KU disability research center nationally recognized for community partnership
LAWRENCE — The Kansas University Center on Disabilities (KUCD) is among five national recipients of the 2026 Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Award.
The distinction from Campus Compact honors higher education programs and initiatives that make a meaningful impact by partnering with communities to address complex social issues. KUCD, based at the KU Life Span Institute, is the only honoree in the Midwest region of the United States.
Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities developed to promote civic and community engagement, recognized KUCD for its work partnering with the disability community as active members of inclusive research and dissemination teams.
Karrie Shogren, KUCD director and Ross and Marianna Beach Distinguished Professor of Special Education, highlighted the center’s innovation and impact through its community partnership with the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas (SACK), which has supported training and technical assistance, information dissemination and community engagement at KUCD.
“Partnering with the community is foundational to our work at KUCD,” Shogren said. “We are immensely grateful for our partnership with SACK and the opportunity to co-create new directions for research and practice to advance outcomes for people with disabilities.”
Members of SACK co-signed a letter supporting the nomination for the award. The letter describes how most research centers on intellectual and developmental disabilities don’t fully engage members of their community in research.
“(Other centers) decide what’s important, do their studies and then just tell people with disabilities the results — without asking us what matters or how we want information shared. KUCD is different,” the statement read. “KUCD partners with us in ways that make a bigger impact than either of us could make alone. We are excited for what’s next and know that KUCD will continue to support, elevate and work alongside us to advance equity and justice for the disability community.”
Other university-community partnerships to be honored with the Community-Engaged Partnership Award are based at Chemeketa Community College (Salem, Oregon), Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon), University of Rochester (Rochester, New York) and at Southern Connecticut State University (New Haven, Connecticut). Winners will be recognized at Campus Compact’s annual conference March 16-18 in Chicago.