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
Research on Tool for Low-Literacy Autism Screening Appears in 2020 Summary of Autism Research
Research conducted by The Boggs Center’s Caroline Coffield, PhD, and colleagues at Children’s Specialized Hospital and University of Pennsylvania appears in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee’s (IACC) 2020 Summary of Autism Research. A plain-language summary of research to validate the Developmental Check-In Tool for low-literacy autism screening is provided in the Summary of Advances alongside 20 of the top research breakthroughs selected by the IACC from a pool of research articles nominated by members.
Episode 8 of BoggsCast Now Available: Season 1 Highlights with Jaime Zahid
The Boggs Center is excited to share the final episode in Season 1 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, Jaime Zahid, Training & Consultation Specialist at The Boggs Center and frequent BoggsCast host, provides a recap of some of our favorite moments from the first 7 episodes.
On May 6th, 2022, The Boggs Center celebrated the graduation of the 2021-2022 NJLEND Fellows at the New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program’s 6th annual Maternal and Child Health Leadership Symposium. Held virtually this year, the event featured a keynote address, “Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Tools for Leadership, Providing Support, and Relationships,” by Susan Stillman, EdD and Lynne Tamor, PhD.
The Boggs Center Celebrates New Jersey Partners in Policymaking 2022 Graduates
On Saturday April 9, 2022, The Boggs Center celebrated the graduation of its sixth Partners in Policymaking class. New Jersey Partners in Policymaking is a leadership development and advocacy education program for adults with developmental disabilities and family members of young children and transition age youth available through collaboration between The New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, The Boggs Center, and Disability Rights New Jersey.
The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice (CYCYC) selected the New Jersey State Team to join its national Community of Practice to promote alternatives to guardianship for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The New Jersey State Team represents a partnership between Disability Rights New Jersey, the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, The Boggs Center, and SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, and will be co-led by a youth with I/DD.
Publications
The Boggs Center created a Vaccine Facts Series to address common myths and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines through funding from the federal Administration on Community Living. Available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Portuguese, and Tagalog, the series includes resources with information to promote vaccination in the disability community: The COVID-19 Vaccine is Effective Against the Virus; The COVID-19 Vaccine Will Not Make You Sick; Safe & Responsible COVID-19 Vaccine Development; Had COVID? You Still Need the COVID-19 Vaccine; and The COVID-19 Vaccine Does Not Harm Fertility or Pregnancies.
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.
Exploring Possibilities & Supports: An Information Gathering Toolkit
This resource provides people with developmental disabilities, family members, and Support Coordinators with Person-Centered Thinking and Charting the LifeCourse tools and concepts to use when exploring life possibilities and planning for supports. The information gathered can be used, together with conversations, to inform the person-centered planning process and development of the Person-Centered Planning Tool and New Jersey Individualized Service Plan. 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.
Voting: It’s Your Right is a guide about voting rights and the voting process in New Jersey developed by The Boggs Center in collaboration with its Developmental Disabilities Network Partners, Disability Rights New Jersey and the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities. The updated 5th 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.
