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Upcoming IACC Full Committee Meeting
The October Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Full Committee meeting, which will be a hybrid event, will be held on October 11, 2023. The Committee will recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month and discuss upcoming IACC publications, federal agency updates, and the topic of mental health for individuals on the autism spectrum.
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OCALICON 2023
OCALICON will be hosting their 17th annual conference this year. People from around the world come together at OCALICON to learn, network, and share research on best practices to support the life-long needs of individuals with disabilities, including those with autism and low-incidence disabilities.
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AUCD Conference - Emerging Leaders: Shaping the Future
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) will be hosting their 13th annual conference this year. This year’s theme is Emerging Leaders: Shaping the Future. These leaders include innovative clinicians, service providers, trainers, self-advocates, family members, and those in academia. The goal of AUCD is to improve the health, education, social, and economic well-being of people with disabilities.
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HHS Announces Appointment of New IACC Members to Fill Vacancies
Xavier Becerra, J.D., Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has appointed two new members to the IACC to fill vacancies. The new members are Camille Proctor, Founder and Executive Director of the Color of Autism Foundation and parent of a child on the autism spectrum, and Thomas W. Frazier, Ph.D., a parent of a young adult son on the autism spectrum, clinical psychologist, autism researcher, and member of the Autism Speaks Board of Directors. The newly appointed members will serve on the Committee until the expiration of the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES) Act of 2019 in September 2024.
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Statement from President Joe Biden on 50th Anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act
On the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act (Rehab Act) of 1973, President Joe Biden restates his commitment to ensuring the rights of Americans with disabilities. As part of this commitment, he signed an Executive Order to advance opportunities for people with disabilities in the Federal workforce. President Biden was also a co-sponsor of the Rehab Act in his early days as a Senator. Learn more about the celebration of this historic law on our Rehab Act page.
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NIH Designates People With Disabilities as a Population With Health Disparities
Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D., director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities for research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The decision was made in consultation with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). They carefully considered a report delivered by an NIMHD advisory council, input from the disability community, and a review of the science and evidence. People with disabilities often experience a wide and varying range of health conditions leading to poorer health and shorter lifespan.
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Words Matter, Actions Have Impact: Updating the NIH Mission Statement
In his latest blog post, Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Lawrence Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D. discusses the importance of language in efforts to advance equality and inclusion in science. The NIH is updating its mission to better reflect the spirit of the agency’s work and promote its diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) agenda. This change comes after a subgroup of the Advisory Committee to the Director’s Working Group on Diversity explained how the phrase “reducing disability” perpetuates ableism.
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U.S. Department of Labor Announces $7.5M Cooperative Agreement to Continue Support for Disabled Youth Employment Initiatives
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the award of a $7.5 million, five-year cooperative agreement to continue support for a policy center aimed at boosting disabled youth employment. Administered by the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the agreement will provide $1.5 million annually for the agency’s Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth). The center’s development and management will be overseen by the Council of State Governments, a nonpartisan organization that fosters collaboration between elected and appointed officials across the country and the six U.S. territories.
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US Department of Labor Announces More Than $69M Funding Available To Help Youth, Young Adults With Disabilities Connect With Good Jobs
DOL announced the availability of more than $69 million in funding over a five-year budget period to support the development of innovative strategies that will help youth and young adults with disabilities transition to the workforce successfully. Administered by ODEP, the funding will be awarded in cooperative agreements with four recipients, subject to federal fund availability, at about $17 million per organization. Initial funding is expected to total $12.9 million or $3.2 million per agreement. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 31, 2023.
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U.S. Department of Education Awards More Than $35 Million to Develop Personnel in Support of Children with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has awarded more than $35 million in funding for 138 new awards supporting personnel preparation, ongoing professional learning, and leadership development to increase the number of well-prepared, diverse and effective personnel serving children with disabilities. Data released in 2022 from the National Center for Education Statistics revealed 45% of U.S. public schools operated without a full teaching staff in October 2022, and special education teaching positions had the highest vacancy rates.
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U.S. Department of Education Awards Nearly $199 Million to Improve Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Through Partnerships
The U.S. Department of Education (ED)’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) announced recently that it will fund 20 model demonstration projects focused on improving economic self-sufficiency for children and youth with disabilities by creating systemic approaches to enhance post-school outcomes. The nearly $199 million in funding for the Pathways to Partnerships innovative model demonstration project supports collaborative partnerships between state vocational rehabilitation agencies, state and local educational agencies, and federally funded centers for independent living to help individuals with disabilities seamlessly transition to life after high school, preparing them for independent living, competitive integrated employment, and community integration. Pathways to Partnerships is the largest discretionary grant ever administered by RSA.
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New 2021-2023 IACC Strategic Plan Highlights the Diverse Needs of the Autism Community
IACC has released its 2021 – 2023 Strategic Plan for Autism Research, Services, and Policy. The new Plan highlights opportunities for advancing efforts to benefit autistic people across the spectrum, lifespan, and full diversity of the community. The Plan is structured around seven community-based questions that are relevant to the autism community, covering a range of topics from early screening, to healthcare, to services and support, to inclusion and equity. There are 24 new Recommendations which build upon progress addressing the goals of previous Strategic Plans and highlight emerging areas identified by the IACC.
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National Autism Indicators Report: Health Care Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Autistic people often have greater health care needs than non-autistic peers. According to the National Autism Indicators Report: Health Care Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the pandemic-related changes in access to health care may have been an extra burden on autistic individual’s health and, ultimately, quality of life. Researchers at A.J. Drexel Autism Institute’s Policy and Analytics Center examined changes in access and disruptions to health care services for autistic children and adults during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings will inform better evidence-based practices for future public health emergencies to improve policies and programs for autistic individuals.
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Solicitations & Community Participation Opportunities |
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