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About Partners
Partners for Inclusive Communities is part of a nationwide network created and funded through the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. These organizations, formerly called University Affiliated Programs, are individually named and fall under the federal title of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service (UCEDD). As Partners' programs are not limited in scope to developmental disabilities, a more descriptive title is Arkansas' University Center on Disabilities. Since 1963, UCEDDs have been working to accomplish a shared vision of 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. The sixty-one UCEDDs, each located in a university setting, are found in every state and territory. UCEDDs support people with disabilities and their families. UCEDDs work with federal, state and local agencies in projects that provide training, technical assistance, service, research and information sharing. UCEDDs focus on building capacity of communities to include all individuals. UCEDDs have played key roles in every major disability initiative over the past four decades. Through services, research and training UCEDDs have advanced early intervention, health care, community-based services, inclusive and meaningful education, transition from school to work, employment, housing, assistive technology and transportation. All UCEDDs are connected to a university. Partners is a program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Currently, Partners administers over 30 projects, funded by federal and state grants. History of Partners Partners for Inclusive Communities (Partners) began as the University Affiliated Program of Arkansas in 1988 as part of a nationwide system of University Affiliated Programs created by federal legislation that was passed in 1963. This legislation was amended in 1996 and then again in 2000. Partners assumed its current name in 2000 along with the change in the federal legislation that, in part, changed University Affiliated Programs to "University Centers for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities Research, Education and Service" (UCEDDs). Today the legislation that created the UCEDDs is known as the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act. This same piece of legislation created, in states, the Developmental Disabilities Council and Protection and Advocacy Systems. There are 61 UCEDDs in the United States. Core funding is received through this legislation but most UCEDDs exist on special grant projects. Dr. Mark Swanson, a developmental pediatrician was the Executive Director for the program from its inception until 2005. David Deere, who has been with the program since 1993, became Partners' Director in 2006. You may contact Mr. Deere at deereglend@uams.edu. Partners for Inclusive Communities Brochure (pdf format) Contact Us
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Arkansas'
University Center on Disabilities