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Intellectual and Developmental Disability at Stanford

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attendees of fall 2024 IDD brunch pose for a group photo

Fall 2025 IDD Brunch #2!

IDD@Stanford Events

Hi everyone! 

We're having a second IDD Brunch this Fall quarter! In order to accommodate some other folks who are not able to make Friday brunches, we are hosting a Monday brunch to mix things up. Join us in this (hopefully) cooler weather, eat some yummy food, and meet new folks who are invested in the IDD community. Details for the brunch are below. Details on our speakers are below, and our focus for this brunch will be on the IDD transition cliff. We hope to see you all there! As of right now, speakers are TBD. 

RSVP Link:https://forms.gle/gv8jLrGRZqD8NrzF9  

Date: Monday, November 17th, 2025 

Time: 10am-12pm 

Where: Stanford DisCo Space 

Address: 563 Salvatierra Walk, Stanford, CA 94305 

Catering: Ada's Cafe! 

IDD@Stanford Website: https://stanfordidd.stanford.edu/  

Speakers: 

Think by the Bay 

Speakers:  Sarah Taylor Co-Founder, Think by the Bay; Sara McDaniel, Associate Prof of Special Education at CSUEB; Talya Kemper, Associate Prof of Teacher Education 

CSUEB was one of six California State Universities to receive a pilot grant from the CA Department of Developmental Services to launch a program in Fall 2023! Our pilot grant is led by Dr. Tayla Kemper, Associate Professor of Teacher Education (PI) with Dr. Sara McDaniel, Assistant Professor of Special Education and Dr. Sarah Taylor, Professor of Social Work. It is a sub-award of a collaborative project involving six CSU campuses, by project lead institution CSU Long Beach (PI Dr. Kristin Powers), with SFSU, SJSU, CSUN, and CSUSM. Our CSUEB workgroup began working together in Spring 2022 to gather input from stakeholders to inform program development and explore options for program design and additional funding. Collaborators include Dr. Alex Sandoval, Assistant Professor of Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism; Dr. Christopher Palmore, Assistant Professor in Criminal Justice; Dr. Rajan Selvarajan, Associate Professor of Management; Dr. Susi Ferrarello, Assistant Professor, Philosophy and Religious Studies; Dr. Lisa Lacy, Community Partner Researcher; Dr. Brien Araki, Community Partner Researcher; Anahita Mehrabi, MSW Student Research Assistant; and Diona Tran, Community-Based Research Assistant. (https://www.csueastbay.edu/cdjr/think-by-the-bay.html)  

Trauma Informed Care for Medical Procedures for Patients with IDD 

Speaker: Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA 

Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA is Associate Director of Pediatrics at the Center and is also a Pediatric Anesthesiologist and Bioethicist. She earned her bachelors degree in Bioethics from the University of Judaism and her Masters in Bioethics and Health Policy from Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics at Loyola University Chicago. She co-chairs the Ethics Committee at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. Her areas of interest include pediatric bioethics, research on the practice of medicine, end-of-life conversations, and ethics in organ transplantation. (https://med.stanford.edu/bioethics/people/faculty.html)  

Learn more about Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

What are Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities?

Intellectual and developmental disabilities, also known as IDDs, are a subset of disabilities. Developmental disabilities are conditions/ disorders that cause limitations in intellectual, physical, neurological, and/ or sensory functioning. Intellectual disability is the most common developmental disability affecting intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. IDD typically refers to when both intellectual and developmental disabilities are present.

Some examples include: Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Fragile X Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Global Developmental Delay (GDD)

A wall with multicolored tiles that says Kindness Corner in bigger writing across the center

Get Involved in the Community

Volunteer with local organizations serving the local IDD population including Special Olympics Northern California, HOPE Services, Magical Bridge Foundation, and more!

Key Facts

  • 1-3% of the global population has an IDD.
  • Not all causes of IDD are known are understood. Some of the known causes of IDD include genetic mutations, additions, or deletions, prenatal exposure to substances, toxins, or infections, complications during birth, and environmental factors.
  • While you are typically born with an Intellectual/ Developmental Disability, an Intellectual Disability can develop up until the age of 18, while a Developmental Disability can develop up until the age of 22.
  • Some challenges with having an IDD include communication, social interactions, self-care, and independent living.
  • Intellectual Disabilities are more common in low income countries, as are disabilities in general.
  • Individuals with an IDD are more likely to experience poor health outcomes, victimization, and early death.

How You Can Make a Difference

  • Stay up to date on disability research, news and policies.
  • Talk with people who have a disability and ask how you can be an ally, respectfully.
  • Get involved in events and volunteer work with the IDD community.
  • Call out ableism when you see it and stand up for those in the disabled community who can't stand up for themselves.

Last but not least ...

IDD in the News

Quarterly IDD Brunches

Creation of this website is part of a project that was launched with funds awarded by Stanford’s Office of Community Engagement