DURHAM, N.H. - The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire has been awarded a $5,000 grant by Northeast Delta Dental to support the NH Leadership Series’ Improving Oral Health for Individuals with Disabilities project.
“Access to high quality oral health care is a long-standing issue for individuals with disabilities - impacting all facets of life including self- confidence, employment, education, and overall health,” shares the NH Leadership Series’ Dr. Mary Schuh. “Thanks to the visionary leadership of Delta Dental, individuals with disabilities and their families now have a role in guiding necessary positive changes in policy and practice that will improve access to dental care.”
The funding will support a new action group to be formed by NH Leadership Series participants to look at new ways to improve oral health for individuals with disabilities in New Hampshire. Leadership Action Groups are a key part of the Series experience. They form at the beginning of the Series around a specific topic, and throughout the course of the series, members learn how to work together to influence a public issue through collective action. Action Groups present their work at the NH Leadership Graduation in April, though some have been known to continue to meet and work even after graduation.
NH Leadership is an intensive, eight-month program that provides leadership and advocacy training for individuals with disabilities and their family members. Since 1988, the program has been a pivotal change experience for family members and adults with disabilities by providing state-of-the-art information and strategies to effect change on disability-related issues locally and across the state. As a result of the work of its hundreds of alumni, NH has achieved national recognition for its innovative approaches to supporting people with disabilities and their families in their communities. Alumni of the program have passed state legislation, founded advocacy organizations, and serve at all levels of New Hampshire local and state government. For more information visit www.nhleadership.org.
The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to promote full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons by strengthening communities and advancing policy and systems change, promising practices, education, and research.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
