About KUCDD

Our center is part of the Life Span Institute, a leading research unit at the University of Kansas. KUCDD includes facilities in the state of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas City and Parsons. KUCDD was established in 1969 under the leadership of Dr. Richard Schiefelbusch, a pioneer in the field of interdisciplinary work related to developmental disabilities. Within the state of Kansas, KUCDD supports affiliated projects in many communities and provides training and other types of support to both rural and urban regions of the state.

KUCDD is a member of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) network, a group of 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) that work toward a shared vision that foresees a nation in which all Americans, including Americans with disabilities, participate fully in their communities. Independence, productivity, and community inclusion are key components of this vision.

Mission and Values

Through research, training, technical assistance, and community service activities, we strive to enhance the quality of life, self-determination, and inclusion of Kansans with developmental disabilities and their families.

While our core functions – research, community service, training and education, and information dissemination – have always directed what we do, the values explain both why and how we have undertaken this work. These are the five values that guide our work:

 

 

KUCDD Diversity Statement

KUCDD is committed to enhancing the quality of life, self-determination, and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities and their families. Our core values include seeking diversity and respecting and including all people. Diverse experiences, perspectives, and values enrich our work and our communities. We are committed to ensuring that multiracial, multiethnic, and multicultural voices drive our work.

We recognize that people have been, and continue to be, treated unfairly and cruelly based on disability, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, age, and other factors. The long history of this inequity has created lasting disparities in health, education, wealth, and quality of life. We will proactively develop an environment where we reflect on, disrupt, and continue to address our own racism, ableism, sexism, ageism, and other biases, and actively seek out diversity in background, experience, and perspectives in our work.

Definitions

Multiracial: More than one race

Multiethnic: More than one ethnicity

Multicultural: More than one culture

Disparity: A big difference

Biases: Opinion based on perceived differences

Consumer Advisory Panel

The KUCDD Consumer Advisory Panel, or KUCDD-CAP, is a 9-member panel with people with developmental disabilities constituting the majority of the members.

The primary function of the KUCDD-CAP is to advise KUCDD’s director, researchers, and staff about issues that are important to people with disabilities and their families in Kansas.