Each year, the UC Davis MIND Institute’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (CEDD) and a large group of community partners offer a Spanish-language conference on developmental disabilities. The goal is in the name: Aprendiendo Juntos, or “Learning Together.”
This year’s event will be in person at the UC Davis MIND Institute on Saturday, Oct. 28 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Breakfast and lunch are included. Registration is required and the cost is $100 per person. Scholarships are available and Alta California Regional Center clients may be eligible to have their fee covered. Sign up here.
This event is based on what families want to know and is presented completely in Spanish. It is culturally designed based on the experiences of our colleagues in service systems for people with disabilities and their families, and who work directly with the community and know our needs.”—Maribel Hernandez, community outreach specialist and coordinator of “Learning Together”
The theme is acceptance and inclusion for individuals with developmental disabilities and the effort needed to achieve this. Topics will include how to support families, address challenges and promote collaboration between families and service providers.
Jennifer Villarreal, a doctoral student in human development at UC Davis will give the keynote address. Villarreal is an Ecuadorian educational psychologist who took part in the MIND Institute’s International Training Program in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Her talk will focus on mental health for parents and caregivers of individuals with disabilities.
“This annual conference is a highlight of the entire year,” said Maribel Hernandez, a community outreach specialist at the CEDD and coordinator of the event. “This event is based on what families want to know and is presented completely in Spanish. It is culturally designed based on the experiences of our colleagues in service systems for people with disabilities and their families, and who work directly with the community and know our needs.”
The conference is a collaboration between the MIND Institute’s CEDD and several organizations in the community, including:
“We welcome community members to join us in this day of learning,” said Cecilia Corral, a community education specialist at the CEDD who is also helping to plan the event. “Family members, youth and adults with disabilities, peers and others in the community who are interested in improving the quality of life for all people living with developmental disabilities are invited.”
The “Learning Together” conference in 2019, the last time it was in person, before going virtual for a few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Corral notes that attendees will learn about research and community services, have an opportunity to network and increase social support and increase understanding of others’ lived experiences, including parents and siblings.
The UC Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento, Calif. is a unique, interdisciplinary research, clinical, and education center committed to deepening scientific understanding of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. It is a highly collaborative center, bringing together families, researchers, clinicians, community leaders and volunteers with the common goal of developing more personalized, equitable, and scientifically proven systems of support and intervention. The institute has major research efforts in autism, fragile X syndrome, chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Down syndrome. More information about the institute and its Distinguished Lecturer Series, including previous presentations in this series, is available on the Web at mindinstitute.ucdavis.edu.
