URochester LEND

Earlier today, UR LEND graduates gathered in person with LEND faculty, family, and local politicians to celebrate their accomplishments. Congratulations and good luck as you take what you have learned and use it to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.

This is Karina Dutra Pinto Pereira, Dental trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Karina’s answers:

What book or series did you wish you could live in?
The Bible, especially during the time of Jesus, to live and learn directly from His teachings.

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I love playing video games

What is your aim for this year?
Improve my clinical skills, make the most of the LEND program experience, and further develop my academic and professional English.

What does true leadership mean to you?
Listening first, and turning empathy into concrete actions that create a positive impact.

What aspect of your discipline do you enjoy most?
Building trust with patients — especially those with special health care needs — and restoring function in ways that improve their quality of life.

On Friday, UR LEND fellows went to United Access on West Henrietta Road to learn about accessible vehicles. They were given a tour of the facility and were able to see the inside of some of the vans and touch the equipment to see how it functions. They also learned about custom made vans and that United Access rents them as well. An invaluable experience for our UR LEND fellows.

Meet Jason Chukwu, Advocacy trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Jason’s answers:

What book or series did you wish you could live in?
A book or series that I wish I could live in is the Holes book series by author Louis Sachar.

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
“Don’t stress the small stuff and learn to enjoy laughing at things… including myself

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I love to dance and am a passionate music head.

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
At Karaoke night, I would love to sing a song by the alt rock band Linkin Park called “Battle Symphony”.

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
I wish that I was aware, years ago, that this particular support program for the Disabilities world had already existed.

Meet Heather Graupman, Psychology trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Heather’s answers:

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I’m six years old (leap day birthday).

What word do you want to be added to the dictionary, and what is the definition?
Omotional - feeling an overwhelming mix of all the emotions at once.

Would you rather meet your ancestors or descendants? Why?
I think I would rather meet my ancestors. After hearing so much about people I never got the chance to meet, I would love to have conversations and know more about where I came from.

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
Lots of thoughts and even more coffee.

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
I want to know more about the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities and their families. While you can learn a lot from textbooks and theories, I think there is a deeper understanding that can be drawn from hearing from individuals who can report on their direct experiences.

We’d like to introduce you to Sarah Pranaitis, Medicine trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Sarah’s answers:

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I can play the flute.

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
“B(u)y the book”

If you could use magic to do one mundane task for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Bonus question: What would you name the spell?)
“Chef-ify”—a spell when pointed toward any food would create a delicious meal as though it was made by a chef!

What does true leadership mean to you?
To me, true leadership means leading by example even when no one is watching.

What is your aim for this year?
My aim for this year is to learn as much as possible, especially in regard to community/local resources that are available and accessible to all.

Meet Kirk Swan, Social Work trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Kirk’s answers:

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I am an avid hiker and aspiring backpacker/trekker. I would love to one day take on the full length of the Appalachian Trail. This thru-hike takes about 6 months to complete.

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
“What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes

Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room? Why?
I would rather be the smartest person in the room. The smartest person would know how to read a room and know all the jokes to share accordingly. You can be smart and funny!

What is the weirdest fact you know?
Cats do not meow in the wild. Meowing is a behavior that domestic cats have developed exclusively to communicate with people.

What aspect of your discipline do you enjoy most?
Working directly with people and supporting clients with achieving meaningful and lasting change in their lives.

Only 17% of reproductive health providers receive disability-related training (Taouk et al., 2018). For women with intellectual and developmental disabilities, that gap isn’t a statistic — it’s a life-altering barrier.

At this year’s 41st Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability, our University of Rochester LEND multidisciplinary team is presenting Breaking Barriers: a novel interdisciplinary professional development model that centers disabled women’s lived experiences as expert knowledge and challenges the deficit-based frameworks that have long shaped provider training.

The session explores how K–12 educational exclusion shapes lifelong health outcomes, how counter-narrative pedagogy disrupts ableist assumptions, and what reproductive justice looks like when it actually includes everyone.

Designed for educators, clinicians, disability advocates, caregivers, and anyone committed to equity-driven, person-centered care.

📍 Find us at PacRim 2026 and come ready to rethink what professional training can do.

Earlier this week, our UR LEND faculty and fellows traveled to Washington, DC to attend Disability Policy Seminar. The Disability Policy Seminar promotes unity and movement building and amplifies the concerns of people with IDD before Congress. On the last day of the conference, our faculty and fellows met with members of Congress and discussed the importance of Medicaid funding. UR LEND trainees are learning to advocate on the local, state, and even federal level.