Developing Leaders in the Disability Field: Southern Miss Trainees Complete LEND Program
Wed, 06/04/2025 - 08:55am
LEND, the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, prepares graduate students, self-advocates, community members, and families to be leaders in the fields of disability education, research, advocacy, and policy. Currently, there are 60 LEND programs across the United States and its territories.
This year, five University of 91°µÍøºÚÁÏ LEND trainees fulfilled the program requirements by completing 300+ hours of direct clinical or didactic training, a leadership project and a research project. The 2024–2025 Mississippi LEND trainees included:
- Chiquila Dolison, Parent Advocate
- Tara Dunleavy, Master of Social Work Student
- Jaylen Mack, Advocate
- Bailey McIlwain, Master of Social Work Student
- Riley Thomas, Master of Counseling Psychology Student
In addition, Chiquila Dolison was selected by her peers in Mississippi and Arkansas as the recipient of the 2025 Eldon Schulz Trainee Award, the most prestigious honor given to a LEND trainee each year. Congratulations to Ms. Dolison on this well-deserved recognition for her exemplary leadership and research focused on Montessori Approaches for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The Eldon Schulz Trainee Award honors the legacy of Dr. Eldon Schulz, who joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in 1991 and served as medical director of Rehabilitation Services at Arkansas Children’s Hospital from 2001 until his passing in June 2018. His legacy of interdisciplinary care and community advocacy lives on through this award, which recognizes outstanding leadership and service in support of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
The Mississippi LEND program is offered through a partnership with the Arkansas LEND Program. For more information about the Southern Miss LEND program, contact Dr. Jerry R. Alliston or call 601.266.5979.