The Human Development Institute recently launched a new website to be more accessible for families and professionals looking for the many programs and resources HDI offers across the lifespan. On the front page, visitors can see the latest news from HDI with highlights of our top resources for the different stakeholders we serve. We also would very much appreciate anyone who is interested in staying up-to-date about our work to sign up for the newsletter and take our survey to let us know what you think about the website.
We also offer a new “Services and Resources” drop-down menu for researchers, professionals, and families to find the programs that can help them at different stages, and explanations of what the different programs actually do across the life course. In addition, we offer information about our projects organized by when the projects are most useful, whether prenatally, early childhood, school-age, transition, or during the adult years. The point is to make it easier for professionals and families to find information, whether they are looking for a service or resource to address a particular issue in their lives (like childcare or employment) or whether they are looking for projects they already know about (like the KY Peer Support Network Project or the National Alternate Assessment Project).
Stephanie Meredith, HDI Information Resources Director says, “Many times families learn about HDI through the one program they need at the moment and don’t realize the other full range of programs that could be helpful to them. For example, my son is 15 with Down syndrome, and our focus has been education for the past decade. HDI resources like the alternate assessment tools and IEP videos have been very helpful. Now that we are looking at transitioning from high school to employment, I’m so excited to utilize HDI’s Supported Higher Education Project and the resources about life after high school. Our goal is for families and professionals to use the website to take full advantage of all HDI has to offer.”
Dr. Harold Kleinert, HDI Executive Director adds, “We hope families, self-advocates, and professionals can find the resources they need quickly and easily with our new website. Also watch for information on upcoming events and seminars, as well as our latest news.”
