On Friday, April 28, the Sonoran Center hosted its annual Trainee Symposium, showcasing the results of months of hard work and dedicated research by this year’s cohort of trainees.

Tessa is an 18 year old girl on the Autism spectrum, getting ready to graduate high school. She has a bubbly personality and moves through the world with a genuine curiosity, eagerness, and zest for life. Her bright smile spreads joy wherever she goes.

On March 28, ArtWorks hosted its first music therapy event for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. During the event, participants learned about rhythm, sang and danced to popular songs, and had a fun and relaxing afternoon of music.

In February 2023, the Sonoran Center was proud to contribute to another successful Interprofessional Education Event on Disability. Over 700 University of Arizona students gained valuable insight about collaborating across different fields to provide quality healthcare for people with disabilities.

When the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities enters into a partnership with another organization, we strive to ensure that everything is done in the spirit of collaboration. Rather than imposing our own ideas of what works, we keep communication open at every opportunity, so that our partners can best inform us of what they need and we can work towards a solution together. 

The Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities is a proud partner of the Annual African American Conference on Disabilities (AACD) and has been a formal and informal sponsor since its inception more than a decade ago by co-founders Renaldo Fowler and David Carey.

This past month, the University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities, the Southern Arizona Network for Down Syndrome, and Tucson Village Farm partnered to host a vegetarian cooking class program. The class was designed to be inclusive and intergenerational, with participants’ ages ranging from 11 to 80.

The University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities was a proud sponsor of the Big Game weekend SuperFest event in Peoria, Arizona on Saturday, February 11, 2023. The football and cheerleading clinic, in support of The Matthew Foundation, is held with the purpose of showcasing inclusion, while providing an opportunity for youth with developmental disabilities the chance to participate together with their peers.

The University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities is proud to introduce our new Program Manager for Native Initiatives: R. Joshua Drywater. We sat down with Josh to discuss the path that led him to the Sonoran Center, the talents and goals he brings to our team, and what’s coming up next.

Last May, we introduced you to our director of community education and outreach, Brandy James, PhD, who was just starting out her time at the University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities. Now, almost a year later, we’re returning to look at her exciting new developments.