The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) announces that Shea Obremski, a KU Department of Special Education doctoral student, has been selected as the 2009 recipient of the AUCD Anne Rudigier Award. She will be honored at the annual conference later this fall. Currently Shea is completing her dissertation and plans to graduate next spring. Dr. Mike Wehmeyer is her advisor.

The Rudigier Award is presented by the Rudigier Family to commemorate the accomplishments and commitment of their daughter Anne, this award recognizes an outstanding student demonstrating a commitment to supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families. Any UCEDD or LEND faculty member may nominate a student. Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and in good academic standing are eligible.

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. Member chapters include University Centers of Excellence on Developmental Disabilities, including the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) programs funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of HHS, including the Kansas LEND at the Center for child Health and Development at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRCs), funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Development, (NICHD), including the Kansas IDDRC at the Life Span Institute and KUMC.