This week, NACDD staff are holding office hours on Capitol Hill to support state #DDCouncil members meeting with congressional offices. This is an important part of the work of YOUR State DD Councils who educate and inform lawmakers about the issues that matter to their local #disability community.

Iowa: Supported Decision-Making (SDM) Demonstration Project. SDM helps people keep the right to make their own choices instead of having a guardian doing it for them. The demonstration project will help 10 to 15 people who are 60 or older. The project wants to help more people with SDM and reduce unnecessary guardianship.

Connecticut: Systems Change & Local Network Alignment. This projects aims to share BADN insights with local organizations. The state will host five online meetings with local senior centers, disability groups, and home care providers. The goal is to make it easier for older adults with disabilities to find and use the help they need.

Kansas: “IDD-Informed AAA Partners” Certification. Creating a new certificate for Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). Agencies will get special training and money to learn how to better support older adults with disabilities. This helps aging services and disability services work together more closely.

Illinois: Accessible, Multilingual Resource Catalogue. This project is making a new resource guide for families and agencies. The guide will include fact sheets and lessons in many different languages. It will help more people find services in their own neighborhoods and across the state.

NACDD and #ACL announced four states were awarded additional Bridging Aging and #Disability Network #BADN funding.

Following a competitive review process, the awardees selected were: #Iowa, #Connecticut, #Kansas, and #Illinois. The proposed initiatives are highlighted here.

#DDCouncil #DDCouncils

Councils in Action: New York New York’s Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD) helps people and their families learn about self-advocacy – how to speak up for what they need. They provide training so people feel confident making changes in their communities.

1/ Councils in Action: #NewYork

New York’s Council on Developmental Disabilities #NYCDD helps people & their families learn about self-advocacy (how to speak up for what they need). They provide training so people feel confident making changes in their communities.

#DDCouncil #WereHereAllYear

3/ Councils in Action: Washington State

Visit our Council Impact page to learn about these WADDC initiatives and other programs from across the country: nacdd.org/were-here-al...

DD Councils: We're Here, All Year — For You!

#Disabilities #DDCouncil #NACDD #DisabilityRights #WADisabilityCouncil

Did you know?

A majority of DD council members (60%) are individuals with developmental #disabilities or family members. This is required by federal law to ensure the work stays grounded in real needs.

Click play for more interesting #DDCouncil facts!

#Disability #DisabilityAwareness #DDAdvocacy