LEND Center of Pittsburgh trainees participating in a poverty simulation workshop
For over twenty-five years, the University of Pittsburgh has been training new generations of disability advocacy and health care leaders as part of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) Center of Pittsburgh. This training grant brings together graduate students from different corners of Pitt’s campus to form an interdisciplinary training cohort. Throughout the one-year program, faculty from different Pitt schools and departments teach the students about a variety of neurodevelopmental diagnoses, leadership skills, advocacy for the disability community, laws that govern disability services and interdisciplinary care.
Kathy Kelly, associate dean for Academic Outreach and Advising and associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, has been the physical therapy faculty at LEND since 1997. Other School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) LEND faculty include Professor Cheryl Messick, speech-language pathology, Assistant Professor Trisha Cousins, nutrition and dietetics, and Assistant Professor Nicole Corbin, audiology. “The goal,” Kelly says, “is that trainees will enter their profession with a different mindset in the way they practice and interact with children and families, and they will bring leadership and advocacy skills to their new career.” For SHRS students who want to elevate their learning experience, Kelly adds, “LEND training provides a rich opportunity for those interested in working with individuals and their families in the disability community. It’s a great chance to gain leadership skills and become immersed in interdisciplinary practice.”
The Pittsburgh LEND Center is currently one of 60 LEND programs across the country, and one of two in Pennsylvania. It is funded through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Pittsburgh LEND Center funds 18 trainees annually–-at least eight of whom come from SHRS. The mix of professional disciplines may include medicine, nursing, education, dental medicine, psychology, social work, genetic counseling, public health and the SHRS disciplines of audiology, nutrition and dietetics, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology.
One of the unique aspects of LEND is the inclusion of family and self-advocate trainees in the training cohort. Family trainees include parents/caregivers of children with disabilities and the self-advocate trainees are individuals who identify as having a disability. This year the self-advocate trainees include two young adults--one who is autistic and one who has Down Syndrome. These trainees work alongside the graduate students to provide valuable perspectives on the lived experiences of having or caring for someone with a disability.
Kelly says, “What’s really unique about LEND training is that students step outside of their disciplines and come together to learn how to become advocates with a team of people from different professional backgrounds and perspectives.”
LEND Center of Pittsburgh trainees presenting their ‘Community Partners’ project
In addition to didactic sessions, the LEND curriculum includes opportunities to learn directly from those in the disability community. In “Families as Mentors,” trainees spend time with a family who has a child with a disability. The family acts as a mentor and allows the student to experience “a day in the life.” Through “State Your Case,” the trainees work with a local advocacy leader to learn key disability legislation and create an advocacy message to address an issue of interest. “LEND CARES” provides the opportunity to work with families either in-person or through telehealth sessions, connecting them with disability resources. The trainees help empower the families with the knowledge to advocate for the support their disabled family members require in order to function successfully in our society. “Community Partners” is a program where the trainees collaborate with a local organization on a project or product that is mutually beneficial to advancing their disability-related mission.
A five-year, longitudinal study published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal has shown that LEND is making a difference. The data compared LEND trainees with their peers from the same professional training program. In the results, LEND graduates were significantly more likely to work with vulnerable populations and were more engaged in leadership activities. “The training has been impactful,” Kelly says, “It makes them a different clinician.”
“What we hope is that once students get a taste of the interdisciplinary experience, they will come to expect this team approach and will push for it in their professional world. We could serve the families so much better if we did this.”
Previous trainees receiving their LEND Certificates on Leadership Day
------------------------
Interested in becoming a trainee with the LEND Center of Pittsburgh? Please visit their website for more information and join the virtual Open House on January 11, 2023. Applications for the 2023-2024 program are due February 10, 2023.
---
Published December, 2 2022