Welcome to The Boggs Center
About The CenterNew Jersey's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service
New Jersey's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program
Our Mission
The Boggs Center 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
NJLEND Welcomes Incoming 2025-2026 Cohort
The Boggs Center’s New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NJLEND) program began its tenth year with an orientation for incoming fellows on August 28th, 2025. The 2025-2026 NJLEND cohort includes 17 graduate and doctoral-level fellows, representing 9 academic disciplines from Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and Rutgers Health, as well as 2 family fellows who have children with disabilities and 2 advocacy fellows living with disability. Read more about the 2025-2026 NJLEND Cohort
New Jersey Partners in Policymaking Welcomes Class of 2025-2026
New Jersey Partners in Policymaking welcomes the class of 2025-2026! This year’s program launched with an in-person weekend session held in New Brunswick on September 12th and 13th. Over the course of the next 9 months, this year’s class will prepare to work toward meaningful change in our state through learning about best practices and important areas for advocacy from nationally-known experts.
Registration is Open for the Fall 2025 Developmental Disabilities Lecture Series Webinars
The Boggs Center’s Developmental Disabilities Lecture Series is a community and continuing education program provided for professionals, policymakers, individuals with disabilities, and family members to enhance their knowledge and skills in innovative approaches and state of the art practices for people with developmental disabilities. The webinars are free of charge. Space is limited and advanced registration is required. Open to people who live or work in New Jersey. Read more about the Fall 2025 Developmental Disabilities Lecture Series
BoggsCast launches Season 5 with Episode on Enabling Technology
BoggsCast is back! In our Season 5 opener, Aaron Kalinowski, Self-Advocate and Podcaster, Nathan Gerhard, Associate Executive Director at Keystone Human Services, Martin Noah, Senior Director of Information Technology at The Arc of Essex County, and Meghan O’Sullivan, Sales Director at SimplyHome, discuss how enabling technologies are expanding independence and choice for people with disabilities. Listeners will learn about the person-centered approach behind implementing technology supports, organizational strategies, and success stories. Read more about Episode 38 of BoggsCast
Colleen McLaughlin, MEd, Co-Authors Book Chapter on DSP Competencies
Colleen McLaughlin, MEd, Co-Director of The Boggs Center, together with Carol Britton Laws, PhD, Associate Clinical Professor of the Institute on Human Development and Disability at the University of Georgia, and Susan O’Nell, Director of Curriculum Development for the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, co-authored a chapter for “Direct Support Workforce Solutions: A Guidebook of Strategies for Individual and Collective Action Toward Workforce Stability,” published by AAIDD. Read more about the book chapter
How Has Our Work Impacted You? Share Your Story!
The Boggs Center is part of a national network of federally designated University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) and Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related (LEND) Disabilities programs. Proposed federal funding cuts threaten the work of UCEDDs and LENDs across the country.
Publications
Selecting a Service Provider: Making Choices, Becoming Empowered
The Boggs Center is excited to share the latest version of Selecting a Service Provider: Making Choices, Becoming Empowered. People receiving support through New Jersey’s Division of Developmental Disabilities can choose the service provider that best meets their needs. Available in English and Spanish, this guide offers people with disabilities and their families ideas that can help them select a service provider that will support them to live the lives they want. Read more about Selecting a Service Provider.
Sharing Your Story: A Guide to Medicaid Advocacy
Medicaid provides funding for services that help millions of people with disabilities and their families across the country. “Sharing Your Story: A Guide to Medicaid Advocacy” has information to help you share your lived experience with policymakers so they understand the importance of Medicaid and the services it provides to people with disabilities. Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Gujarati, Japanese, Portuguese, and Tagalog, this guide explains how Medicaid works and commonly proposed threats, and offers tips for sharing your story along with a worksheet to help you plan your advocacy message. Read More About Sharing Your Story: A Guide to Medicaid Advocacy
The Next Steps: Addressing Concerns about Your Child’s Development
Are you concerned about your child’s development? Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Gujarati, Portuguese, and Tagalog, this quick guide provides information to connect families of young children in New Jersey with resources for developmental evaluation, services, and support. Read More About The Next Steps: Addressing Concerns about Your Child’s Development
Reverse Job Fair Planning Toolkit
Reverse job fairs provide an opportunity for job seekers with developmental disabilities to showcase their skills, experiences, and personalities in unique ways, and lead to more authentic conversations with employers about what they could bring to the job. This resource provides employment specialists with tools to organize a successful reverse job fair, including: a reverse job fair planning tool, marketing checklist, day of event materials checklist, day of event staffing list, and a reverse job fair participant checklist.
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.
Transition to Adulthood for Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities: A Timeline for Parents
Transition to Adulthood for Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities: A Timeline for Parents provides parents of young adults with developmental disabilities with a one-page overview of considerations in planning for the transition to adult life; national resources on transition topics; and New Jersey’s state agencies and the services they offer.
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.
