CPD to Receive $1.6 Million Grant

A grant totaling $1.6 million is expected to help researchers at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities facilitate nationwide community support services for children with special health care needs. The project, Champions for Inclusive Communities, is aimed to help U.S. states create programs and make necessary changes locally to support children who are at risk or have disabilities, Adrienne Akers, senior researcher at the CPD, said. The money will help the Early Intervention Research Institute at the CPD act as a national resource for those states. “If you live in Nephi, where do you go?” Akers said. “All states are supposed to make it so that people can find services for their kids at a local level.” With the grant, the institute will assist agencies that support children with disabilities and their families in implementing the New Freedom Initiative. The initiative, passed by George W. Bush Feb. 1, 2001, is designed to “ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to learn and develop skills, engage in productive work, make choices about their daily lives and participate fully in community life,” according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site.

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