News and Updates
Starting today at noon,
the UMKC Giving Day Campaign begins!
Giving day is a 24-hour celebration of generosity that fuels bold impact, bold momentum and bold Roo pride!
This is a chance to show up for the programs and people we care about most.
At the Institute for Human Development, we are champions working to improve lives across Missouri and beyond through education, research and community partnerships. Giving Day is an opportunity to invest in the mission we are advancing together! Every contribution will help expand innovative programs, strengthen our outreach efforts and ensure that critical resources remain accessible to those who need them most.
If you believe in the work we do at IHD and are able to give, please consider making a donation today. No gift is too small. You can make a one-time gift or set up recurring contributions.
There are many causes and affiliates you can show support for — be sure to select Institute for Human Development from the Designation drop-down menu to help support our mission.
As a special incentive, between noon today, March 3, and noon tomorrow, March 4, all first-time donors to UMKC who make a gift of at least $5 will receive a pair of blue Roo knitted socks and anyone who gives $250 or more will receive a limited edition UMKC branded Bluetooth speaker.
Thank you to our supporters, partners, staff and advocates who stand with IHD — your generosity helps accelerate meaningful change so that all people can live, work and play in their chosen communities throughout their lifecourse!
Learn more about UMKC Giving Day from UMKC Foundation.
The Accessible podcast returns with a new season that continues its mission of making disability leadership and disability issues accessible to a broad audience.
Hosted by UMKC Institute for Human Development Director George Gotto and Program Development Director Amelia Reighard, Accessible connects academic learning, lived experience and community impact through thoughtful, accessible conversations.
Produced in partnership by the Missouri UCEDD and Missouri LEND, the new season will open with a focused series titled “Advocacy in Action.” These early episodes will explore advocacy at multiple levels—individual, family, professional and systems-level—through conversations with disability leaders, advocates and experts working across sectors.
In addition to the advocacy-focused series, season five will feature episodes addressing current and newsworthy issues affecting the disability community, including education, healthcare access and food security programs such as SNAP. Together, these conversations aim to deepen understanding of how policy, systems and community-based efforts intersect to shape the lives of people with disabilities.
The season will also highlight the next generation of disability leaders through episodes featuring Missouri LEND trainees. These conversations will spotlight trainee-led community leadership projects, offering insight into how emerging professionals are applying interdisciplinary training, advocacy skills, and collaboration to address real-world challenges in communities across Missouri.
In addition to new episodes, Accessible will host a special Accessible Virtual Book Club event this spring. On April 2, listeners and community members are invited to join a live virtual discussion of Being Heumann, the memoir by disability rights activist Judith Heumann. The book club is open to anyone interested in disability history, advocacy and the ongoing work of the disability rights movement.
New episodes of Accessible will be released throughout the spring.
Listen and subscribe to Accessible wherever you get your podcasts or watch full video episodes on YouTube.
The Institute for Human Development’s Health and Aging initiative is bridging the gap between aging and disability to improve health outcomes for Missouri residents.
A key focus area of the Health and Aging (H&A) team is brain injury (BI). BI can be caused by a variety of events, such as falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries or violence, with symptoms that range in severity and can look very different from person to person.
Because of this, many individuals that may be experiencing certain challenges don’t realize they could have been caused by a brain injury.
To raise awareness in Missouri communities, the H&A team has partnered with several local organizations to pilot a cutting-edge BI screening tool – the Online Brain Injury Screening and Support System (OBISSS) – offered by the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA).
In a recent interview with Jefferson City, MO news station KRCG 13, BI project coordinator Beth Dauber spoke about the potential impacts of BI, the OBISSS tool, and the implications and risks for individuals who are or may become unhoused.
Dauber’s interview was included in a news story highlighting the importance of the Audrain County Shelter Resource Coalition (ACSRC) to the community and how the OBISSS tool is helping its residents learn more about the challenges they face and get connected to support resources.
View the full news story from KRCG 13.
The ACSRC is one of eight OBISSS-partnering organizations focusing on three primary populations – the unhoused, aging adults and survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence.
Unhoused Population
- Audrain County Shelter Resource Coalition | Mexico, MO
- Qualified Therapy Solutions | St. Louis, MO
Older Adults
- Northeast Missouri Area on Aging (NEMO)| Kirksville, MO
DV / IPV
- Citizens Against Spouse Abuse (CASA) | Sedelia, MO
- TMT Consulting | Columbia, MO
- Russel House | Rolla, MO
- YWCA | St. Louis, MO
- Crime Victim Center | St. Louis, MO
Find more information about BI and screening resources in the MO Brain Injury Linktree.
To learn more about OBISSS and other brain injury–informed initiatives happening in Missouri, or to explore ways to support this work, please contact Beth Dauber.
Dr. Makhaya Malema, a visiting scholar from the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, shares his insights on disability leadership in leisure and recreation, while exploring the powerful concepts of Ubuntu and the disability rights slogan Nothing About Us Without Us. Dr. Malema is at UMKC through a university partnership focused on learning about our disability network.
Dr. Malema discusses strategies for including all people in community spaces. He emphasizes the importance of including individuals with disabilities in decision-making to gain full perspectives. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on disability and leadership.
Accessible is a podcast that opens the door to disability leaders and their ideas and is hosted by George Gotto, director at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Institute for Human Development, and Amelia Reighard, director of Program Development.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Institute for Human Development (UMKC-IHD) is the federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) for the state of Missouri. It is a member of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and one of 67 UCEDDs located in every state and United States territory. As an applied research and training center for human services at UMKC, the IHD reports to the Office of the Provost and serves as a bridge between the university and community.
Events
Register for MO-SECA winter professional development training sessions today!
The Missouri Supporting Early Childhood Administrators (MO-SECA) program provides early childhood administrators and family childcare operators across Missouri with knowledge, skills and connections they need to effectively lead and operate sustainable, quality programs.
These free, virtual trainings are organized into three leadership emphasis areas – Emerging, Developing or Transformational – to help participants find sessions that best meet their needs.
Session participants will also receive clock hours for attendance at no cost.
The series has already begun and space is limited, but it’s not too late to register! Check out the upcoming sessions, offered through the end of March, to see what’s right for you.
Emerging Leaders
Aspiring or new leaders assuming a leadership position or role seeking to build a foundation of skills needed to become an effective leader.
- Building Strong Teams with Effective Communication (Mar. 10)
- Professional Development Roadmap: Finding the Right Opportunities for Your Team (Mar. 24)
Developing Leaders
Leaders in their early to mid-career who continue to advance his/her knowledge and skills seeking to better themselves for the betterment of others.
- Facility Maintenance for ECC: Ensuring Upkeep, Repairs, and Space Functionality (Feb. 11)
- Building Stronger Family Ties: A Plan for Better Support in Child Care (Feb. 25)
- Strengthening Early Childhood Programs Through Developmental Screenings and Effective Leadership (Mar. 18)
- Involving Families in Our Family Child Care Programs (Mar. 24)
Transformational Leaders
Professional leaders with a growth mindset who contribute as a leader to the early childhood community and beyond.
- Using Supervision and Performance Management to Grow Your Staff (Feb. 18)
- Leading Together: The Power of Shared Leadership in Early Childhood Education (Mar. 25)
Note: You must be a current MO-SECA participant to register for training sessions.
Not part of MO-SECA? No problem. Learn more about the MO-SECA program and sign up today!
The MO-SECA program is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Office of Childhood (DESE-OOC) and supported by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute for Human Development’s Early Childhood Innovation Center (UMKC-IHD-ECIC).
Join UMKC-Institute for Human Development’s LifeCourse Nexus at the 10th Annual Charting the LifeCourse Showcase!
May 5-7, 2026 at the Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, Missouri.
We invite you to Kansas City to celebrate the 10th Annual Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) Showcase! Together, we will reflect on a decade of growth and impact while continuing to learn how the CtLC framework and principles drive meaningful change in people’s lives.
This milestone Showcase will highlight how a person-centered approach supports people, families, programs, and systems to explore, plan, and problem-solve for positive change.
Throughout the sessions, people who use CtLC, family members, and professionals will share practical strategies and real-world examples of applying CtLC in everyday life and across multiple levels of change. Sessions will feature hands-on learning, direct application, and opportunities to collaborate.
The CtLC Showcase is the signature annual event hosted by the LifeCourse Nexus, a national training and technical assistance center housed at the University of Missouri–Kansas City’s Institute for Human Development.
Earn up to nine clock hours
in just two days at a MO-SECA Academy!
MO-SECA Leadership Academies are not the average professional development opportunities. Step into a world of inspiration, connection, and transformation as you join forces with other early childhood leaders to elevate your program to new heights. Take full advantage of this opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with fellow trailblazers in the field. Elevate your leadership skills and make a lasting impact on the early childhood education community!
The UMKC-Institute for Human Development’s LifeCourse Nexus is hosting the ninth annual Charting the LifeCourse Showcase
April 29-May 1, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri.
As we gather in Kansas City for the Showcase, we will share and learn how the Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) Framework and principles work together to bring about meaningful change in people’s lives.
Our goal is to highlight how this person-centered approach helps individuals, families, programs, and systems to explore, plan, and problem solve for positive change!
During the sessions, people who use CtLC, family members, and professionals will share practical solutions and strategies for using CtLC in their daily lives and across many levels of change. Sessions will provide hands-on learning opportunities or direct application and encourage collaboration.
The CtLC Showcase is the annual event hosted by the LifeCourse Nexus – a national training and technical assistance center – which is housed at the UMKC’s Institute for Human Development.
Check the LifeCourse Nexus site for more information!
