009

Agencies section of Connecting the Dots is Updated

The Center for Disabilities Studies has updated the information included in the "agencies" section of Connecting the Dots.. This guide to finding services for people with disabilities in Delaware originally was published in October 2006. Both the original Connecting the Dots and a new document with information about agencies, correct as of February 2009, are available in the publications section of this website.