The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities, authored by the Illinois Center in Chicago, provides information to governors and state legislators on how state dollars are spent for care and services for persons with developmental disabilities and provides historical trends on those expenditures . University Centers also use cutting edge technology, such as the Internet, to provide individuals with disabilities and their families access to new information and networking opportunities with other families. The Family Village project at the Wisconsin Center is an Internet system designed to help families with disabilities network with other families around the world. In addition, the system provides families validated disability specific information and organized listings of exiting health and community services. Leading Through Collaboration .
Collaboration occurs at many levels.
Centers work locally and nationally with other programs to ensure that people have access to a full spectrum of rights and care. Centers also collaborate with federal agencies to bring developmental disabilities expertise to their ongoing work. Centers are constantly looking beyond what they know to seek creative solutions to emerging issues. The new reauthorization encourages Centers to evaluate emerging trends and community needs with other partners in the state and community. Together they are charged with the task of addressing those needs through research and training.