Applications Open for the 2024-25 IL LEND Fellowship Program
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This free training program prepares graduate students, self-advocates and family members to be leaders in improving health services for people with disabilities.
Family members, self-advocates and graduate students can apply for a free training program to build your skills and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
The University of Illinois Chicago’s (UIC) Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities Program (IL LEND) training program is now accepting applications for the 2024-25 school year.
This yearlong interdisciplinary program will provide participants a deep dive into areas that include:
Cultural competence
Emerging issues
Family-centered care
Leadership
Advocacy
Serving children with autism and other disabilities and their families
Services and systems change
IL LEND is housed in the Department of Disability and Human Development at UIC. It is part of LEND’s nationwide network providing interdisciplinary training to improve the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities. LEND focuses on providing individuals with the skills necessary to create positive change on all levels, from the individual to systems.
The IL LEND fellowship program brings together trainees from diverse backgrounds. Trainees will participate in classroom learning and a wide variety of hands-on experiences.
Training will focus on serving individuals with disabilities and their families through coordinated, culturally competent and family-centered care and gaining a deeper understanding of public health services and policy systems change.
Training will include:
An individually tailored mentorship
Weekly didactic (classroom) sessions
Research or leadership projects
Community outreach
Policy and advocacy training
Clinical training with a focus on Autism
There is no cost to participate in the fellowship program. Eligible trainees can receive a stipend.
This program is open to graduate students, adults with developmental disabilities, parents and/or siblings of individuals with developmental disabilities, and individuals from diverse backgrounds.
IL LEND trainees from the Chicago metropolitan area meet in person at UIC for their LEND training. Trainees can also join remotely through training sites at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU).
The program gives priority to the following applicants:
Family members
Self-advocates
Graduate students in the represented disciplines, which include nursing, social work, developmental pediatrics, disability studies, and public health.
See the IL LEND graduate program brochure for more details and a complete list of study areas.
Download the IL LEND Fellowship Program application flyer to review or share.
Read more about applying on the IL LEND website. You can also click on the links below to download the:
Self-advocate application
Family member application
Graduate student application
The deadline to apply is March 25.
If you have questions about the fellowship program, contact Kruti Acharya at acharyak@uic.edu or (312) 413-1495.
To learn more about IL LEND, visit www.illinoislend.org.