Fan the NADC Facebook page and get information on resources, funding opportunities, articles, call for entries, and other annoucements.

Rising Artists with Disabilities (RAD) is a network of young artists with disabilities! This group allows young artists to network with other artists and other artists with disabilities, inform you on news, updates, events, and activities, and most important to increase communication within this community. Search for us on Facebook or email mkudritzki@mednet.ucla.edu.

The National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) was awarded funding from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Direct Grants Program.  We will use these funds to carry out activities to assist artists with disabilities with their career development and employment.

Since 2002, twenty six state arts agencies have held a Statewide Forum on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities. The most recent three states were - Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut.  Each Forum is collaboration between artists with disabilities, arts employers and disability service and rehabilitation providers. The NADC administers this initiative.

The purpose of the Arts and Accessibility Technical Assistance Program is to provide $500-$1000 mini-grants to California artists with disabilities towards their professional development. It also offers funding to arts organizations to provide access services for their audiences. The NADC collaborates with the California Arts Council on this project.  Recent awardees are Tierra Del Sol , Arts of Alameda County , Center Theatre Group and the Hi Hopes Identity Discovery Foundation.  We will provide grants to 44 organizations and individuals this year.

The Tarjan Centers’ Open the Doors to College Initiative was awarded a second year Program Accountability and Development Services (PADS) grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to provide consultation and training to improve services and programs for students with intellectual disabilities and autism. Disseminating effective practices, webinars for training and conference presentation at the CAPED Conference are some of the services that this project will provide to the community colleges.

Dr. Raynor is providing instruction for the UCLA Undergraduate Disability Studies Internship course. Students choose to provide direct service to disabled individuals or their families, engage in research related to disability studies, or work on policy issues related to disability studies. Students work independently with Dr. Raynor to construct a series of reading assignments that will be used to construct a final paper that is related to their meaningful work at the internship site.  

Dr. Eileen Fowler received The Peter William Shapiro Chair. Honoring Peter Shapiro’s dedication to improving treatments for individuals with cerebral palsy, this chair will support Dr. Eileen Fowler’s leadership and innovative research to develop and implement better treatments and techniques for patients with cerebral palsy.

Dr. Fowler just received a research study that will examine the selective voluntary motor control in children as a prognostic factor for gait improvements following orthopedic surgery. In addition funding for the PEDALS Community Outreach Center was given to provide community adapted cycling for children with disabilities at UCLA.

Dr. Mary O’Connor is continuing her work in the education of medical and allied health professionals in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). She just received a grant to adapt a highly success evidenced-based alcohol reduction intervention program that will reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol related negative outcomes in adolescents with FASDs.

Drs. Russell and Hayward completed their research project, Evaluation of a Clinic Model to Serve Individuals with Intellectual Disability and Mental Health Needs: a Collaboration of the Frank. D. Lanterman Regional Center and the Tarjan Center.  

The Tarjan Center is the technical assistance provider in service inclusion to California Volunteers, California’s state agency on service and volunteerism. Currently this project is partnering with the California Foundation on Independent Living and other organizations to broker volunteer opportunities for people with disabilities through volunteer hubs and Americorps programs.

The Tarjan Center Service Inclusion Project web site features stories of service with interviews about effective practices in volunteerism and service for volunteers with disabilities.

Hot off the Press! The Tarjan Center just received a Project of National Significance from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities for a planning grant to 1) establish the California Consortium on Emergency Preparedness and Developmental Disability and 2) develop a plan to create a one-stop center for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to prepare for and remain intact during an emergency transition.

Karen Leventhal will assist in the coordination and presentations at the Disability Inclusion Forum that is being convened by California Volunteers for California’s AmeriCorps programs in November, 2009.