Family-Centered Care

"Children with disabilities are members of families. It is these families who are the constant over the child’s lifetime, and who have the child’s best interests at heart. If MCH leaders are to work to improve systems of care for children and youth with special health care needs, it is vital that they recognize and lead with the philosophy of family-centeredness in their teaching, their service provision, their research and their advocacy. 

For MCH LEND graduates to gain a sense of understanding into the perspectives of families of children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities is an over-arching goal of LEND. That understanding is demonstrated by the capacity to step outside oneself and acknowledge the perspective of another person by way of articulating an appreciation of the place that person describes. A family’s perspective may encompass the complexity of the on-going struggles they face on a daily basis, their emotions, adaptations and adjustments; their pride in their child’s potential, contributions and capabilities; their concerns about the obstacles and challenges they face; their thoughts and hopes for the future." 

- Association for University Centers on Disability (AUCD)

Our LEND Program offers several opportunities for family involvement and interaction between families, self-advocates and trainees- including, but not limited to those below.

Family Trainees

The LEND program provides family members of children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to develop their leadership and advocacy skills as part of an intensive training program that also includes trainees who are graduate students from a variety of healthcare and education disciplines.  Family trainees complete the same rigorous requirements as other LEND trainees by participating in lectures, discussion groups, presentations, and projects. To qualify for the family traineeship, the applicant must be a family member of a child or adult with a developmental disability, have demonstrated interest in leadership and advocacy, and have a desire to pursue future opportunities to advocate for all children and adults with disabilities. 

Disability Leadership Trainees

The LEND Pittsburgh program provides people with a disability an opportunity to enhance their leadership and advocacy skills through a eight-month training experience (from August through April each year). LEND Pittsburgh is seeking at least one self-advocate trainee who is 21 years or older, has prior self-advocacy skills, and who has an interest in furthering their skills to participate in advocacy activities that promote inclusion and meaningful participation of people with disabilities. As trainees, self-advocates will have a chance to learn about leadership in a new way by educating other trainees on how to interact with people with disabilities.  

Self-advocates bring to LEND the disability point of view.  As disability leadership trainees, the self-advocate will participate in learning activities with other trainees who are graduate students from a variety of healthcare and education disciplines.  They will complete a similar set of requirements as other LEND trainees -- participating in lectures, discussion groups, presentations, and projects.