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University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

General Information

University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies
5717 Corbett Hall
Room 212
Orono, ME 04469
207-581-2093
https://ccids.umaine.edu/

Brief Description

The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies has the following four core functions, consistent with the University of Maine’s mission as a Land Grant University:

1. Interdisciplinary Education
CCIDS offers Maine's only nationally and internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate education in Interdisciplinary Disability Studies; and in collaboration with the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development and the Maine Department of Education, Maine’s only graduate study in early intervention, producing graduates that provide leadership in providing policy, services, and supports for young children with special needs and their families. View Interdisciplinary Education for more information.

2. Research and Evaluation
With diverse projects and initiatives, CCIDS contributes to and advances the knowledge base in a wide range of disability-related areas through ongoing research, evaluation, and the analysis of public policy. Recent initiatives include the areas of inclusive child care, literacy access for individuals with intellectual disabilities, universal design, autism, and early childhood mental health. View Research for more information.

3. Community Services: Outreach Education and Technical Assistance
Through outreach education, training and technical assistance, CCIDS faculty and staff enhance the capacity of individuals, communities, organizations, and state systems to create services and supports for individuals with disabilities. Methods reflect current and emerging evidence-based practices that are inclusive, accessible, self-determining, culturally competent, and socially responsible, respecting the inherent abilities of each person to contribute to society. View Service for more information.

4. Dissemination of Resources
CCIDS implements the principles of universal design in the development of publications, products, presentations, resources, curricula and virtual environments to meet the needs of multiple and diverse audiences and disseminates scholarly and community resources through our website and our Resource Center. View Resources for more information.

Services Offered

  • Personnel Preparation
    • The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), has awarded the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) a $1.2 million grant to support the preparation of highly qualified early intervention professionals serving children with disabilities in Maine. Sixty-five percent (65%) of the total annual funding is designated for student stipends. Working in collaboration with the university's College of Education and Human Development (COEHD), the project represents Maine’s only graduate study designed with an emphasis on young children ages birth-5 with disabilities and their families, including children who live in poverty, are homeless, are in foster care, are English language learners, or who reside in rural, remote, and sparsely populated areas with limited access to resources.