Founded in 1970, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana’s University Center for Excellence on Disabilities, is committed to providing Hoosiers with disability-related information and services that touch the entire life span, from birth through older adulthood. The Institute’s faculty and staff support this mission and activities through a shared set of values.
- People with disabilities are full, participating and contributing members of their communities — in school, work, home, neighborhood, spiritual, and recreational settings.
- People with disabilities exercise choice and control over their futures.
- People with disabilities have dignity and are treated with respect. People with disabilities and their families are involved in the design and implementation of services and supports.
- Additionally, shared values are complemented by guiding principles that define the manner in which the Indiana Institute operates
. These principles encompass the following ideals:
- Life span focus;
- Emphasis on community;
- Systems change;
- Unique partnerships; and
- Strengthening connections between university and community.