UD faculty and staff from the Treatment Efficacy and Language Lab took steps to raise awareness of developmental language disorder (DLD) on Friday,.which was the annual Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day. Reaching out to local news outlets, they advocated for early intervention in DLD, which is characterized by a speech, language or communication challenge with no identifiable cause.
The U.S. Department of Education’s assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services, Johnny Collett, plans to resign at the end of this week. Collette led the administration’s push to loosen federal special education regulations, a change that met strong opposition from disability advocates and was partially reversed by a U.S. District judge. His successor, Mark Schultz, has a background in vocational rehabilitation.
Rebecca Lawrence, who is enrolled in CDS’s Disability Studies minor, says that she discovered her chosen career path – physical therapist working with people with disabilities – while taking her classes for the minor and volunteering at a camp for people with muscular dystrophy. Lawrence is member of UD’s women’s basketball team.
The state has received a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Trauma Recovery Demonstration Project to fund more supports for students who have experienced trauma. State education officials plan to use the money to screen a larger student population to identify those affected by trauma, enhance current services, strengthen partnerships with other agencies and offer training to educators.
Former CDS graduate assistant and Disability Studies minor Rebecca Vitelli was named Delaware Teacher of the Year. Vitelli, a specialist in educating students with autism and severe disabilities, teaches prekindergarten in Colonial School District. She advocates for inclusion and early intervention.
