The Legacy, Importance, & Impact of LEND: Evidence and Personal Stories

Authors

• Emily Zalimeni, Boston Children's HospitalFollow
• Emma Stone, Enable VenturesFollow
• Alexa Fortier, School of Global Inclusion and Social Development/ UMass BostonFollow
• Leia Getchell, Northeast Health ServicesFollow
• Nataliya Kloyzner, Simmons UniversityFollow
• Asha Abdullahi, Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education (SPACE)Follow
• Elizabeth Barkoudah, Boston Children's HospitalFollow
• Meghan Chapman, Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN)Follow
• Meredith Close, Boston Children's HospitalFollow
• Heather Engholm, Boston Children's HospitalFollow
• Melissa Levin, Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteFollow
• Aanchal Sharma, Boston Children's HospitalFollow
• Sarah Sparks, Baltimore City Public SchoolsFollow
• Patricia Rissmiller, Simmons UniversityFollow
• Amy Szarkowski, 1. NextSense Institute, Macquarie Park, Australia; 2. Dept of Linguistics, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, AustraliaFollow
• Jason M. Fogler, Boston Children's HospitalFollow

Abstract

Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) programs offer an interdisciplinary/interprofessional training opportunity for medical and allied health professionals, and individuals impacted by disability, including family members and self-advocates. Toward the aim of advocating for the enduring need of LEND and similar training programs, this article centers the voices of a subset of our alumni who have advanced the rights and improved the lives of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These stories are intended to illustrate the key lessons and principles of LEND training, including attending to disability issues in education, growing skills within and between individuals working together, prioritizing person- and family-centered care, and promoting advocacy and leadership. This testimony shows how LEND’s reach goes far beyond the clinical setting and expands into the community. Funding LEND should be viewed as an investment in inclusive and equitable healthcare, education, and opportunity.

Plain Language Summary

This paper is about Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) programs. LEND-trained clinicians and teachers listen better and provide better care to people with disabilities. They create programs that help people with disabilities, too. Funding for LEND programs should not be cut.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Zalimeni, Emily; Stone, Emma; Fortier, Alexa; Getchell, Leia; Kloyzner, Nataliya; Abdullahi, Asha; Barkoudah, Elizabeth; Chapman, Meghan; Close, Meredith; Engholm, Heather; Levin, Melissa; Sharma, Aanchal; Sparks, Sarah; Rissmiller, Patricia; Szarkowski, Amy; and Fogler, Jason M. (2026) "The Legacy, Importance, & Impact of LEND: Evidence and Personal Stories," Developmental Disabilities Network Journal: Vol. 5: Iss. 2, Article 26.
DOI: 10.59620/2694-1104.1159
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ddnj/vol5/iss2/26