Our Trainee Program
Who can be a LEND Trainee?
- Graduate Students who demonstrate a desire to increase their leadership and advocacy skills for the advancement of the field of disabilities in Appalachia and other rural areas.
- Self-Advocates individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities who want to increase their ability to stand up for themselves and make their own decisions.
- Family Members or caregivers of individuals with disabilities who want to increase their knowledge of how to advocate for their loved ones.
- Community Members who are active participants within their communities and who want to increase their knowledge and advocacy skills within the field of disabilities in Appalachia and other rural areas.
Why become a LEND Trainee?
- Develop your leadership & advocacy skills
- Be a member of a multidisciplinary team
- Create your own Individualized Training Plan
- Collaborate with professionals, families, community members, and self-advocates
- Participate in research
- Expand your understanding of the impact of cultural diversity, inclusion, and equity on individuals with disabilities and their families
- Broaden your individual lens of disability studies, theory, and rural communities
Trainee Requirements
Per grant requirements, all trainees must be US citizens or Non-Citizen National of the US or Individual with Permanent Resident Visa Status. Also, all trainees must be registered by completing and submitting the CED registration form and required trainings to the CED Training Coordinator.
Long-term Trainee Requirements:
- Complete at least 300 hours of training in one academic year
- Virtual Summer Institute
- In-Person Fall Orientation
- Two three-credit-hour Core Curriculum Courses or degree requirement equivalent.
- Weekly LEND Educational Series: Research; Leadership; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Monthly Interdisciplinary Journal Club
- At least 30 hours of interdisciplinary clinical and field experiences
Medium-term Trainees
- Complete 40-299 hours of training in one academic year
- Complete Disability Immersion Program
- Observe interdisciplinary clinics
- Attend trainings from the LEND Educational Series: Research; Leadership; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Become familiar with family-centered care
Short-term Trainees
- Complete 9-39 hours of training in one academic year
- Attend trainings from the LEND Educational Series: Research; Leadership; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Observe at least one interdisciplinary clinic
Other University Students
Not registered as CED trainees and who meet at least one of the following:
- enrolled in university courses related to disabilities, taught by CED faculty/staff, and carrying academic credit
- enrolled in university courses related to disabilities and carrying academic credit for which CED faculty provide one or more lectures
- receiving other structured experiences in the CED which does not otherwise meet the definition of CED Interdisciplinary Trainee