Technical Assistance Nationwide
Reprinted with permission of
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services Magazine, Fall 2008
Serving the special education community since 1980, the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center (MPRRC) provides technical assistance and disseminates information to improve services and results for infants, toddlers, and youths with disabilities. The MPRRC is the technical assistance division of the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University.
The formation of the MPRRC under the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services umbrella at Utah State was one of the major career accomplishments of Glenn Latham (deceased). He was the director and principal investigator there for more than 20 years. In that capacity he brought millions of dollars to the college and university for educational programs.
John Copenhaver is the current director for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE) and the MPRRC. Copenhaver has been with TAESE/MPRRC since 1989. His work has involved providing technical assistance at the school, state, regional, and national levels. Copenhaver was recently presented with two major national awards; the Martha J. Fields Excellence Award from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the Joleta Reynolds Award.
The vision of the center is to assist social systems, including communities and schools, to ensure that all infants, toddlers, children, and youths with disabilities and their families are served, valued, and respected as individuals. The MPRRC is a catalyst for systems change in capacity building in education on the local, state, and federal levels. The center is recognized as a national leader in the provision of technical assistance on behalf of people with disabilities. A funded project of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and one of six Regional Resource Centers (RRC), the MPRRC serves Arizona, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. For more information on the MPRRC go to: www.rrfcnetwork.org/mprrc. You can access the TAESE web site at http:/www.usu.edu/taese/.
