University Center for Excellence In Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service
We are on a mission to promote diverse abilities across the lifespan through interdisciplinary training, research, and service.
The Center on Disability Studies (CDS), College of Education, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa is an Organized Research Unit recognized by the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents. It is also in its 35th year as a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), authorized under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act). As one of the 67 UCEDDs, it continues its commitment to support people with disabilities and their families through research, training, and demonstration activities, and disseminating the results of its work to community members, professionals, students, and policymakers.
CDS is a valued partner with state and regional organizations and responds to their needs for technical assistance. CDS designs and offers many training programs; provides community-based demonstrations to build local capacity to improve services to individuals with disabilities; and conducts numerous statewide, national, and international dissemination activities.
Through numerous education and early intervention, employment, and community living projects, the Center on Disability Studies serves thousands of underrepresented people, including those with disabilities and their families, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other underserved people, helping provide them pathways to empowered lives of full participation and access.
CDS Updates
Resources and Message of Support for Maui
CDS would like to express our deepest condolences and heartfelt support for the people of Maui amid these horrific wildfires that have claimed lives and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and beloved home to many.
Pac Rim 2024 Registration Now Open!
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Center on Disability Studies, in the College of Education, is now accepting registrations for the 39th Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, February 27–28, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Click on the button below to learn more!
FY22 CDS Annual Report Now Available
In this Annual Report you will read how we have worked during the pandemic to continue to strengthen collaborations with various state agencies and partners. As you navigate through the report, we invite you to please explore our stories of impact, identified as highlights from work toward these goals, and spotlights on individual projects and core activities of our center.