URochester LEND

04/23/2026

Meet Jason Chukwu, Advocacy trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Jason’s answers:

What book or series did you wish you could live in?
A book or series that I wish I could live in is the Holes book series by author Louis Sachar.

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
“Don’t stress the small stuff and learn to enjoy laughing at things… including myself

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I love to dance and am a passionate music head.

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
At Karaoke night, I would love to sing a song by the alt rock band Linkin Park called “Battle Symphony”.

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
I wish that I was aware, years ago, that this particular support program for the Disabilities world had already existed.

04/16/2026

Meet Heather Graupman, Psychology trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Heather’s answers:

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I’m six years old (leap day birthday).

What word do you want to be added to the dictionary, and what is the definition?
Omotional - feeling an overwhelming mix of all the emotions at once.

Would you rather meet your ancestors or descendants? Why?
I think I would rather meet my ancestors. After hearing so much about people I never got the chance to meet, I would love to have conversations and know more about where I came from.

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
Lots of thoughts and even more coffee.

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
I want to know more about the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities and their families. While you can learn a lot from textbooks and theories, I think there is a deeper understanding that can be drawn from hearing from individuals who can report on their direct experiences.

04/09/2026

We’d like to introduce you to Sarah Pranaitis, Medicine trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Sarah’s answers:

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I can play the flute.

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
“B(u)y the book”

If you could use magic to do one mundane task for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Bonus question: What would you name the spell?)
“Chef-ify”—a spell when pointed toward any food would create a delicious meal as though it was made by a chef!

What does true leadership mean to you?
To me, true leadership means leading by example even when no one is watching.

What is your aim for this year?
My aim for this year is to learn as much as possible, especially in regard to community/local resources that are available and accessible to all.

04/02/2026

Meet Kirk Swan, Social Work trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Kirk’s answers:

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I am an avid hiker and aspiring backpacker/trekker. I would love to one day take on the full length of the Appalachian Trail. This thru-hike takes about 6 months to complete.

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
“What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes

Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room? Why?
I would rather be the smartest person in the room. The smartest person would know how to read a room and know all the jokes to share accordingly. You can be smart and funny!

What is the weirdest fact you know?
Cats do not meow in the wild. Meowing is a behavior that domestic cats have developed exclusively to communicate with people.

What aspect of your discipline do you enjoy most?
Working directly with people and supporting clients with achieving meaningful and lasting change in their lives.

04/01/2026

Only 17% of reproductive health providers receive disability-related training (Taouk et al., 2018). For women with intellectual and developmental disabilities, that gap isn’t a statistic — it’s a life-altering barrier.

At this year’s 41st Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability, our University of Rochester LEND multidisciplinary team is presenting Breaking Barriers: a novel interdisciplinary professional development model that centers disabled women’s lived experiences as expert knowledge and challenges the deficit-based frameworks that have long shaped provider training.

The session explores how K–12 educational exclusion shapes lifelong health outcomes, how counter-narrative pedagogy disrupts ableist assumptions, and what reproductive justice looks like when it actually includes everyone.

Designed for educators, clinicians, disability advocates, caregivers, and anyone committed to equity-driven, person-centered care.

📍 Find us at PacRim 2026 and come ready to rethink what professional training can do.

03/26/2026

Earlier this week, our UR LEND faculty and fellows traveled to Washington, DC to attend Disability Policy Seminar. The Disability Policy Seminar promotes unity and movement building and amplifies the concerns of people with IDD before Congress. On the last day of the conference, our faculty and fellows met with members of Congress and discussed the importance of Medicaid funding. UR LEND trainees are learning to advocate on the local, state, and even federal level.

03/19/2026

We’d like to introduce you to Ashley Wilson, Education trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Ashley’s answers:

What book or series did you wish you could live in?
I would live in the Twilight books, just so I could meet the Quileute tribe!

What word do you want to be added to the dictionary, and what is the definition?
“McCamperson” – a word that refers to a person who brings the singing, joy, and happiness of summer camp to everyday life

If you could use magic to do one mundane task for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Bonus question: What would you name the spell?)
Cleaning the bathroom… and I would love for the spell to be a non-verbal hand wave across the room. Something about it being non-verbal makes it cooler than it is.
What is your aim for this year?
Find community and meet new people! Rochester seems like an amazing place to do that.

What does true leadership mean to you?
Open communication and consideration. You listen to the people you work with, and you take care of the community you chose to be a part of.

03/12/2026

Meet Lauren Bendall, Physical Therapy trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Lauren’s answers:

What book or series did you wish you could live in?
Gilmore Girls

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
“Can we stop for coffee?”

If you could use magic to do one mundane task for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Bonus question: What would you name the spell?)
Washing dishes

What aspect of your discipline do you enjoy most?
I love helping children meet developmental milestones such as walking for the first time. It is so rewarding to make such a meaningful difference in our patients and their families’ lives.

What does true leadership mean to you?
Stepping up when others won’t, even if it may be scary or uncomfortable, to help achieve a common goal

03/06/2026

We’d like to introduce you to Emily Speybroeck, Psychology trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Emily’s answers:

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
Every time we touch by Cascade

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I have 7 siblings

Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room? Why?
Funniest – I always want to be in a room with those smarter than me so I can keep learning.

What is the weirdest fact you know?
Sea otters have the most hair per square inch of all animals – over one million hairs in just one square inch!

What is your aim for this year?
Learn more about health care neurodevelopmental disabilities from multiple perspectives.

02/27/2026

We’d like to introduce you to Katie Henion, Social Work trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Katie’s answers:

What word would you like to be added to the dictionary, and what is the definition?
Snackum - just a little bite of food

What advice would you give your 12-year old self?
Be your own authentic self, unapologetically and unrelentingly

What is the weirdest fact you know?
Honeybees can actually recognize and remember human faces.

Would you rather meet your ancestors or descendants? Why?
I would rather meet my ancestors, to get to see all of the incredible women in my past who helped shape who I have become

What is your aim for this year?
I am hoping to learn as much as possible from my peers in other disciplines, and see how to best work among an interdisciplinary team once I am officially a social worker.

02/24/2026

Last night a UR LEND alumna, Nikolle Vanstralen was featured on News 8 showing the difference they are making with Special Olympics. Great work Nikolle!

A weekend celebrating athletes of varying abilities kicked off at the Tim Hortons Iceplex on Saturday. READ MORE, https://www.rochesterfirst.com/sports/friendship-festival-special-olympics-celebrate-inclusion-in-sports/