Institute Staff Member Honored at AAIDD Annual Meeting

by Institute on Disabilities

June 07

James Lemanowicz, MBA, FAAIDD, the Assistant Director of Research at the Institute was honored with a special award on June 7 at the Annual American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. Jim, an Institute staff member for more than 40 years, was recognized for his life-long commitment to working with, and for, people with disabilities. His work has focused on quantitative analysis, quality assurance, deinstitutionalization, waiting lists and evaluation of life for people with disabilities. Some of the many...

Spring 2023 Newsletter

by Institute on Disabilities

April 18

Issue 5 | Spring 2023 Note from the Director Sally Gould-Taylor, PhD Executive Director of the Institute on Disabilities Welcome to Spring! Much has happened since our last newsletter. We celebrated our first year in our newly renovated office suite and our work has grown in both breadth and volume, including an exciting new Health Equity initiative. TechOWL’s work has attracted unprecedented media attention including a mention in Philadelphia Magazine’s annual “Best of...” edition. Our leadership team has grown as well, welcoming Katey Burke, PhD as Associate...

Celebrating One Year in New Office

by Institute on Disabilities

March 30

In October of 2022, the Institute celebrated a full year in a new office space, located Ritter Annex, alongside College of Education and Human Development colleagues. For several years, the Institute’s home was on the fourth floor in the Howard Gittis Student Center. The office space in Ritter Annex on Cecil B. Moore Avenue was earmarked for the Institute and fully renovated with new office and meeting space, new windows, floors, etc. Highlights of the space: A spacious demonstration room, where TechOWL welcomes visitors who want to learn about...

Mural Installed at the Institute

by Institute on Disabilities

March 30

In March 2023, the Institute installed a new mural, titled “Better Together,” just outside the office suite on the fourth floor of the Ritter Annex building on the main campus of Temple University. The mural was created by the Youth Advocacy Council (YAC), a program of the Institute. In September 2022, local high school students applied for this program and seven were selected to work together for several months. The YAC was tasked with collaborating on a singular project of their choosing, tackling an important issue of the day. The last YAC...

TechOWL Trains Local Bike Shops on Wheelchair Repair

by Institute on Disabilities

March 30

TechOWL frequently receives calls from wheelchair users looking for service and repairs. Getting service on wheelchair and other mobility devises can be challenging, with owners often waiting months for a medical equipment manufacturer or a vendor to respond and complete repairs. Many people, including some bicycle and wheelchairs experts, don’t know that bicycles and wheelchairs share many of the same parts. TechOWL, a part of the Institute on Disabilities, is now working with local bike repair shops to offer training on how to service mobility devices, such as manual...

The Institute Goes to Washington

by Institute on Disabilities

March 17

In February, the Institute received invitations from the White House to two special events, in recognition of Black History Month. On February 28, Institute Executive Director and Associate Research Professor Dr. Sally Gould-Taylor was joined by Michael McLendon, IOD staff, Leadership & Career Studies Graduate, and Self-Advocate; and Gingi Wingard, Temple University First Lady, Leadership & Career Studies Advisory Board Member, and Parent Advocate at the White House Black History Month Open House. Leaders from around the country were invited to visit the White...

File/Life: We Remember Stories of Pennhurst

by Institute on Disabilities

March 13

New Multimodal Installation Opens at Philadelphia’s Arch Street Meeting House Over nearly eight decades, more than 10,000 people lived at the Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Spring City, Pennsylvania from 1908-1987. Their lives contain its history. Who are they? What do their stories have to say to us today? With generous support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University is pleased to announce the world premiere of File/Life: We Remember Stories of Pennhurst. Part installation, part event, and part community...

Institute Staff at Annual Conference in Washington, DC

by Institute on disabilities

November 29

Staff members of the Institute collectively played a key role in the 2022 AUCD Conference, held in Washington, DC, November 13-16. AUCD (Association of University Centers on Disabilities) is a national organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. As Pennsylvania's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service, the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University is an AUCD member and has been a part this annual event as attendees and presenters. This year was no...

New Institute Associate Director Named

by Institute on Disabilities

November 11

Kathryn (Katey) Burke, PhD, has been named the Associate Director of the Institute on Disabilities (IOD) at Temple University, College of Education and Human Development. Katey has been serving as a Senior Research Associate at the IOD and as an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning since August 2019. Katey will continue as an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, in addition to her new role within the IOD.Katey holds a PhD in Special Education with a Minor in Quantitative Research Design and Analysis from the...

November Proclaimed Assistive Technology Month in PA

by Institute on Disabilities

November 01

For more than 25 years, TechOWL, the Assistive Technology programs of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, has partnered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in designating November as Assistive Technology Month. The proclamation, signed by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, is below in text and as an image of the proclamation.Jump to the Proclamation text Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of the Governor ProclamationAssistive Technology Awareness Month November 2022WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians with disabilities of all ages may need assistive technology devices and...

Institute Staff Contributes to Special Issue of PA Journal

by Institute on Disabilities

October 03

The Institute is well represented in a just-published special issue of Pennsylvania History - A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, the official journal of the Pennsylvania Historical Association. The special issue titled Exploring Disability History in Pennsylvania is devoted to the rich history of Pennsylvania's disability studies, and to the variety of archival collections and organizational resources available to scholars interested in the field. The collection of essays is meant to encourage inquiry and exploration of the institutional, ideological, and individual life...

Institute on Disabilities at Temple University Awarded 2022 Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Project Grant for Rhythm Bath

by Institute on Disabilities

September 19

November 19, 2022 For Immediate Release Institute on Disabilities at Temple University Awarded 2022 Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Project Grant for Rhythm Bath Lead artists Susan Marshall and Mimi Lien to present a suite of immersive dance performance-installations developed in conversation and collaboration with neurodiverse communities. MEDIA TOOLS FOR DOWNLOAD: https://bit.ly/3x1ntqZ Philadelphia, PA: The Institute on Disabilities, Temple University, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $345,348 project grant, including $57,560 in general...

Institute Celebrates Precedent-Setting Disability Inclusive Curriculum Set to Become Part of PA Education Code

by Institute on Disabilities

July 13

The Institute's Executive Director Sally Gould-Taylor and Associate Director of Policy, Jamie Ray-Leonetti are members of the Coalition on Disability Inclusive Curriculum. Ray-Leonetti, along with self-advocate and Institute program alumnus Shawn Aleong, offered testimony at a House Special Education Subcommittee hearing explaining the importance of adopting a disability inclusive curriculum in Pennsylvania.Now on Governor Wolf's desk for signing, Pennsylvania's 2022-2023 State Budget establishes in its Education Fiscal Code (HB 1642 - Act 55 of 2022) a pilot program to provide...

Institute Returns to Harrisburg for Information Expo

by Institute on Disabilities

May 26

After a two-year hiatus, the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University will return to the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, PA for its annual Legislative Expo on Wednesday, June 22. Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Location: Capitol East Wing rotunda Institute staff members will visit with legislators and be available to share information with any capitol visitor about its programs. The focus this year will be the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Final Rule in Pennsylvania. June 22 is of particular importance, as it is the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling...

Institute Program Alum Named to Presidential Committee

by Institute on Disabilities

March 15

Shawn AleongShawn Aleong, a part of several programs here at the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, College of Education and Human Development, was appointed to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.In a March 11, 2022 statement from the White House, Shawn was among 20 people appointed to "serve as a federal advisor to the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on matters relating to persons with intellectual disabilities."When he was contacted about the appointment last week, Shawn simply said: "This is amazing!"...

Temple Ambler Library: a future of innovation

by James F. Duffy

January 13

The Temple University Ambler Library Building didn't escape the wrath of the EF2 tornado that ravaged campus on September 1, 2021. Ferocious winds and debris tore holes in the building's roof and blew out most of the large windows, threatening the collection of 130,000 books, periodicals, research material and historical archives inside."Our first concern was the care of the materials. That was paramount in our thinking — how to save what we had because we knew there was major damage to a number of books," said Sandi Thompson, Head of the Ambler Campus Library. "We...

HCBS Public Comment Tips for Self-Advocates

by Institute on Disabilities

July 01

What is "HCBS" - Home and Community-Based Settings - HCBS Final RuleThe purpose of HCBS is to make sure people receive services alongside other people in the community and not in a separate, or segregated, place. Also, people who receive services must have the same opportunities as everyone in the community.EVERYONE should be able to Look for a job where they want to Be a part of the community they want Control their own money Get the services and support they need, where they want itYou can submit feedback via email to RA-secretaryoffice@pa.gov by 5 p.m. on July 6, 2021.If you...

Institute Research Assistant Named Emerging Leader

by Institute on Disabilities

May 17

Research Assistant Grace CooperGrace Cooper, Research Assistant at the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, College of Education and Human Development has been named an Emerging Leader by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD).Every year, AUCD recognizes young professionals from across the country as Emerging Leaders. Each standout young leader shares all AUCD members' commitment to civil rights and social justice for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.Grace joins others included on the AUCD Emerging Leaders Map. According...