Thanks, those of you who have participated in our blog celebration so far. We’re going to extend the love through the end of February!

Plus, we’re making it even easier to earn a CPD “I make A difference” T -shirt. (You can see how it looks in an earlier post.) How can you get one? Let us count the ways:

1. Like us on Facebook, if you haven’t already.

2. Follow us on Twitter. Or if you already follow us, give us an @ mention.

3. Comment on any post in this blog.

4. Comment on any post on Facebook, or share it to your wall.

5. Share any blog post to Facebook, Twitter or another social network. The buttons at the end of each post will help you share automatically.

After completing one of these five steps, come by the CPD front office and pick up your shirt. It’s that easy.

The CPD’s partner organization, the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council, is seeking applications for members to serve on the 2012 – 2015 Council.

The Utah DD Council is an Advisory Board that provides advice and is the state’s leading source of information, advocacy, leadership and collaboration that supports the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities.

There are two openings for Family Members this coming year and potentially other openings as well. The Council would especially like to encourage members of the public from Southern Utah as well as other rural areas of the state to make application.  The Council would also like to encourage adult siblings to consider making applications.

In order to be eligible to serve as a citizen appointed Council Member, the applicant must be a person with a developmental disability or a family member of a person with a developmental disability as defined by law.

Applications are open until March 31, 2012. Candidates will be interviewed in April and names will then be submitted to Governor Herbert for a 3-year term:  October 2012 – September 2015.

If you have any questions or need some help making the application, please call the Council office at 801-533-3965.

Catch the display in the Education Building Atrium through Friday, February 10.

It’s Education and Human Services Week. And while you’re enjoying the ice cream festivities over in the Education Building atrium, you can also learn more about disability history in Utah. (A complete schedule of events is listed on the college website.)

A series of posters on either end of the Atrium takes a Utah-specific view of significant events in disability history.

A look at Utah’s health history highlights includes pioneering female doctors and a Nobel prize laureate. Institutionalization of people with disabilities is examined. Parents reflect on their fight to have their children with disabilities attend public schools. One parent tells of her journey to participate in her son’s early education.  A veteran recalls a project to help the children of veterans exposed to Agent Orange. An advocate remembers the struggle for equal access to public transportation. People with disabilities reflect on the significance of being included in their communities.

So wander over between February 6 and February 10. It’s a great way to celebrate education, human services and making a difference.

Are you tired of sitting at home while all of your friends are out having fun skiing or snowshoeing?  Would you love to learn how to ice fish or rock climb?  Have you been out to Hardware Ranch yet to see the bull elk?

There’s a place that can make those dreams come true…and then some!

Common Ground Outdoor Adventures is a non-profit organization that organizes fun outdoor recreation for people with disabilities.  For the month of February alone, they are hosting almost 20 different activities ranging from skiing at Beaver Mountain, night snowshoeing, and ice fishing, to a night at the Logan Recreational Center, indoor rock climbing, and a Valentine’s Day Party.

Just go to the CPD Calendar of Events on the CPD Home Page and you can find out more details about each of their activities through the month of February.

If you are interested in learning how to volunteer and help out with the Common Ground activities, they are holding a Volunteer Orientation on Tuesday, February 21st.

Check out their web site to see what other activities they have coming up this winter.  And check back with on our Calendar of Events where we will list their activities month by month.

Those who attended the latest CPD Brown Bag Discussion got in on a good discussion about a variety of disability issues under consideration in Congress and State legislature.

Marty Blair, Associate Director of the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center (MPRRC) and Associate Director of the Center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE) at the CPD, led the discussion on Disability in Federal Legislation:  The State of “Stuck.”

He indicated that the federal committees to watch included the  Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) in the House the Education and the Workforce (Republicans) or the Education and Labor (Democrats).

Current issues being considered that will impact individuals with autism and their families include the Combating Autism Act, the proposed changes in the criteria for diagnosing autism, and insurance mandates for autism, which is a state decision… 29 of the 50 states already have a mandate.

Other questions that are being discussed in Congress include: Will there be a separate funding for family support and self-advocacy?  What about funding for adult services, specifically for those on the autism spectrum?  What is “appropriate” education when considering Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)? and Is there ever a need for seclusion and restraint?

After considering some of the current issues that are being discussed in Washington, DC, this sounds like a good time to keep tabs on what is happening; even maybe a time to contact your own representative so your voice will be heard.