Stephanie Kaznica (right) leads a discussion at CDS.

Stephanie Kaznica, the new coordinator of UD’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program for future educators and care providers, has a personal and philosophical stake in the CDS-administered program—not just a professional one.

The family-centered perspective of LEND, a yearlong course of study that immerses students in the disability community, is more than an abstraction to Kaznica. Her four-year-old daughter Ava has an autism diagnosis. That’s why, in addition to overseeing LEND’s finances, student enrollment and community involvement, Kaznica mentors a LEND student. This part of the program, called “A Day in Our Life,” gives students a first-hand look at daily life with a child with a developmental disability.

“This is work that will have far-reaching effects,” she says. “We are training professionals to see more of the whole child, rather than just the disability.”