Fall is always an exciting time at Baylor. As thousands of alumni return to campus for Homecoming, we look forward to introducing them to the work of our vibrant and growing Center. Across the United States, one in three families has at least one member who lives with a disability—including so many of our Baylor families. Read below for how you can connect with us throughout Homecoming week. We will also be celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month throughout October. Businesses benefit immensely when people with developmental disabilities contribute their gifts and talents in the workplace. That’s why our Center has launched new projects focused on helping youth with disabilities transition to the world of work. If you would like to learn more, we encourage you to attend our OsoAble one-day transition conference this month. We are all working together to create a future of flourishing for every member of the body!
- Erik Carter & Kristen Padilla
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BCDD Homecoming festivities are in full swing! The BCDD will host Baylor University’s inaugural sensory room in the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center. Look for our float in the Homecoming parade and stop by our table afterward in the courtyard of the School of Education (Marrs McLean Science Building)!
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Our OsoAble Transition to Adulthood conference is next week! Registration closes on October 4, so sign up now!
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Community Field Day is in four days and tickets are already sold out! We will see everyone who registered on Saturday!
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The Bridges to Belonging team hosted eight fruitful panel discussions with nationally recognized experts for its project on Accessible Ministry with Youth and Young Adults.
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Our first Equipping Educators training of the academic year was a success. Thank you to the many educators who came to learn about best practices in supporting students with disabilities to transition to adulthood.
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Jason Le Shana was joined by special guest Daniel Moreno of Joni and Friends for a community event on disability and culture change in the church called Disability & Church: Building a Culture of Belonging. Ministry leaders, pastors, and Baylor students and faculty explored how they might promote a culture of belonging in their local congregation.
- We held our first Spanish-Speaking Parent Support Group session for the year. The gathering was well attended and parents provided such great insights!
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Melody Escobar presented a powerful paper exploring the mutual impact of respite care on parents and children with disabilities at a conference on Ecclesiology and Ethnography in the U.K. We are proud of the international reach of this research!
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Melody Escobar also co-led a disability training with Daniel Moreno for members of Church Under the Bridge. Eighty-five members gathered last Sunday to reflect on practical supports that promote the flourishing of people with disabilities and their families and full participation in the life of their church.
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Our education-related work focuses on research-based practices, programs, and policies that ensure children and youth with disabilities can flourish educationally in their local schools. We accomplish this work through educator trainings, school-based research, and grant projects that promote academic, social, and behavioral success for students with all abilities.
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- The next Equipping Educators session will focus on transition assessment and planning for youth and young adults with disabilities. Learn more here.
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The BCDD is forming a Special Interest Group (SIG) on Inclusive K-12 Christian Schooling that aims to help private schools better welcome and support students with disabilities. Please contact Erik Carter for more information.
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We are seeking young adults for a new study focused on the church experiences of young adults with diagnosed disabilities, mental health conditions, and/or chronic illnesses. To learn more and sign up, fill out this interest form.
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Our Bridges to Belonging project is convening its inaugural cohort of 19 congregations later this month. These diverse churches will be embarking on a two-year learning journey on disability, chronic illness, and mental health among youth and young adults.
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We are excited about a new practice guide we developed from our recent “community conversation” on Disability and the Church. It includes hundreds of ideas for how churches can gather in ways that widen the welcome for people with disabilities and their families.
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Our Center works hard to support people with disabilities, their siblings, and parents so that entire families can flourish together. Our growing portfolio of family-focused projects are developing resources and training that address the diverse needs of families in our community.
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Tonya Davis and Jessica Akers were awarded an important grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board called Family Compassionately and Attentively Rendering Evidence-based practices (Family CARE). The project will provide 300 parents of children with autism high-quality training and support to deliver evidence-based practices for their child. Learn more about how you can become involved.
- We are continuing our parent training and support groups this semester. Learn more regarding the Caregivers as Change Agents training series, support for Spanish-Speaking families, and other trainings for parents.
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Save the date for A Special Starry Night, which will take place on Saturday, December 7, at the Hurd Welcome Center. Fill out this form if you're interested in volunteering.
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Our transition-related work focuses on expanding post-high school opportunities supporting access to meaningful college, career, and community experiences for youth and young adults with disabilities. We are also exploring new transition pathways so that young people with disabilities can truly flourish in adulthood.
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Our OsoAble Transition to Adulthood Informational Event is Thursday, October 10th at the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center. This event aims to provide valuable information about postsecondary opportunities, including employment, independent living, higher education, and healthcare, for transition-aged youth and young adults with IDD. Don't overlook this chance to learn new tips and connect with others who share your interests. Registration closes on October 4, 2024. To become an event sponsor or participate in the resource fair, complete the linked registration forms. Contact MacKenzie Wicker for additional information.
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Kristen Padilla, Sarah Mire, and Erik Carter were awarded a new grant from Texas Human and Health Services. The project, Flourishing Futures, will focus on training, resource dissemination, and community outreach for educators, service providers, parents, and transition-aged youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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We are working to spur interdisciplinary projects across campus that advance scholarship, the training of students, and community outreach. We invite faculty, postdocs, students and staff to explore ways in which their work intersects with disability. To accomplish this, we will host a variety of activities and events that engage individuals from across campus in hopes to spur great work across disciplines. This upcoming year:
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- We will continue to host monthly consortium meetings to provide opportunities for faculty to share about disability-related research and invite others to collaborate on current and future projects. The October meeting is October 29 from 3:30-4:30pm.
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The BCDD has launched Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to foster interdisciplinary scholarship. Learn more about current SIGs and information on developing a new SIG.
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We are eager to meet new faculty and postdocs interested in this work. Join us for lunch at Penland! We meet weekly on Mondays at 11:45 am at Penland Dining Hall (look for table tent signs with the BCDD logo on it).
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Our BCDD-affiliated clinics offer assessments, intervention, and family support for individuals with disabilities. They are also a place for impactful training and research involving our students, staff, and faculty.
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We are launching a pilot program with Waco Family Medicine (WFM) in which residents will learn about autism assessment, intervention, and support through training and client observation at the BCDD Clinic.
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We are also serving as a pediatric rotation for doctoral students in the Baylor University Occupational Therapy program. The residents completed their first successful rotation last month and we are excited to see what this collaboration will bring!
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We are growing our interdisciplinary clinical training and research partnerships. Contact Kelsey Ragan to explore future opportunities or to join the BCDD Clinical Directions SIG.
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The work you have just read about is so important and incredibly impactful. Please consider a gift to advance the work of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities. As the only disability research center at a Christian university, we are faithfully working to serve our community well and wisely. We would love your support and partnership.
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