Staff from the UK Human Development Institute (HDI) began operating remotely more than a month ago. Using available tools and technology, HDI continues to promote the inclusion, independence, and contributions of people with disabilities and their families throughout the lifespan through education, research and evaluation, information sharing, leadership, and advocacy across Kentucky and the nation. Some of these activities include:
- Participating in state and national task forces addressing access and rationing of health care
- Collaborating with state partners including the Lee Specialty Clinic and Dr. Matthew Holder to develop a series of videos for people with intellectual developmental disabilities to increase awareness of personal protective equipment and ways to stay healthy
- Working with the Developmental Disabilities Network to ensure newly developed resources use plain language and are accessible
- Developing a COVID-19 webpage that includes some critical content around the response and resources of interest to stakeholders uky.edu/covid-19-information
- Creating a webinar led by the HDI Executive Director for the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Affiliate Network on health equity and people with disabilities
- Conducting research around experiences of people with Spinal Cord Injury and COVID-19 through targeted focus groups.
- Developing project specific and Institute-wide one-page promotional documents on the effective use of technology while working remotely
- Contributing content for University students to remain socially connected during the shift to distance learning by the University of Kentucky
HDI is pleased to share that despite the challenges people face today, our work continues. In fact, some research and training efforts are accelerating. The HDI technology team is providing ongoing support to ensure all staff have training in technology to support their ability to work effectively. Visit the HDI website regularly for updated news and the calendar of events. Follow HDI on social media to learn more.
Facebook: @ukhdi
Instagram: @uk_hdi
Twitter: @hdi_uky