Virginia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Partnership for People with Disabilities

Learn more about what it means to be a Va-LEND Trainee in the video below!

Are you interested in being a Va-LEND Trainee?  Email valend@vcu.edu for more information. 

About Va-LEND

Va-LEND is an online interdisciplinary leadership training program offered through the Partnership of People with Disabilities within the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Education. The Va-LEND program is part of a larger network of 60 other LEND programs across the nation, which are federally funded through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The Va-LEND faculty represent 16 disciplines from 6 Schools at VCU and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Longwood University. 

The interdisciplinary program provides 12-24 months of interactive seminars, clinical and community-based practice, planned community grassroots, and systems level policy activities, and a family mentorship experience. The curriculum emphasizes all aspects of neurodevelopmental and related disabilities, social and family environments across the life course, the interdisciplinary approach, leadership,  and research and includes: 

  • Interactive Seminars
  • Clinical and Community-based experiences
  • Family Mentorship Experience
  • Grassroots and Systems Level Policy Activities

 Learn more about the three different LEND tracks here: Long-Term Academic, Long-Term Non-Academic, and Advanced Medium-Term Track.

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We accept applicants for the following disciplines:

  • Audiology
  • Education/Special Education
  • Family Member
  • Genetic Counseling
  • Law
  • Medicine
  • Nursing
  • Nutrition
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Physical Therapy
  • Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Self Advocates
  • Social Work
  • Speech-Language Pathology

Do you have more questions about the program? Please email valend@vcu.edu.