The Center was named in honor of Lee Mitchener Tolbert, a young man with a developmental disability, and his many accomplishments. The Tolbert Center started as a library and resource center , which remains a primary function. The Center s collection includes books, journals, other documents, videotapes, evaluation tools, and a computerized database related to people with developmental disabilities from an interdisciplinary life span perspective.
Materials are available to anyone with interest in people with developmental disabilities.
Educational activities are another focus of the Tolbert Center. Center faculty and clinical staff participate in the professional programs in occupational therapy and physical therapy , in the postprofessional master of science degree program in rehabilitation sciences, and in the interdisciplinary doctor of philosophy program in allied health sciences. Faculty and staff also provide educational outreach through professional development workshops and conferences for service providers and families of people developmental disabilities of all ages. The Institute for the Study of Outcomes in Pediatrics and Developmental Disabilities is a part of the Tolbert Center. Center faculty and clinical staff carry out research related to improving services and supports for people at risk for or with developmental disabilities and their families.