News from the Center
The Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities has been awarded a transformative grant to launch “Raising Texas Voices,” a two-year project aimed at enhancing advocacy training for people with developmental disabilities and their families across the state. This project, funded by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD), will leverage data-driven insights and community-based approaches to ensure advocacy efforts are inclusive, culturally appropriate, and generationally relevant.
Researchers have long studied the virtues of gratitude and grit, but the study of the foundational virtue of patience has received less attention. Through a $4.71 million grant from Templeton Religion Trust, a team of interdisciplinary researchers at Baylor University and three other U.S. universities are set to begin a longitudinal study on patience. The study will focus on what can be learned about patience from those who experience adversity, particularly for parents of adolescents.
The Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities, in partnership with the Waco Committee for People with Disabilities, hosted its first community conversation on employment for individuals with disabilities at University High School in Waco ISD. The primary purpose of the event was to consider ways individuals with disabilities can experience improved access to job opportunities. More than 60 members from the greater Waco community, including businesses, organizations, advocacy groups and individuals with disabilities attended the discussion.
The Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) is proud to celebrate the recent feature of Melody Escobar, a research associate with our Collaborative on Faith and Disability, on the Currents in Religion podcast. In this insightful episode, Escobar discusses her newly released book, Revelations of Divine Care (Baylor University Press, 2024), offering listeners an engaging conversation about caregiving, community, and unconditional love.
The Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) team took part in the Baylor homecoming tradition to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. BCDD faculty, staff, students, and adults with disabilities from the Waco community worked together to design and decorate a float for the historic BU homecoming parade.
In October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The transition to adulthood is a critical time for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), where emphasis is placed on learning skills that can promote independence, employment, and community inclusion after high school.
Janie Contreras-Muñoz is filled with anticipation about the many opportunities that lie ahead. As she enters her final year as a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at Baylor University, she is deeply involved in research and training that impacts the lives of diverse families. Her work focuses on enhancing the social well-being of families dealing with various health conditions and developmental disabilities. She also serves as a Student Fellow with the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD).
Dr. Tracey Jones is passionate about bilingual education and promoting linguistic diversity. With a career spanning more than 25 years, she cares deeply about creating inclusive educational environments for all students, including those with disabilities. Dr. Jones serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor University, where she specializes in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Bilingual Education. Her contributions to the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) continue to be substantial. As a Faculty Affiliate, she helps lead the Center’s Spanish-language caregiver training series.