About KUCD

History of KUCD

KU Center on Disabilities was first established in 1969 under the leadership of Dr. Richard Schiefelbusch, a pioneer in interdisciplinary research at the University of Kansas. The Center has had many different names throughout its history and has been supported by a number of different federal funding sources, including being currently funded to serve as the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) in Kansas. Advancing research and building university-community connections to impact the supports available for people with disabilities and their communities has remained a core goal of the Center.  

Over the past 10 years, under the direction of Dr. Karrie Shogren, the Center has significantly expanded its mission, research team, and partnerships with self-advocates, families, policy makers, educators and support providers in Kansas, across the U.S. and the world. This has increased the capacity of the Center to advance co-developed research and training that reflects the priorities and needs of the disability community and had direct impacts on outcomes.  

In 2024, our current name KUCD was selected after extensive community conversations with researchers, community partners, and others interested in further expanding our impact and collaborations.  KUCD became the umbrella organization for the KU Center on Developmental Disabilities (KUCDD) and the Beach Center on Disabilities, which shared highly compatible missions.  Both centers began operating as a single unit. KUCD retains the focus of KUCDD, as the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) in the state of Kansas, supporting research, training, technical assistance, and community engagement projects in schools, communities, and disability service systems. KUCD also retains the focus of the Beach Center on Disabilities. Founded by Rud and Ann Turnbull, the Beach Center conducted research and provided training and technical assistance to make a significant and sustainable positive difference in the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families. KUCDD and the Beach Center’s mission and projects are now included as a part of KUCD’s priorities and goals, and we are proud to continue this legacy. 

KUCD is also part of the Life Span Institute, a leading research unit at the University of Kansas.

Funding

KUCD has an array of federal, state, and private research, training, and technical assistance grants. Our Center is also supported by generous endowments from multiple families who have been impacted by the work and mission.

KUCD is the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) in the state of Kansas. This core funding provides support to ensure a strong focus on enhancing outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the life course. The national network of UCEDDs is authorized under Public Law 106-402 (The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 or "DD Act") and their core funding is administered by the Administration for Community Living (ACL). KUCD is also a member of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) network.

Mission and Values

While our core functions–research, community engagement, training and education, and information dissemination–have always directed what we do, the values explain both why and how we have undertaken this work. These are the five values that guide our work: