About Us

What is a UCEDD?

University Centers of Excellence on Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) exist in every state to serve as a resource for people in the areas of education, research and service relative to the needs of people with developmental disabilities. Authorized by the Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 and funded by the Administration of Developmental Disabilities within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are 67 UCEDDs in the United States and its territories. To learn more about the network of UCEDDs, see the Association of University Centers on Disabilities' website.

What is the Sonoran UCEDD?

In the spring of 2006, community members joined with the University of Arizona to develop a proposal for the creation of a new University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in Arizona. The collaboration between the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Disability Resource Center at The University of Arizona, the Arizona Center on Aging, Department of Pediatrics, state and local disability agencies and community groups focused on community needs which weren’t being met --- health, wellness and competent treatment issues for adults with developmental disabilities; concern of aging care givers and people with developmental disabilities as they age; employment barriers for people with developmental disabilities; and the complex questions of supports and services in the Arizona-Mexico border region. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities awarded the Sonoran UCEDD a grant to establish its center for excellence in the fall of 2006. Since that time the Sonoran UCEDD has been hard at work to make its vision a reality.

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What We Do

The goal of the Sonoran UCEDD is to ensure full community participation by individuals with developmental disabilities through:

• Interdisciplinary training of students and service professionals on developmental disabilities
• Research and analysis aimed at developing new knowledge on disability which can be translated into model programs and public policy initiatives
• Technical assistance and information sharing for the community at large on disability best practices and new information
• Exemplary services and model program development to enhance and expand the systems of support for people with developmental disabilities

Employees with developmental disabilities working at Jim Click Automotive. Jim Click founded Linkages, a non-profit corporation in 1996 to work as the liaison between area businesses with employment openings and participating rehabilitation providers with qualified people ready to work. The Sonoran UCEDD works with Linkages to ensure employment opportunity for people with disabilities.