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VERMILLION, S.D. – Oyate` Circle, a program offered by the University of South Dakota’s Center for Disabilities, has been recognized by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities as the recipient of the 2021 Multicultural Council Award for Leadership in Diversity.
Founded in 2017 to serve South Dakota’s Native American people with disabilities, Oyate` Circle is a resource, education, outreach and training project. Led by Lakota tribal members Jim Warne and Wayne Weston, Oyate` Circle addresses significant needs in Indian Country. “No people in the United States have a greater rate of disabilities than the Native American community,” Warne explained.
The Center for Disabilities is housed at the Sioux Falls campus of the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. Since beginning in 1971, the center has endeavored to provide clinical and treatment services for people with disabilities and their families, as well as educate health professionals, the public and decision makers about the needs and contributions of people with disabilities.
USD’s Sanford School of Medicine is nationally known for excellence. With its award-winning curriculum, the school prepares medical students to practice in all fields of medicine and is particularly recognized and ranked for its reputation in family medicine and rural medicine. In addition to the M.D., it offers graduate degrees in basic biomedical science, sustains a vibrant and forward-looking research agenda, and is home to the interdisciplinary Center for Brain and Behavioral Research.
Founded in 1862 and the first university in the Dakotas, the University of South Dakota is the only public liberal arts university in the state, with 202 undergraduate and 84 graduate programs in the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Education, Knudson School of Law, Sanford School of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Beacom School of Business and College of Fine Arts. With an enrollment of nearly 10,000 students and more than 400 faculty, USD has a 16:1 student/faculty ratio, and it ranks among the best in academics and affordability. USD’s 18 athletic programs compete at the NCAA Division I level.
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