The IOD celebrated two major programmatic milestones this summer. In the month of June, the Center on Aging and Community Living (CACL) recognized 10 years of ensuring all New Hampshire residents have access to person-centered options to allow them to live and age in the communities of their choice. Since 2011, CACL, a collaboration between the Institute on Disability (IOD) and the Institute for Health Policy and Practice (IHPP) at the University of New Hampshire, has been actively engaged in projects related to aging and long-term care.. The CACL provides ongoing support in designing, implementing, and evaluating systems change initiatives to the Division of Community Based Services, the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services, the ServiceLink Resource Center Network, and various other partners in the Aging Network. By maximizing available resources and providing assistance, CACL will continue to ensure that NH will benefit from an integrated center of applied research, evaluation, and training relevant to aging and community living.
In July, NH-ME LEND celebrated 30 years of a rich and evolving history of preparing interdisciplinary leaders to enter the field of maternal and child health. The program recently received funding for another five-year cyclethrough 2026. andwas established in 1992 as a collaborationbetween Dartmouth College and the Institute on Disability. In 2011 the program expanded to include the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies/UCEDD at the University of Maine expanding the size of the program expanded to annual cohorts of over 20 trainees and 18 faculty from diverse disciplines. Videoconferencing technology provided the opportunity for Maine trainees to participate remotely in the weekly seminars and collaborate with dedicated stakeholders for clinical and leadership experiences.
Since 1991, NH-ME LEND has trained over 350 graduate students, health professionals, family members, and self-advocates in interdisciplinary, culturally competent care for children and youth with developmental disabilities and their families. Graduates have gone on to work in schools, hospitals, clinics, community-based organizations, state and national policy, and higher education.
