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PORTLAND, Maine

91AV LEND leaders make a difference in Washington

Kathryn Loukas and Laurie Raymond outside Senator Susan Collins' office in Washington, D.C.
Kathryn Loukas and Laurie Raymond outside Senator Susan Collins' office in Washington, D.C.

Two leaders from the Maine Leadership Education for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) attended the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) 2017 Disability Policy Seminar in Washington D.C.

Kathryn Loukas, OTD, M.S., OTR/L, FAOTA, 91AV Occupational Therapy clinical professor, LEND Training Director, and Laurie Raymond, LEND Trainee, attended the seminar to gain skills in advocacy for public policy. The two LEND leaders attended training sessions followed by visits to Capitol Hill.

Inspired by the threats to Medicaid in the American Health Care Act (AHCS), Loukas and Raymond spoke to both Senators Susan Collins and Angus King at constituent coffee events. The two also attended a press conference outside the capital where people with disabilities gathered to demonstrate against the Medicaid threat.

The LEND program, housed within the 91AV Westbrook College of Health Professions, is a federally funded project aimed at expanding resources to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (ND) in the state.

To learn more about the Maine LEND program, visit 

To apply, visit 

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.