In the spring of 2006, community members joined with the University of Arizona to develop a proposal for the creation of a new University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in Arizona, the Sonoran UCEDD. University, state and local disability agencies and community groups focused on community needs which weren’t being met – health, wellness and competent treatment issues for adults with developmental disabilities; concern of aging caregivers and people with developmental disabilities as they age; employment barriers for youth and young adults with developmental disabilities; and the complex questions of supports and services in the Arizona-Mexico border region. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities awarded the Sonoran UCEDD a grant to establish its center for excellence in the fall of 2006 and its second five year grant in 2011. The Sonoran UCEDD has been hard at work to make its vision a reality – to ensure that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have the supports they need to fully take part in the life of our community.