OHSU UCEDD Community Partners Council (CPC)

02/28/2026

Community Partners Council member and disability advocate Joe Basey discusses advocacy, mentorship, and sources of validation and encouragement in his new blog post, "Power of Stars": https://jbasey.wordpress.com/2026/02/25/power-of-stars/

"When things get challenging in my life, I watch disability themed movies. They encourage and valid my work as an advocate."

Edited by Julie Langenberg As far as I can remember, I have always loved watching TV shows and movies. It’s one of the ways I relax after a long day and one of my favorite hobbies. I watched …

02/25/2026

Save the date for these upcoming events hosted by Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities in partnership with Oregon Self Advocacy Coalition and The Arc Oregon!

𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀! 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗨𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵!


💻𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟯, 𝟭𝟮:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠 - 𝟭:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠
- Join us for a reading of the 2026 Developmental Disability Awareness Month Proclamation by OCDD Chair Kelly McCauley and a sneak peek at the 2026 poster.
- Get access our campaign toolkit and shareable templates to add your own brand and photos!

⭐️𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁—𝗜𝗻-𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗗 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟭𝟬, 𝟭𝟭:𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗠 - 𝟭𝟮:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠
- Lobby Area, Barbara Roberts Human Services Building Salem, OR 📍 500 Summer St. NE, Salem 97301​
- Join us in celebrating with special guest speakers, unveiling the 2026 poster, cake and refreshments

💻𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝟮 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀):
𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟭𝟳, 𝟭𝟮:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠 - 𝟭:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠, 𝗼̲𝗿̲
𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟰, 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠 - 𝟲:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠
- Discussions will center around "Nothing About Us Without Us," highlighting advocacy and meaningful representation by people with IDD in all spaces where decisions are made, and address barriers.

Other events in March and through the year— to be announced. Subscribe to get the latest updates: 📫 https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/tHSYJth/OCDD

Join all events online at: https://bit.ly/Oregon-DD-Awareness

Download & share our flyers:
https://www.ocdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DDAM-Save-the-Date-All-Events-Eng.pdf (English)
https://www.ocdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DDAM-Save-the-Date-All-Events-Sp.pdf (Spanish)

02/24/2026

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is coming up in March!

Self Advocate video of Linda. , OSAC - Oregon Self Advocacy Coalition, OCDD - Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities. Linda describes her time ...

02/24/2026

📣 TOMORROW February 25th! Free Virtual Seminar for Caregivers of Children with Disabilities

Navigating the world of medical diagnoses, school evaluations, and disability services is overwhelming. And it's even harder when you're not sure which systems apply to your child, or how to get the help they need.

That's why OHSU is offering a free one-hour virtual presentation designed specifically for families of children with developmental disabilities, ages 1 to 18.

Clinical social worker Dawn Macready-Santos will walk you through:

🔹 The difference between a medical diagnosis and a school evaluation — and why it matters
🔹 What resources are available in each setting
🔹 Which organizations can support your family
🔹 How to request an evaluation for your child

🗓 Date: February 25, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
💻 Free & Virtual
🌎 Available in English and Spanish

👉 Register here: tinyurl.com/32zwuxk8

02/23/2026

Learn about how teaching medical students about disability can make a difference in the latest from our research team:

Opportunities for education on disability are sparse in many medical school curricula, leaving students ill-prepared to address the needs of patients with disabilities in their future careers. The purpose of our study was to design and implement a novel elective course on disability for medical stud...

02/16/2026

Reminder: Apply for the 2026-2027 Community Engagement Grant program by May 31, 2026!

Grants of up to $2000 will be awarded to Oregon-based community organizations for projects or programs that serve people with disabilities and their families. Learn more & apply here: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/community-engagement-grant-program

[ID: A young adult with Down syndrome wearing a red t-shirt, white boxing gloves, and glasses stands in a fighting stance in a pavilion outdoors while a smiling adult holds a practice pad for them to hit.]

02/13/2026

We enjoyed yesterday at the Oregon State Capitol with the Oregon Developmental Disabilities Coalition for GO! Day. Our team of staff members, trainees, and a community advisory board member attended nearly a dozen meetings with legislators to educate about policy impacts for disability communities.

02/13/2026

We just published new research in the Developmental Disabilities Network Journal! The article is called "The Effect of a Preclinical Disability Elective on Medical Student Awareness, Attitudes, and Clinical Competency".

Many people who are in medical school do not receive education on disability. We created a new class to change that. Students who took the class gained knowledge of disability, had more positive attitudes toward people with disabilities, and improved their skills as doctors when providing care for this population. More work is needed to include disability education in medical school, but we think the class is a good start and could be a model for other schools. Learn more: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ddnj/vol5/iss2/7/

Authors on this article include OHSU's Emily Hillmer and OHSU UCEDD's Rhonda Eppelsheimer and Willi Horner-Johnson.

Read the full text of this article here: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1111&context=ddnj

Opportunities for education on disability are sparse in many medical school curricula, leaving students ill-prepared to address the needs of patients with disabilities in their future careers. The purpose of our study was to design and implement a novel elective course on disability for medical stud...

02/12/2026

Attention high school and teachers! Join us for the upcoming webinar: Supporting S*xuality Education for Users.

Wednesday, April 1, 2026
3:30-5:00 p.m. PST on Zoom

Presented by S*x and Disability Educator Evan Sweeney, this free webinar is designed to build educator capacity to deliver inclusive, accessible, and trauma-informed sexuality education for students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), including nonspeaking and semi-speaking individuals.

Audience: High school and transition teachers, including those who have been trained in the Oregon Friendships and Dating Program (FDP) or S*xuality for All Abilities (SfAA) programs.

Learning objectives include:

- Understand AAC and communication needs
- Adapt sexuality education for AAC users
- Support students with trauma histories

Learn more and register here: https://www.ohsu.edu/university-center-excellence-development-disability/upcoming-and-current-events

Auto-captioning will be available during the webinar. If you have any accommodation requests to attend this webinar, please contact us at least 7 days prior to the event at ucedd@ohsu.edu.

*xEd *xualHealth

[ID: S*x and Disability Educator Evan Sweeney is a 42-year-old disabled male with light skin and short brown hair wearing a gray long-sleeve shirt, forest green pants and navy blue Converse shoes. He sits in a power wheelchair smiling brightly next to his black medium size service dog.]

02/11/2026

La Diferencia entre un Diagnostico Medico y Una Evaluación Educativa ¿Cual es la diferencia?

Miércoles, 25 de Febrero 2026 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm | Costo: Gratis | Virtual

Para familias de niños con diferencias de desarrollo de 1 a 18 años. Esta presentación será conducida en español.

Dawn Macready-Santos, LCSW, trabajadora social clínica de la clínica del autismo, compartirá sobre la diferencia entre el diagnostico medico y el criterio educativo en relación con las diferencias en desarrollo. Veremos cómo resultados de estas evaluaciones pueden afectar a su hijo/a obtener y calificar para servicios.

Aprenderá:

- ¿Que recursos se pueden obtener?
- ¿Que organizaciones pueden ayudarle?
- ¿Como puede pedir por una evaluación?

Inscríbase aquí: https://tinyurl.com/32zwuxk8

Habrá interpretación en idioma inglés disponible.

[ID: Volante en español con la misma información y un código QR en la esquina inferior izquierda que lleva a la página de registro.]

02/11/2026

Spanish webinar: Medical and Educational Evaluations for Developmental Disabilities: What is the Difference?

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Cost: Free | Virtual

This presentation is for families of children with developmental differences ages 1 to 18 and will be conducted in Spanish. English language interpretation will be available.

Dawn Macready-Santos, LCSW, a clinical social worker at the Institute on Development & Disability autism clinic, will discuss the difference between medical diagnostic evaluations and educational evaluations, and service eligibility for children with developmental differences. We will explore how medical and educational evaluations differ, and how they can impact which services your child can qualify for.

You’ll learn:

-What resources are available in each setting (medical and educational)
- Which organizations can help you access services
- How to request an evaluation in a medical or educational setting

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/32zwuxk8

Interpretation in other languages can be requested by contacting contact@oregonfamilytofamily.org by February 18.

[ID: A flyer with this same information and a QR code in the bottom left corner that takes you to the registration page.]

02/10/2026

2026 DD Advocacy Day is this Thursday, February 12, at the Oregon Legislature in Salem!