U. professor earns award for contributions, commitment to helping individuals with disabilities
On November 7, Deborah Spitalnik, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) and the executive director and founder of The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD).
The AUCD annually presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize career-long dedication to supporting people with disabilities and their families, according to the AUCD.
"The Boggs Center is dedicated towards improving opportunities for people with disabilities generally — but disabilities that start early in life — to participate in their communities," Spitalnik said. "And we do that through education, research, the development of information and service in the community."
Spitalnik said that proper federal programs for people with disabilities began to sprout up under President John F. Kennedy but that New Jersey fell behind in this regard. She said she was nominated to create a program to address the state's lack of adequate resources.
For the program, which would later become The Boggs Center, Spitalnik collected input from Rutgers' School of Social Work and the Department of Psychology. Additionally, she sought input from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which later became part of Rutgers.
Spitalnik said she created The Boggs Center in 1983, and the center currently comprises approximately 50 people. She said The Boggs Center collaborates with the state of New Jersey in improving psychological environments in the state's public schools to accommodate students with disabilities.
The Boggs Center also contributes to RWJMS's disability education requirement, hosting a seminar that includes a home visit to a family living with a person with a disability, according to the program's website.
Additionally, The Boggs Center aids people with disabilities with their familial relationships and career prospects, including programs for recent graduates and employers of individuals with disabilities, she said.
"We do work with people who are transitioning from school to adult life (and) people with disabilities and their families," Spitalnik said. "And one of the things that I like about my job a lot is that I got to do different things."
Spitalnik said that her role as the center's executive director includes specific duties like supervising the organization, providing education on developmental disabilities, building initiatives and participating in research activities.
Spitalnik said she had been a part of disability programs since being a graduate student and found herself working in these programs for much of her academic career due to the close mentorship and relationships she was able to make.
"The design of these programs just sort of speaks to this idea of looking to the community and bringing the community to the University and bringing the University to the community," she said.
Spitalnik said she has an academic interest in the impacts of policy on society and completed her Master's in Social Policy as well as a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She said she focuses her teaching on breaking down policy in a digestible way for people who are affected by it and leveraging her voice and The Boggs Center to advocate for the inclusion of public concerns in developing policy.
Spitalnik said that her colleagues presented her with the award, which added to the significance of the event for her. She added that she has found value in feeling like a beneficial force to people with disabilities and that she feels fortunate to perform meaningful work.
"It's wonderful to have your work recognized," she said. "But to have your work recognized in a caring context of friends and colleagues meant so much to me."
