News from the Shriver Center

UMass Medical School studying whether simplifying web text for people with cognitive disabilities improves comprehension

UMass Medical School’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center is studying if simplifying text for people with cognitive disabilities improves their understanding of the information they read on websites.

“We want to prove that their comprehension increases after they read simplified text,” said John Rochford, MS, director of the Shriver Center’s INDEX program. INDEX provides free information for people with disabilities living in Massachusetts.

View from the Experts: As we mark Emergency Preparedness Month we must consider the unique needs of individuals with disabilities

Mary Ellen originally decided to ride out Super Storm Sandy at her home in Rockaway Beach, New York, with her husband, a retired firefighter, and her two teen-age sons. Her family had safely weathered Hurricane Irene a year earlier, and had limited evacuation options due to her health and mobility needs. They thought it would be another success story. Ultimately it was, but not without significant risk.

Autism advocate developing radio, TV shows promoting developmental monitoring with an emphasis on culturally diverse families

UMass Medical School autism advocate Elaine Gabovitch, MPA, is creating a series of radio and television shows on the importance of developmental monitoring to be broadcast across the state next year in an effort to reach families of young children. The programs will emphasize equal access for those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Healthy Weight Research Network receives a $1.2 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has re-funded the Healthy Weight Research Network (HWRN), a national research network coordinated by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Medical School, with a $1.2 million, five-year grant. HWRN is directed by researchers at the Shriver Center and Tufts University School of Medicine.

UMass Medical School’s LEND program receives $3.08 million, five-year grant from U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has refunded the UMass Medical School’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program with a $3.08 million, five-year grant.

Shriver Center IT expert to present on text simplification and user experience at HCI International 2016 conference

An IT expert at UMass Medical School’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center will present about simplifying web text for people with intellectual disabilities and understanding user experience at the HCI International 2016 conference July 17-22 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto.

National Center for Disaster Medicine & Public Health features Shriver Center emergency preparedness team in video

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center’s emergency preparedness team is featured in a video by the National Center for Disaster Medicine & Public Health on health professionals and communities with access and functional needs working together to prepare for disasters.

MedPage Today: Shriver Center researcher says few studies focus on obesity in people with intellectual, developmental disabilities

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities may face more risk factors for obesity than typically developing youths, but few studies have focused on obesity in those with disabilities, a researcher in UMass Medical School’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center told MedPage Today.

CDC reappoints Shriver Center autism expert as an Act Early Ambassador

UMass Medical School autism advocate Elaine Gabovitch, MPA, has been reappointed to her fourth term as Act Early Ambassador to Massachusetts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to promote the early identification of developmental delays.