[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 106 (Thursday, July 17, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S9583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES 
              CENTER FOR DISABILITIES CELEBRATES 30 YEARS

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, it is with great honor that I rise 
today to congratulate the University of South Dakota School of Medicine 
and Health Sciences Center for Disabilities in Vermillion, SD, which 
will hold its 30th anniversary celebration on Wednesday, July 30, 2003.
  Started in September 1973, as the Developmental Disabilities 
Evaluation Center, the Center for Disabilities has a long and 
distinguished history of providing training, service, information, and 
research not only to South Dakota, but to the entire region. My wife 
Barbara served on the DDEC staff during those initial years. Thirty 
years later, the school continues to serve those needs of South Dakota 
through current projects, such as the Autism and Related Disorders 
Program, Birth to 3 Connections, Cheyenne River Reservation Rural 
Health Outreach Project, Deaf-Blind Program, Dietetic Internship, and 
the Upper Midwest Public Health Training Center. The Center for 
Disabilities is also working with other States to provide service in 
projects such as the Four-State Consortium on Studies in the Prevention 
of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effect and the Upper Midwest 
Public Health Training Center.
  Over the last 30 years, the University of South Dakota School of 
Medicine and Health Sciences Center for Disabilities has provided 
quality services to the people of South Dakota. Their goal, which is to 
``work with others to create opportunities that improve the lives of 
persons with disabilities and those they consider their families,'' has 
been demonstrated through the citizens with whom they have worked. 
Those ideals have also been carried out by the students who have 
graduated and gone on to excel in their careers.
  Not only has this center encouraged learning and research, but the 
University of South Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences 
Center for Disabilities also strives to bring together communities. 
Indeed, one of the core functions of the center is community education. 
The Center works to provide training and assistance, not only to 
individuals with disabilities and their families, but also to 
professionals, paraprofessionals, policymakers, students, and any 
member of the community who chooses to get involved.
  I want to acknowledge Executive Director Judy Struck, Director of 
Research Amy Elliott, Director of Services and Supports Matthew Hocks, 
Director of Community Education and Population Studies Roland 
Loudenburg, Director of Information and Resources Heather Stettnichs, 
and Director of Academic Training Joanne Wounded Head for the guidance 
and support they provide to the Center and all who work with it. I 
would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the project and 
program staff at the Center: Missy Bailey, Mark Boyd, Stephanie Brown, 
Mary Fitzpatrick, Sherry Lafferty, Teresa Nold, Ellisa Nyberg, Susan 
Parr, Mary Mikkelson Peterson, Cheryl Raysby-Park, Dennis Stevens, 
Brittany Schmidt, Tracy Stephens, Kimberly Butler, Pam Anderson, Gregg 
Drube, Rolad Ellis, and Dan Korves. Finally, I would like to recognize 
the hard work of support staff members: Jaime Larson, Kristen Blaschke, 
Jennifer Gaspars, Paula Koller, LaVita Logue, Misty Miller, Jeanette 
Smolik, Elizabeth Fox, and Alana Richards.
  I am proud to have this opportunity to honor the University of South 
Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences Center for Disabilities 
for its 30 years of outstanding service. It is an honor for me to share 
with my colleagues the exemplary leadership and strong commitment to 
education and research the University of South Dakota School of 
Medicine and Health Sciences Center for Disabilities has provided. I 
strongly commend their years of hard work and dedication, and I am very 
pleased that their substantial efforts are being publicly honored and 
celebrated.

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