Contact Us

Karen T. Dixon, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for CIRC Program Development and
Consumer Coordinator
Phone: 205-996-4939
E-mail: KDixon@uab.edu

Information & Links

November 10 Meeting Audiology Presentation (you must have PowerPoint to view the presentation)

National and Local Legislative Information

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities maintains a legislation information web site that provides important information about issues related to developmental disabilities. The site includes information alerts and links to contact members of Congress using your zip code. Links to local legislators are available on the Alabama Legislature web site. Follow our HAVA link above for specific information about voter registration and the Help America Vote Act. (HAVA).

Featured Links

Alabama Disabilities Action Coalition is a non-partisan coalition of individuals with disabilities and organizations representing them. ADAC conducts Candidates Forums and Legislative Days to educate legislators and the public about disability issues.

The Full Life Ahead Foundation is dedicated to helping students reach their goals in life. Click the link above for more information about this hard working foundation located in Birmingham, AL.

Links To Key Civitan Center Staff

Dr. Harald Sontheimer
Civitan Center Director

Dr. Alan Percy
Director of Research, UAB Civitan Center Director and Director of the Alabama UCEDD.

Dr. Ellen Dossett
Co-director of the Alabama UCEDD.

The UAB Civitan International Research Center is focused on research and issues that affect families and individuals with developmental disabilities. We are Alabama's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education Research and Service.

CIRC Consumer Affairs and
Consumer Advisory Committee Web Site
UAB Official Web Site Disclaimer

About Us

The Civitan International Research Center Consumer Advisory Committee provides leadership on issues of interest to people with disabilities and their families throughout the nation, and aims to empower people who have disabilities and their families to be agents for change. The Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) is composed of people from throughout the State of Alabama. Everyone who serves on the Consumer Advisory Committee has direct experience with the challenges and possibilities associated with having a disability--either as a person with a disability or as a family member. In addition, members of the Committee provide leadership to many other agencies and advocacy organizations within the State of Alabama and around the nation.

NEWS and EVENTS

Simpson Ramsey Lectureship 2006, March 30, 2006
The annual Simpson Ramsey Lectureship will be on March 30, 2006. "Towards Defining the Autism Phenotype” will be the topic of guest lecturer Joe Piven, M.D., Director of the MRRC at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. The Simpson Ramsey Lecture also serves as an event to recognize the outstanding community contributions of a service organization in developmental disabilities and to honor an outstanding former student who trained at Civitan-Sparks Clinics. Please click here for a detailed schedule of events and locations.

Report on Workshop on Self-employment for Individuals with Disabilities
Karen Dixon, Ph.D., Civitan Center Consumer Coordinator, recently attended a training workshop held at the 4-H center in Columbiana, AL on self-employment for individuals with disabilities. The workshop was hosted by the Full Life Ahead Foundation and partially funded by the Alabama Council on Developmental Disabilities. David Hammis, a leading expert and advocate in the area of self-employment was one of the weekend’s presenters. Hammis provided strategies and guidelines on self-employment for those who receive SSI or SSDI benefits. Steve Doty from the Social Security Administration provided information on the “Plan for Achieving Self Support” (PASS) program. PASS allows individuals who receive SSI to set aside funds to be used for their business without lowering benefits or losing Medicaid. John Roberts from the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, department of vocational rehabilitation, is a specialist in the social security disability programs. He provided information and expertise on SSI and SSDI, and counsels consumers and families across the state. In addition to the presentations there was plenty of time to network and talk with families. Judy Barclay, UAB Consumer Advisory Committee board member and President of the Full Life Ahead Foundation Board, and her husband Henry Barclay, brought together a knowledgeable team to provide important training for families and service providers in a relaxed, informal setting.

" Learn the Signs. Act Early." is a new public awareness campaign launched by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its partners to increase the understanding of developmental milestones and the importance of acting early when a possible delay is noticed. The earlier a child with a developmental delay receives appropriate assessment and intervention, the more likely the child is to reach full potential. Click here for links to the program as well as information of importance to parents of young children, health care professionals, and individuals and organizations who would like to support the program at the community level.

National Organization on Disability Announces Harris Poll Results Concerning Barriers to Voting
The information below was gathered by the National Organization on Disability through a Harris Interactive Poll. The National Organization on Disability, founded in 1982, promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America’s 54 million people with disabilities in all aspects of life. N.O.D. is a nonpartisan organization. For more information visit www.nod.org. For more information about ongoing efforts in Alabama to eliminate barriers to voting visit our Help America Vote Act web site.

N.O.D.s poll*, conducted by Harris Interactive., found that of the roughly one-fifth of U.S. adults with disabilities who said they had wanted to vote, but were not able to:

* 29 percent said they could not get accessible
transportation;
* 22 percent said their eligibility had been challenged;
* 21 percent reported the polling place was not accessible;
* 21 percent reported their mental or physical abilities
were questioned;
* 19 percent said they could not understand the voting
machine;
* 18 percent said they were made to feel embarrassed or
uncomfortable;
* 12 percent reported that needed alternative voting
formats (e.g. large print ballots, computer assisted
voting booths, paper ballots, etc.) were not available;
* 12 percent said needed assistance (e.g. a sign language
interpreter) was not available; and
* 8 percent said they were not allowed to have someone help
them with the voting machine.

There are 40 million Americans of voting age who have disabilities. In the 2000 election, 41% of those voted. In Alabama, the figures are upwards of 871,000 voting aged people, with a little over 323,000 voting in the 2000 elections. (U.S. Census Bureau figures)

Public Forum August 16, 2004 discussed developmental disabilities services and issues related to system change
Families members and persons interested in developmental disabilities attended a live televised interactive public forum at four locations across Alabama on August 16, 2004 to discuss a wide range of issues related to developmental disabilities, services, service providers and system change. The program was part of a week-long site visit from the federal funding agency, the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, which provides major support for the University Center on Developmental Disabilities, Education, Research, and Service located at the UAB Civitan Center. The forum with sites in Troy, Tuscaloosa, Florence, and Birmingham, was hosted by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP), the Alabama Council on Developmental Disabilities (ACDD), and the UAB Civitan International Research Center. For detailed information about participating, agencies, sites and other information click here.

There was standing room only as an overflow crowd attended the forum hosted at the UAB 15th Street teleconference facility.

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