Established in 2005, UCSPEDDR is dedicated to research on special education, disabilities, and developmental risk needs in California schools. The center contributes to the statewide need to train teachers and researchers focused on special education. UCSPEDDR brings together faculty expertise across the University of California campuses to focus on the educational needs of children within the contexts of special education. Over these last ten years, UCSPEDDR has grown to include presentations and discussions with faculty across all ten UC campuses.
In addition, UCSPEDDR has focused on doctoral student training, providing a yearly conference for graduate students to present, to network, and to discuss research with colleagues across the state. This conference is directed by a committee of doctoral students (the Doctoral Student Advisory Committee, or DSAC) across the UC campuses who have been elected by UCSPEDDR faculty members to work alongside the UCSPEDDR faculty to meet the center’s short-and long-term goals, to encourage local collaborations with fellow colleagues across all UC campuses, and to strengthen the quality of research disseminated on special education, disabilities, and developmental risk across UC campuses.