Overview

The Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities is New Jersey’s federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD). The Boggs Center is part of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Pediatrics. Since its inception in 1983, The Center has emphasized a community based, life span approach to meeting the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

The Boggs Center is part of a national network of federally designated University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service. The purpose of University Centers, as outlined in the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, is to work with the other organizations in each state’s Administration on Developmental Disabilities Network – the Councils on Developmental Disabilities and Protection and Advocacy – to provide leadership in the promotion of independence, productivity, and the full inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life.

The Boggs Center provides community and student training and technical assistance, conducts research and model demonstrations, and disseminates information and educational materials. Activities of The Boggs Center are guided by its Consumer Advisory Council and partnerships with people with disabilities, families, state and community agencies, and policy makers.

The federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides The Boggs Center’s core funding. The Center also receives funding from the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities and the NJ Department of Education, as well as other grants, contracts, and per diem training and technical assistance.