IDRPP Funding Under Threat in 2026
The FY27 Federal Budget proposal calls for the elimination of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities like the IDRPP, along with several other disability-related programs.
The Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice is Utah’s federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), located within the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at Utah State University. IDRPP was established in 1972 by Dr. Marvin Fifield, and was the first UCEDD program in the nation to focus on the educational and social needs of children with disabilities. Over our 50-year history, the Institute has grown into one of the largest UCEDD programs in the nation and is recognized as a pioneer in research, training, technical assistance, and services for children and adults with disabilities, families, and the professionals who serve them.
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Our Mission
We are working together to create communities where everyone can belong and contribute. We improve the lives of children and adults with disabilities and their families through sustainable innovation, collaborative research, responsive service, and interdisciplinary training and education.
Our Values
- We Innovate: We lead by developing dynamic, sustainable, forward-thinking programs and services.
- We Include: We demonstrate how to effectively build welcoming communities in our planning, programs, and services. We celebrate all people.
- We Collaborate: We forge partnerships. Working together makes us more effective and responsive to the current needs of our clients and communities.
- We Care: We do what we do because we care. We are making the world a better place for people with disabilities and their families.
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IDRPP Blog
Policy Notes, Summer 2026
A brief summary of two issues in disability policy that IDRPP is watching: one involving segregation and one involving digital accessibility as it is defined in the ADA.
Cassandra Shaw Named USU Employee of the Year
Cassandra Shaw was honored as Utah State University’s Employee of the Year. Her face is familiar to the many partners and collaborators who have come to IDRPP events in Salt Lake City.
Subscribe to IDRPP Publications
- Utah Disability Today
- Utah Assistive Technology Program newsletter
- Utah's Multicultural Disability Network & newsletter
- Up to 3 newsletter
- WebAIM newsletter