The Institute's new program, Inclusive and Equitable Futures: Trauma-Informed Practice in Preschool Supports, is seeking Pennsylvania residents to be a part of its advisory board.
This project is in partnership with the College of Public Health at Temple University. This project is funded by the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council.
Providing Trauma-Informed Tools
This program provides preschool students, families, and school staff with trauma-informed tools to reduce exclusionary disciplinary policies that target Black students and students of color with...
Since 1993, the Assistive Technology programs of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University - TechOWL - has partnered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in designating November as Assistive Technology Awareness Month. The proclamation, signed by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, is below in text and as an image of the proclamation.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Proclamation by the Governor
WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians with disabilities of all ages may need assistive technology devices and services to live independently and productively, as well as to...
Issue 7 | Fall 2023
New Grants Announced
The Institute has been awarded four new grants by the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council. The programs represent a variety of issues across the lifespan including unemployment, supported decision making, school-to-prison-pipeline and assistive technology.
The full story about these grants can be found on our website.
Dance Installation a Sold-Out Hit
Rhythm Bath, an immersive dance installation by Susan Marshall and Mimi Lien, and produced by the Institute on Disabilities and Studio...
The Institute will partner with the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council to sponsor a virtual meeting on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 about Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Specifically for self-advocates, this meeting will present updates to Section 504 that will affect self-advocates across Pennsylvania.
The Rehabilitation Act was passed 50 years ago, and it helps ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are protected. An important part of the act is known as Section 504. Changes to Section 504 proposed by the government will focus on equity...
The Institute on Disabilities has recently been awarded new grants from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council.
More information about the programs and their outcomes will be available on the Institute's website in the coming months.
Inclusive and Equitable Futures: Trauma-Informed Practice in Preschool Supports (TIPPS)
Training initiative to address and disrupt the preschool-to-prison pipeline.
In partnership with Amy Lynch, PhD of the College of Public Health at Temple University and collaborating with an advisory board, the program will...
On September 26, 2023, Sally Gould-Taylor, the Executive Director of the Institute on Disabilities, moderated a round table discussion after the performance of the world premier opera "10 Days in a Madhouse." Produced by Opera Philadelphia at the Wilma Theatre, "10 Days in a Madhouse" follows reporter Nellie Bly through her internment at Blackwell's Asylum and addresses the notions of madness and societal biases against women.
The roundtable discussion provided an opportunity for panelists and audience members to reflect on how the experiences of Nellie Bly parallel...
On Saturday, September 23, the 2023 cohort of C2P2 — Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking — celebrated the completion of the year-long leadership development program.
Pictured are the participants along with Jamie Ray-Leonetti, Associate Director of Policy and Stacy Phillips, Project Coordinator at the Institute, along with special guest Justin Fleming, PA State Representative, House District 105.
Rep. Fleming took part in C2P2's virtual legislative visits in June where C2P2 participants presented an overview of what they had learned in the program. He was...
Issue 6 | Summer 2023
Greetings from the Executive Director
Sally Gould-Taylor, PhD
Executive Director of the Institute on Disabilities
I hope you and your family are enjoying the summer. It's been a hot one here in Philadelphia and indeed across the state of Pennsylvania.
The Institute has been busy!
We welcomed our groundbreaking ACES program back to campus after a hiatus, due to the pandemic.
After a successful run in Philadelphia during the spring, our File/Life installation traveled to the Senate Building Rotunda in Washington, DC.
We are set to begin...
Apply now for our advisory committee: Families Reimagining Inclusive Lives (FRIL)
Encourage families of young children with disabilities to focus on options for inclusive living and learning, rather than assuming that a segregated setting is the best or only option. The advisory committee will meet virtually so you can participate from the comfort of your own home!
Are you...
a parent of a child with a disability between ages birth to 5 years old?
an advocate for young children with disabilities?
a provider of services for young children with disabilities?
a...
Registration for the 2023 Disability Summit is now open. This year's theme is "Self-Determination: Shaping Our Own Lives."
Details
Date: September 14, 2023
Time: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Howard Gittis Student Center at Temple University's Main Campus in Philadelphia (Temple campus maps and directions)
Cost: The Disability Summit is a free event.
ASL and CART (live captioning) will be provided.
Agenda
Keynote, breakout sessions, lunch, and public legislative session are included.
Keynote by Tom Vlodkowski, Vice President of Accessibility for Comcast....
by Jamie Ray-Leonetti, JD, Associate Director of Policy Institute on Disabilities at Temple University
August 09
On June 16, members of the 2023 cohort of Competence and Confidence, Partners in Policymaking (C2P2) visited the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg.
The C2P2 2023 cohort outside Pennsylvania's Capitol in Harrisburg.
During the visit, the group practiced advocacy skills by helping to educate state legislators and staff about issues important to people with disabilities and their families. Participants worked in small groups to discuss issues such as: the need for caregiver leave time; the importance of inclusive education in public schools; and ending the...
The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, College of Education and Human Development has been awarded a multi-component grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC) to encourage families of young children with disabilities to focus on options for inclusive living and learning, rather than assuming that a segregated setting is the best or only option.
The grant titled Families Reimagining Inclusive Lives (FRIL) will work to educate, inform, and empower parents of young children with disabilities to embrace inclusive options and give them...
The Institute's multi-modal installation called File/Life: We Remember Stories of Pennhurst spent the week of July 24, 2023, under the Russell Senate Building rotunda in Washington, DC.
File/Life is a community-led exploration of the Pennhurst archives. Seven archivists (all people with disabilities and/or family members) share stories from the archives of long-forgotten residents of Pennhurst through documents, photos and stories.
Information about File/Life: We Remember Stories of Pennhurst can be found on the Institute’s website.
File/Life was installed in...
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...
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...
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...