winter 2013
Bookstore Spotlight
Loud Hands: Autistic
People, Speaking
by Julia Bascom and
various contributors
This new title from the
Autistic Self Advocacy
Network (authors of
Navigating College:
A Handbook on Self
Advocacy Written for
Autistic Students from
Autistic Students) is
a collection of essays written by
and for autistic people. Spanning
from the dawn of the neurodiversity
movement to the blog posts of
today, the book catalogues the
experiences and ethos of the autistic
community and preserves both
diverse personal experiences and
the community’s foundational
documents together side by side.
Available for $23 at
www.iodbookstore.com.
IOD Grieves Passing of Research Associate Tony Ruiz
Psychology, Institute of
Psychology, University of
Technology Berlin, Germany
(1980-84, 1984-90), the
same institution from which
he received his doctorate in
Dr. Ruiz joined the IOD in January 2011 as
psychology. He held Visiting
Research Associate for the Rehabilitation
Research Professor positions at the University of
Research and Training Center on Disability
Oklahoma; Osaka University, Japan; University
Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC),
of Gent, Belgium; and Aarhus Business School,
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on
Aarhus, Denmark. He was also a Visiting
Employment Policy and Measurement (EPMProfessor and Senior Research
RRTC), and the Rehabilitation
“Tony will be missed Associate at Cornell University
Research and Training Center on
(1990-2008).
and remembered
Individual-Level Characteristics
for his kindness,
He was published in the areas of
Related to Employment among
mentorship,
and
organizational behavior and human
Individuals with Disabilities (ICRRTC) grants. He was instrumental keen intellect.”
resource management.
It is with great sadness that the IOD announces
the unexpected passing of Dr. Tony Ruiz,
research associate and academic colleague, on
Thursday, February 21, 2013, in his home in
New York.
in the organization and execution
of the Annual Compendium of Disability
Statistics events which brought policymakers,
disability advocates, and researchers together in
Washington, D.C., to discuss the latest disability
statistics and their implications for program and
policy development.
Prior to working with the IOD, Dr. Ruiz
was an assistant and associate professor at
the Department of Work and Organizational
Join Our
Mailing List
The IOD produces a variety of
publications, including Vision &
Voice, which communicate the ways
we are connected to individuals and
activities in New Hampshire and
across the country. If you would
like to be added to our mailing
list, e-mail contact.iod@unh.edu
or call 603.862.4320.
What’s Inside
Impacting NH: Who Cares About Kelsey?. . . . . 2
Training Director to Receive Doctorate. . . . . . .2
Did You Know?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Leadership Series Reunion, Fundraiser . . . . . . . 4
IOD “Captain” Peter Macalaster Retires. . . . . . 4
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to Tony’s
wife Christa, his family, and his friends,”
said Andrew Houtenville, IOD Director of
Research and longtime friend and colleague
of Dr. Ruiz. “His unexpected and premature
death is a tremendous loss to the IOD and larger
disability community. Tony will be missed and
remembered for his kindness, mentorship, and
keen intellect.”
CACL Launches Direct Care Career Guide
New Hampshire’s population is aging faster
than the national average, creating an increased
demand for services provided by direct-care
workers.
In response to this demand, the University
of New Hampshire’s Center on Aging and
Community Living (CACL), a collaboration
between the IOD and the New Hampshire
Institute for Health Policy and Practice, has
launched a free online tool that provides
information and career guidance to current
and potential direct-care workers in New
Hampshire.
The Direct Care Career Guide is an easy-to-use
interactive career resource tool for individuals
interested in entering the direct-care field or
advancing their
careers in direct
care. The guide
identifies directcare career
opportunities
tailored to fit
individual needs,
preferences, and
career aspirations.
“This is a
significant step in
raising awareness of this important workforce,”
says Jennifer Rabalais, DirectConnect project
director. “It is important that we continue to
develop a vital workforce. We are excited to
have the opportunity to provide people with
promising new career paths that truly make a
difference.”
The Direct Care Career Guide was developed
through CACL’s DirectConnect project, which
is funded by a $2.9 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Labor.
To explore the Guide, visit
www.directconnectnh.org/careerlattice.html.
800315
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03824
Training Director to
Receive Doctorate
Betsy Humphreys, Interdisciplinary
Training Director for the New
Hampshire Leadership in
Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
(NH LEND) program, successfully
defended her dissertation in December
2012 and will graduate with her Ph.D.
in Early Childhood Special Education
from the University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill in May 2013.
In her dissertation, she studied
insurance claims data from the NH
Comprehensive Healthcare Information
System to examine timing of autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses
for a sample of children who received
or did not receive developmental
screening during well-child care.
Nineteen percent of the sample had
claims for developmental screening,
suggesting low utilization of screening
instruments in the state. Children who
were screened more than once during
well-child care received a diagnosis
significantly later than children who
were screened once. However, the
average age of diagnosis was just
under 29 months, an indication that
early identification efforts in NH are
progressing.
Congratulations, Betsy!
2
Did You Know?
In 2011, 32.6% of
working-age people workers with
with disabilities
disabilities
were employed,
earning a median
annual wage/salary
of $19,735. To
compare from the
workers w/o
same year, 72.8% of disabilities
working-age people
without disabilities
were employed,
earning a median
annual wage/salary of $30,285.
This means that working-age people
without disabilities were over two
times more likely to be employed
than those with disabilities, and that
people without disabilities earned
approximately 35% more during the
year.
Taken from the 2012 Annual Disability
Statistics Compendium. For more
information and statistics, visit
www.disabilitycompendium.org.
Feedback
Have a comment, suggestion, or
story idea? We value your input.
E-mail contact.iod@unh.edu or
call 603.862.4320 to let us know
how we’re doing and how we can
better serve you.
Share the IOD with a friend:
Please let friends or colleagues
know about us. Pass us along!
Impacting New Hampshire: Who Cares About Kelsey?
Fifty screenings and counting. A statewide
public television broadcast. More than 500
free Education DVD Kits disseminated to
schools and non-profits. These are just a few
of the highlights that demonstrate the New
Hampshire-based reach of Who Cares About
Kelsey Carroll (film
Kelsey?, IOD Filmmaker-in-Residence Dan
subject), left, pre
sents to
Habib’s documentary film project, since its May a packed auditorium
of students at Ste
High School in C
vens
2012 premiere.
laremont, NH
Some additional highlights from the past year:
The impact of the screening events is evident
• In April 2012, the Who Cares About Kelsey? through audience evaluations. Over 80% of
attendees indicated that they have an increased
project presented “Building a System of
understanding of the challenges faced by youth
Care for New Hampshire Children”—a
with emotional/behavioral disabilities and their
day-long event which gave 200 participants
families. Nearly the same percentage said that
an opportunity to learn about cutting-edge,
they are more likely to recognize the roles that
national evidence-based practices which
schools and communities can play in supporting
build the capacity to improve outcomes for
youth with emotional/behavioral disabilities. students with these disabilities. And 75% of
attendees indicated that they will be able to
• Who Cares About Kelsey? was featured
apply what they have learned to positively
on WMUR’s NH Chronicle and aired on
affect outcomes for students with emotional/
NH Public Television in January 2013.
behavioral disabilities.
The project has been featured in other
Grants from the Endowment for Health, New
media including NHPR’s The Exchange,
Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and Lincoln
and numerous newspapers like the
Financial Foundation supported these events
Union-Leader, Concord Monitor, Nashua
plus the dissemination of free copies of the Who
Telegraph, Fosters Daily Democrat, and the
Cares About Kelsey? Education DVD Kit to
Portsmouth Herald, among others.
every New Hampshire school or non-profit that
• The film and mini-films have been screened
works with youth.
more than 50 times throughout NH to over
To obtain a free Kit, contact Project Assistant
5,000 people at high schools, community
Kären Clausen at karen.clausen@unh.edu.
events, and conferences.
Highlighting IOD Donors
Fledgling Fund Grant to Support Who Cares
About Kelsey? National Outreach
The relationship between a foundation and a
non-profit organization is about much more
than simply funding a project. It is a partnership
that allows both organizations to advance their
missions and collectively address needs in
our communities. The latest foundation grant
awarded to the Who Cares About Kelsey?
project is a good example of a mutuallybeneficial funding partnership and its potential
to improve lives.
Who Cares About Kelsey? received $25,000
from the Fledgling Fund to support the
project’s national outreach and engagement
campaign over the next two years. Who Cares
About Kelsey? is an award-winning film that
documents the lives of students with emotional/
behavioral challenges and shows innovative
educational approaches that help these students
to succeed—all while improving the overall
school culture and climate. The Fledgling Fund
is a private foundation that is driven by the
passionate belief that film can inspire a better
world. They support engagement and outreach
efforts by funding plans designed to move
audiences from passive viewers to motivated
citizens who are ready to act.
“This Fledging Fund grant will enable
communities and schools around the country
to use Who Cares About Kelsey? as a resource
to support and include all students, particularly
those with the most challenging behaviors,” said
filmmaker Dan Habib.
To do so, the Who Cares About Kelsey? national
outreach and engagement campaign will:
• Disseminate free Education Kits for 40
inaugural community screening events
across the country. The list of prospective
cities and regions were identified in
collaboration with the project’s 25 national
partner groups, including the National
Education Association, the Boys & Girls
Clubs of America, and the National Alliance
on Mental Illness.
• Provide technical assistance to the
organizers of the 40 inaugural community
screenings.
• Develop an online, interactive “Host-aScreening” guide.
• Offer low-cost dissemination of the
Education Kits to members and chapters of
national partner groups, thereby facilitating
hundreds more community screenings across
the country.
• Produce a short policy film demonstrating
that academic success for students is
inextricably tied to social and emotional
wellbeing.
“Fledgling’s backing will help us build on
the successful strategies and partnerships we
developed through the Including Samuel project,
and it will extend Kelsey’s impact to schools and
communities across the country,” said Habib.
To learn more about making a tax-deductible
gift to the IOD, please contact:
Mary Schuh, Ph.D. – Director of
Development and Consumer Affairs
Institute on Disability / UCED
56 Old Suncook Road, Suite 2
Concord, NH 03301
603.228.2084 | mary.schuh@unh.edu
or visit www.iod.unh.edu for easy and secure
online donation.
iPad After-School Discovery Series: New
Tools and Techniques for the Inclusive
Classroom
Join us for these two-hour afternoon
sessions and discover the basics of how
to operate your iPad, new techniques to
engage students in interactive learning,
and a world of powerful apps to support
individuals with disabilities.
Remaining Dates & Topics:
March 6, 2013 – 101 Uses for the iPad
Camera
Presenter: Therese Willkomm
April 3, 2013 – iPad Apps for Students
with Visual Impairments
Presenter: Diana Petschauer
May 1, 2013 – Using iPad Apps to Foster
Specific Developmental Skills in Young
Children
Presenter: Shannon Fitch
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Location: IOD Professional Development
Center, Concord, NH
Cost: $59 each
Emergent Literacy Webinar Series
Join us for these two-hour evening
webinars to learn about working with
young children to build literacy skills,
a framework for organizing emergent
literacy learning, and a system for
providing high quality instruction,
support, and assessment.
Dates & Topics:
March 6, 2013 – Literacy Development
for Children with Language Delays
April 4, 2013 – A Comprehensive
Approach to Emergent Literacy
Learning in Early Childhood Education
May 2, 2013 – Emergent Literacy in
Preschool Using an RtI Model
Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm ET
Location: Online
Cost: $59 each
Presenter: Leigh Rohde, Ph.D.
Navigating Choice and Change
in Later Life: Frameworks for
Implementing Person-Centered
Planning
An introduction to person-centered
planning for adults, including an
overview of what we mean by a personcentered system of care. Information on
how to facilitate planning meetings and
tools to use in the planning process will
also be presented.
Date & Location: March 14, 2013 –
IOD Professional Development Center,
Concord, NH
Time: 9am – 3:30pm
Cost: $90
Presenters: Susan Fox, M.Ed., M.A., and
Patty Cotton, M.Ed.
Foundations in Transition: YouthCentered Strategies
This five-part series will highlight
practices that improve youth’s selfdetermination skills, share tools to help
youth develop transition plans that are
relevant to their interests, and share
resources to ensure that youth are
successful.
Remaining Dates & Topics:
March 21, 2013 – Assistive Technology
and Transition
Presenter: Therese Willkomm
April 10, 2013 – Think Outside the Box:
Youth-Centered Educational and
Employment Options
Presenters: Heidi Wyman, Dawn
Breault, and Elizabeth Cardine
May 16, 2013 – Answering the 5 W’s for
Transition Resource Development
Presenters: Heidi Wyman and Michelle
Lewis
Time: 8:30am – 2:30pm
Location: Holiday Inn, Concord, NH
Cost: $125 each
Creating eBooks for iPads in the
Classroom
Learn how to use computer programs
and apps to create customized eBooks
for the purpose of classroom instruction.
Date & Location: March 26, 2013 –
Crotched Mountain ATECH Services,
Concord, NH
Time: 9am – 3pm
Cost: $129
Presenter: Dan Herlihy
Technology for Older Adults
This will address both low-tech and
high-tech solutions that promote
independence for older adults,
including low-cost, on-the-fly
fabrications and modifications, as well
as iPad apps and adaptations.
Date & Location: March 28, 2013 –
Grappone Conference Center,
Concord, NH
Time: 9am – 4pm
Cost: $99
Presenter: Therese Willkomm, Ph.D.
RENEW Facilitator Training Institute
Through group activities and instruction,
participants will learn to engage youth
in the RENEW process, facilitate personal
futures planning through mapping,
develop individualized and youthspecific resources, direct a RENEW
team, conduct school-to-career
planning, and empower youth to lead
the process.
Dates & Location: April 2-4, 2013 –
Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH
*Attendance at all 3 days is required.
Time: 8:30am – 3pm
Cost: $400
Presenters: Jonathon Drake, MSW and
Heidi Cloutier, MSW
Taking Control: Advanced Tools for
Person-Centered Planning
Learn advanced skills in personcentered planning with a particular
focus on tools for decision making
in order to design person-centered
routines and responsive support
networks.
Date & Location: April 12, 2013 –
IOD Professional Development Center,
Concord, NH
Time: 9am – 4pm
Cost: $99
Presenter: Patty Cotton, M.Ed.
Living Well in Our Communities:
Thriving as We Age
This one-day conference will share
innovative ideas and information related
to aging well in our communities for
professionals working with older adults,
including those with developmental
disabilities and mental illness.
Date & Location: May 7, 2013 –
Grappone Conference Center,
Concord, NH
Time: 8am – 4pm
Cost: $99
Keynote Presenters: Brent Forester, MD,
and Mary Lou Fuller
Creating Inclusive IEPs Part II: Beyond
the Basics
This webinar will focus in detail on how
to approach and write each section
of an Individualized Education Plan
(IEP). Participants who have attended
a previous session on creating IEPs can
expect a brief review, as well as more
examples and in-depth explanations.
Date: May 30, 2013
Time: 3:30pm – 5pm ET
Location: Online
Cost: $59
Presenter: Cheryl Jorgensen, Ph.D.
Save the Date
The National Center on Inclusive
Education Summer Institute – When
Behavior Gets in the Way: Creating
Caring Schools and Communities
Dates & Location: July 29-31, 2012 –
Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH
Time: 8am – 4pm
Featured Presenters: Lydia Brown,
George Sugai, Dan Habib, JoAnne
Malloy, Mary Schuh, Cheryl Jorgensen,
Michael McSheehan, Heidi Cloutier, and
Youth Strand Participants
For more information and to register, visit www.iod.unh.edu or call 603.228.2084
3
IOD Leadership
Charles E. Drum, MPA, JD, Ph.D. – Director
Susan Fox, M.Ed., MA – Associate Director
Jennifer Donahue – Director of Finance
Matthew Gianino, BA – Director of
Communications
Andrew Houtenville, Ph.D. – Director of
Research
Mary C. Schuh, Ph.D. – Director of
Development & Consumer Affairs
Executive Committee
Carol Stamatakis – Executive Director
New Hampshire Developmental
Disabilities Council
www.nhddc.org
Matthew Ertas – Bureau Chief
Bureau of Developmental Services
New Hampshire Department of Health
and Human Services
www.dhhs.state.nh.us/DHHS/BDS
Neil B. Vroman, Ph.D. – Interim Dean
College of Health and Human Services
University of New Hampshire
www.chhs.unh.edu
Santina Thibedeau– Administrator
Bureau of Special Education
New Hampshire Department of Education
www.education.nh.gov
Richard Cohen, JD – Executive Director
Disabilities Rights Center
www.drcnh.org
UCED Partners
Tom Bunnell, JD – Director
Institute for Health, Law and Ethics
Franklin Pierce Law Center
www.fplc.edu
John B. Moeschler, MD, MS – Director,
Clinical Genetics Program & Professor of
Pediatrics
Section of Medical Genetics
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org
4
Leadership Series to Hold Annual Reunion, Fundraiser
On Friday, April 12, 2013, the New Hampshire
Leadership Series will hold its annual reunion
gala and fundraiser from 7pm–10pm at the
Yard Restaurant in Manchester, NH. The event
marks the conclusion of the Series’ 25th year,
and organizers are pulling out all the stops
for a memorable evening in support of the
program. Those in attendance can expect plenty
of hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, a large silent
auction, raffles, the third annual Brianna Dillon
Leadership Medal presentation, and inspirational
stories from Leadership Series graduates. In
addition to several generous gift baskets and
gift cards, fundraising items include a Kindle
Fire, Bruins hockey tickets, a 50” LCD HDTV, a
Keurig coffee maker, and much more.
On top of the funds raised through the items
above, the Finlay Foundation will once again
be supporting the Leadership Series through
a matching gift of up to $5,000. “We are
incredibly thankful for the generous support of
the Finlay Foundation,” said Beth Dixon, Series
Outreach and Development Coordinator. “This
is a great way for those who make donations to
our program to maximize their contribution.”
New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan will
be in attendance from 7pm–7:30pm in support
of the evening’s activities. Governor Hassan
is a 1991 Leadership Series graduate and was
the inaugural recipient of the Brianna Dillon
Leadership Medal.
The NH Leadership Series, which first began
in 1988 as three two-day sessions, is now held
monthly from September through April every
year. It provides parents and self-advocates
with information and strategies to effectively
impact local and state organizations on issues
related to individuals with disabilities. To date,
more than 800 people have graduated from the
Series. These leaders advocate with service
providers, use the legislative process to achieve
change, and organize communities to support
inclusion. Graduates have gone on to become
state legislators, school and community board
members, filmmakers, agency heads, and many
other leaders and incubators of positive change
in disability policy and practice. When asked
about their entrance into the world of leadership
positions, many graduates point to the NH
Leadership Series as a pivotal experience in
their lives.
For more information on the New Hampshire
Leadership Series and to purchase tickets for
the Annual Reunion Gala and Fundraiser,
visit www.nhleadership.org.
Consumer Advisory Council
Steve Alexander – Hudson, NH
Gina Colantuoni – Bow, NH
Jeff Dickenson – Concord, NH
Jackie Driscoll – Derry, NH
Bonnie Dunham – Concord, NH
Nathan Gams – Hampton, NH
Sandy Hicks – Manchester, NH
Beth Hillsgrove – Dover, NH
Amy Howe – Hopkinton, NH
Cabrinni Kulish – Loudon, NH
Dan Louney – Bedford, NH
Kirsten Murphy – Hanover, NH
Ian Phelps – Keene, NH
Wagner Quintanilha – Bennington, NH
Chrissy Shaffer – Litchfield, NH
Julie Smith – Durham, NH
Jim Tobin – Effingham, NH
Pat Vincent-Piet – Concord, NH
Linda Wadensten – Newport, NH
Kathryn Wallenstein – Concord, NH
Marian West – Concord, NH
Support the IOD!
As a community oriented nonprofit focused on ensuring that
equal opportunities and a
satisfying quality of life are
accessible to all persons, we
rely on the generosity of
supporters like you to help
further the mission of the IOD. If
you would like to contribute to
the IOD, tax-deductible
donations can be made:
Online
www.iod.unh.edu
Mail
56 Old Suncook Road, Suite 2
Concord, NH 03301
Phone
603.228.2084
An IOD staff member will assist
you with the process and
answer any questions you may
have about your contribution.
IOD “Captain” Peter Macalaster Retires
On Wednesday, January 9, 2013, IOD staff and
honored guests gathered on the UNH campus
to celebrate the service of Peter Macalaster,
the IOD’s long-time receptionist at its Durham
office. Pete faithfully served the IOD for over
18 years before encountering some health
challenges during the summer of 2012 which
facilitated his transition away from his post.
Those in attendance enjoyed refreshments and
a lively afternoon of stories, tributes, and toasts
to a man whose infectious smile and personality
became a fixture at the IOD. Many mentioned
that they often called the Durham office just
to talk to Pete because he brightened their day.
Even Pete’s first supervisor, Jay Klein, who
no longer works at the Institute, contributed
a humorous and heartfelt recorded message
from his office in Arizona, noting that one of
his project officers for a large federal grant
frequently called the office just to talk to Pete.
In addition to his receptionist duties, Pete
served for a number of years on the President’s
Commission on the Status of People with
Disabilities, contributing valuable insight to the
group’s goal of promoting the empowerment
and inclusion of students, faculty, and staff with
disabilities at the University. Pete often also
took on the unofficial role of building manager
at West Edge, seeing to it that UNH Facilities
quickly fixed any issues, and, during the winter,
kept the front sidewalk plowed and salted.
IOD Director Cha
rles Drum present
s Pete
with a captain’s
hat during his retir
ement
celebration
“Pete Macalaster was more than just a friendly
voice on the phone or a pleasant person for folks
to encounter when they came into the IOD’s
West Edge office in Durham,” said IOD Director
Charles Drum. “Pete reminded us that life
needs to be embraced with both seriousness and
humor, and that dignity doesn’t require the ratio
to be fifty-fifty.”
To conclude with a few more words from
Jay Klein, the IOD knows that Pete “will
always remain the captain of the ship—of the
Institute—no matter where it sails.” Pete, we are
grateful for your service and your friendship.
We wish you nothing but the best for a long and
happy life, and we’ll miss you!
Stay Connected
For the latest IOD news, follow the Institute on Disability on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/instituteondisability
www.twitter.com/unhiod