ED&I Hub | Diversity Fellow Project, Magda Rivera-Dillon, ME, PMP, LPN

WVU CED LEND Teens with Autism Support Group

Project Narrative

1. Please describe your activities during your Fellowship experience. Describe your final capstone project(s).
My second year participating in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and realted Disabilities (LEND) and Diversity and Disability Fellowship Programs was a very busy and rewarding year for me. I was a member of the West Virginia University (WVU) Center for Excellence in Disabilities (CED) Diversity and Inclusion Committee, a MS in Health Science Program Peer Mentor, the AUCD LEND Virtual Trainee Liaison, and the Student Coordinator for Journal Club and the Teens with Autism Support Group. I participated in many activities and clinical experiences including the Journal Club, the Leadership Seminar, the Feeding and Swallowing Clinic, the Next Steps Clinic, the Teens with Autism Support Group, the intensive Autism Service Delivery (iASD) Clinic and the Klingberg Clinic at the CED. I presented at the 2016 AUCD Conference Fellowship Poster Symposia.

During my second year, I continued to work with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder through the Teens with Autism Support Group and the intensive Autism Service Delivery (iASD) Clinic at the WVU CED. I also worked in the WVU School of Medicine (SoM) Diversity Thread Project and continued working in the Outreach and Expansion Project. In the first project, the goal was to support the current medicine curriculum revision to increase content concerning diversity and disability. In the second project, the goal was to continue community outreach concerning the Teens Autism Support Group at the WVU CED to increase awareness and participation. Based on my second-year experiences and the WVU School of Medicine Diversity Thread Project, I prepared and submitted one poster presentation application to the 2017 AUCD Conference.

2. Who did your project inform, help, influence or impact? (UCEDD, individual, community, state) How?
The Teens with Autism Support Group was selected for continued outreach in the community. The Teens with Autism Support Group flyer in English was modified to a business card format for easy dissemination and portability. The Teens with Autism Support Group card and flyer were printed at the WVU CED Graphic Services and disseminated in the community. The Teen with Autism Support Group card along with the documents I created during my first year of participation in the program were displayed at my table during my presentation at the 2016 AUCD Conference Fellowship Poster Symposia. The Outreach and Expansion Project raised awareness in the community about the available services offered by the WVU CED services in the Morgantown area. Following dissemination of flyers, the Center received inquiries for information concerning the Teens with Support Group. New participants joined in the Teens with Autism Support Group during the 2016 fall semester.

As part of the WVU SoM Diversity Thread Project, I researched available training materials that could readily fit in the SoM curriculum. I recommended the use of the CDC Autism Case Training and the AUCD Life Course Training. This effort included the review of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) course content which is given during the fall and spring semesters of the first year of medicine. I reviewed the PBL curriculum for the Fall Term 2016 and provided recommendations. The recommendations were well received by Dr. Nield, the Diversity Thread Director. Dr. Nield presented the recommendations at the SoM Thread Directors Meeting. During Spring Term 2017, I reviewed the PBL curriculum for the second semester and provided recommendations. This project supported ongoing revision efforts in the SoM curriculum to increase educational content in the areas of diversity and disabilities to improve the quality of healthcare services.

3. Why did you choose to work on that project(s)?
I chose to work on these two projects because I truly believe in the benefits of the leadership education and services provided at the WVU CED and the WVU SoM. I believe that raising awareness in the community allows for increased participation and improvement in the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families in the Morgantown area. I believe that increasing the educational content in the areas of diversity and disabilities will help the next generation of medical doctors to have increased cultural competence and provide better healthcare services to their patients.

4. What did you gain from being a Diversity Fellow?
I feel truly blessed that I was a Diversity and Disability Fellow for a second year because it provided me with added responsibilities and additional opportunities to learn and gain experience. During my second year, I participated in several activities and built a rapport with the new WVU LGBTQ+ Center. I am now more educated with regards to diversity in my community and more engaged in ongoing diversity events and activities.

5. How will this experience impact your education or career decisions?
By supporting the iASD Clinic as part of my Diversity and Disability Fellow experience, I gained training and experience in Applied Behavior Analysis based treatments which made me want to pursue additional education in this area to better serve persons with disabilities. I am currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Special Education with Emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis that the WVU Department of Special Education.

6. What are your future goals? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
In May, I graduated with a Master of Science in Health Sciences with an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Disabilities Studies. My future goals are to continue working towards completing the Graduate Certificate in Special Education with Emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis and continue working in projects that help people with disabilities in the Morgantown area. Five years from now, with a lot of hard work and commitment, I see myself pursuing doctoral studies at WVU.

7. What recommendations do you have for other Fellows?
My second year as a Diversity and Disability Fellow was an exciting and fulfilling experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I truly recommend to other Diversity and Disability Fellows to make sure to participate in as many activities and trainings offered to you as part of being a fellow and to work on a project that you really are engaged with and believe would make a positive impact on others. This is a win-win combination to help you gain the most out of this wonderful experience of being a Diversity and Disability Fellow.