UArizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities

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UArizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities

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Expanding possibilities and enhancing independence through education, research and service. http://www.aucd.org

Over the past 16 years the University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities, part of the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the College of Medicine – Tucson, has been hard at work to make its vision a reality – to ensure individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have the supports they need to fully participate in the vibrant life of our community. To accomplish this goal, the Sonoran Center has focused on capacity building, infrastructure development, and fostering leadership to establish itself as a recognized leader in disability within Arizona and across the nation. University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) like the Sonoran Center exist in every state to serve as a resource for people in the areas of education, research and service relative to the needs of people with developmental disabilities. Authorized by the Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 and funded by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are 67 UCEDDs in the United States and its territories. To learn more about the network of UCEDDs, see the Association of University Centers on Disabilities' website.

10/30/2026

Join our team! The Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities at the University of Arizona is looking for a Student Digital Assistant to help curate content promoting our programs and increasing disability awareness. We are looking for someone creative to work directly with our Communications & Marketing Program manager to help with new and existing projects.

10/23/2026

Join our team! The Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities at the University of Arizona is looking for a Vocational Specialist for Transition Services to implement pre-employment transition services in local schools by engaging with families and students with disabilities. If you live in Yuma, the Hopi Community or Northwest Valley in Phoenix and are interested, please consider applying.

10/22/2026

Last week, the Sonoran Center officially launched our Inclusive Education: Advocating for Comprehensive S*x Education toolkit made in collaboration with Arizona Coalition to End S*xual and Domestic Violence! This toolkit serves as a guide for discussing and advocating for inclusive s*x education in Arizona schools.

The Sonoran Center's From Silence to Safety project and Arizona Coalition to End S*xual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV) are strong believers in comprehensive s*xual education that includes people with disabilities. This collaboration seeks to ensure that people with IDD have access to the knowledge and resources necessary to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and s*xual health.

10/21/2026

A wonderful resource developed by disability Disability Advocacy and Policy Alliance!

This year, DAPA reached out to all validated candidates running for state office in Arizona and asked 5 questions important to the disability community.

Each candidate also had an opportunity to tell voters how they are connected to the disability community.

We would like to thank the 50-plus candidates who participated in this survey.

You can access the full document here:https://care4thecaregivers.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-Disability-Vote-Accessible-1.pdf

10/20/2026

Congrats to the Sonoran Center’s Agnes Attakai, who has been selected as a member of The Patient Engagement Advisory Panel for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute - PCORI! This is a great opportunity to bring a range of knowledge and experience from across the healthcare community to help shape PCORI’s important work.

Agnes is the Director of the Circle of Indigenous Empowerment, a sub-unit for our Native Initiatives at the Sonoran Center. Her appointment provides a unique perspective that will help guide PCORI’s approach to patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research.

10/15/2026

Next Tuesday the Sonoran Center and Arizona Coalition to End S*xual and Domestic Violence are co-hosting a workshop for parents/caregivers on how to advocate for inclusive s*xual education with their local school board.

This workshop will use the Inclusive Education: Advocating for Comprehensive S*x Education for All toolkit, a new resource the Sonoran Center's From Silence to Safety project has created with the Arizona Coalition to End S*xual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV). We will work with attendees to understand what inclusive s*x education can look like and learn to advocate for it.

By combining expertise in s*xual violence prevention and disability inclusion, this collaboration seeks to ensure that people with IDD have access to the knowledge and resources necessary to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and s*xual health.

You can register for the workshop here: bit.ly/InclusiveS*xEdAZ

10/15/2026

Join us on October 28th for a Circle of Indigenous Empowerment Webinar! This virtual workshop will be presented by Agnes Attakai and
Rosa Rojas Franco.

This webinar will cover how the Sonoran Center designed a Native American-led transition to employment framework for Tribal youth responsive to culture, highlight promising practices, and the development of Wayfinder, a culturally adapted Pre-Employment Transition (PreETS) curriculum.

Join us on zoom from 11am-12pm MST.
Register today at: bit.ly/CIEFindsTheirWay

10/14/2026

For this week's Staff Spotlight we are recognizing Celina Urquidez, our Education & Training Senior Coordinator at the Sonoran Center! Celina has been dedicated to curating successful programming and training for years, and has done a great job supporting students at the university. Her work has enriched the culture at the Sonoran Center as she works directly with community partners gaining first-hand perspective.

Learn more about Celina and the work that she does here: bit.ly/CelinaU

10/12/2026

This week's Motivational Monday is brought to you by Susan Fabian! Susan is the Financial Analyst for Family and Community Medicine and manages accounting.

She enjoys the community and sense of belonging her work is centered around and appreciates the Sonoran Center's efforts for building self-advocacy.

10/08/2026

September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month and with one week left, we want to take time to recognize the vibrant history and contributions the Latino community continues to provide.

To celebrate this month, the Sonoran Center has created a media list consisting of books, films, creators and more that highlight the intersections between Hispanic heritage and the disability community. This list is an opportunity to remind ourselves that the cultural contribution of communities is rich with knowledge and allows us to continue to diversify our everyday content.

View our media list for Hispanic Heritage Month here: bit.ly/HHMediaList

Address

1521 E Helen Street
Tucson, AZ
85721

Telephone

(520) 626-0442

Website

http://sonorancenter.arizona.edu/

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