Welcome to The Boggs Center
About The CenterOur Mission
The Boggs Center, as a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, values uniqueness and individuality and promotes the self-determination and full participation of people with disabilities and their families in all aspects of community life. As a catalyst and resource, The Boggs Center, through partnerships and collaborations, builds capacity in organizations, systems, and communities in a culturally competent manner. The Boggs Center prepares students through interdisciplinary programs, provides community training and technical assistance, conducts research, and disseminates information and educational materials.
News
The New Jersey Department of Human Services and The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities launched a new Jobs that Care New Jersey website to promote career opportunities in direct care and service. The site offers information about the roles of Direct Support Professionals and Certified Home Health Aides, as well as resources to help job seekers find employment in these careers. Read more about the new website
Deborah M. Spitalnik, PhD Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award by AUCD
Deborah M. Spitalnik, PhD, Executive Director of The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities and Professor of Pediatrics and Family Medicine & Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities’ annual awards ceremony on November 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Read more about the award and Dr. Spitalnik’s remarks
Colleen McLaughlin, MEd, Honored with Service Award by AUCD
Colleen McLaughlin, MEd, Associate Director of The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, was honored with a service award during the Association of University Centers on Disabilities’ Annual Meeting on November 8, 2023 in Washington, DC. Read more about the award
Episode 21 of BoggsCast Now Available: Employment for Autistic Emerging Adults with Carol Schall
The Boggs Center is excited to share the latest episode of BoggsCast, a podcast where faculty and staff explore best practice, showcase success stories, and help listeners envision possibilities for innovation through interviews with state and national experts. In this episode, Carol Schall, PhD, Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses employment for autistic emerging adults. All BoggsCast episodes and full transcripts are available on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify apps and websites. Be sure to subscribe to stay up to date with the latest episodes.
The Boggs Center Seeks Host Families to Share Experiences with Medical Students
Visits to families with children with developmental disabilities are a key component of the Seminar on Family Centered Care and Developmental Disabilities for Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson medical students, coordinated by The Boggs Center for over 30 years. The Boggs Center is currently seeking host families to share their lived experience with medical students participating in the Seminar. Read more about this opportunity
Publications
Voting: It’s Your Right is a guide about voting rights and the voting process in New Jersey written in clear language for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The updated 6th edition provides information on registering and preparing to vote, options for voting by mail and in-person, voting rights and accessibility, and contacting election officials with questions. Available in English and Spanish.
Deciding to Self-Direct: Making Choices, Becoming Empowered
The Boggs Center developed Deciding to Self-Direct, the latest guide in the Making Choices, Becoming Empowered series for people with developmental disabilities. People receiving support through NJ’s Division of Developmental Disabilities can choose to self-direct some or all of their services. Available in English and Spanish, this guide helps readers to think about their lives and whether self-directed services are right for them.
Vaccinate to Keep Kids Healthy! Fact Sheet and Poster
Preventing disease is always better than treating it. Vaccines protect against diseases that once caused serious illness, disability, and death, including COVID-19. With funding from the federal Administration for Community Living, The Boggs Center developed new resources for parents of young children to promote and explain the benefits of following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) immunization recommendations to keep kids healthy. Vaccinate to Keep Kids Healthy! fact sheets in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, and Tagalog, as well as an 11” x 17” English/Spanish poster, are now available on The Boggs Center’s website. Read More About Vaccinate to Keep Kids Healthy
COVID-19 Vaccine Resources for the Developmental Disabilities Community
The Boggs Center developed two resources to provide information about COVID-19 vaccines and help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities understand what to expect before, during, and after vaccination. COVID-19 Vaccine Facts for the Developmental Disabilities Community and Getting a COVID Vaccine: A Social Story for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities are available in English and Spanish.
Selecting a Support Coordination Agency: Making Choices, Becoming Empowered
People receiving support through New Jersey’s Division of Developmental Disabilities are able to choose the agency they receive support coordination services from. Selecting a Support Coordination Agency: Making Choices, Becoming Empowered provides information and ideas that can help in the selection process. Available in English and Spanish.
