After five decades of service to the state of Arizona, the Institute for Human Development (IHD) at Northern Arizona University is celebrating its half-century of existence by inviting people to learn more about its mission and services at an open house.
The institute, which was created as the Northern Arizona University Rehabilitation Center, helps support community members with disabilities to have good quality of life and participate in all of life’s experiences. It is made up of university faculty and others who represent a range of human service disciplines and offers resources and programs for both students and members of the community.
IHD has been providing such services for 50 years. On Sept. 1, 1967, then-NAU President J. Lawrence Walkup approved the name change when the university changed the center’s status along with the new scope of programs being developed, which expanded the focus to addressing behavioral and social problems and not just rehabilitation.
“Throughout its history, the institute has emphasized services, research and training. These focus areas continue today as the institute celebrates its past and focuses toward the future to provide positive changes in the public’s perception of persons with disabilities,” executive director Kelly Roberts said. “We work toward having our collective efforts facilitate ongoing improvements in access, attitude and inclusion for people with disabilities”
The open house, to which all members of the NAU and Flagstaff community are invited, will run from 4-7 p.m. Oct. 6 at the institute’s building, 912 Riordan Road. It is one of several events the institute has planned in coordination with the NAU Commission on Disability Access and Design.