Expanding Community-Centered Care for Latino Families with Developmental Disabilities

The UIC CARES Clinic recently received a $65,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services to expand parent and caregiver training for Latine families with young children who have developmental disabilities. This funding effort addresses systemic gaps in access to culturally relevant services — especially for families who face barriers to traditional healthcare and behavioral support — and aligns closely with the mission of this resource website to share tools, insights, and community-centered work that supports caregivers, clinicians, and advocates.

Under the leadership of Dr. Rocco Catrone, Principal Investigator and Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor, and Dr. Elizabeth Cambray-Engstrom, Co-Principal Investigator and post-doctoral faculty, the program emphasizes self-care, social and behavioral skills, and improved family interactions as core areas of training. Their approach reflects disability justice principles and meaningful community engagement, creating support that families might not otherwise access and that can help bridge gaps before more formal interventions are pursued.

This work underscores the importance of combining values-informed support with practical strategies — the same blend that this website aims to showcase through its caregiver resources, clinical insights, and practical tools. By bringing attention to this grant and the leadership of Dr. Catrone and Dr. Cambray-Engstrom, we celebrate the ongoing effort to make support accessible, culturally responsive, and driven by community needs.

Read the full story by clicking this link: https://today.uic.edu/uic-cares-clinic-receives-grant-to-expand-services-in-latine-communities/