Accessible Audio for Making A Difference

Since its inception in 1971, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), formerly known as the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, has been a powerful advocate for more than 1.7 million Georgians with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families. Our success is driven by the 27-member, Governor-appointed Council and the statewide DD community that have been integr...

Families of adults with developmental disabilities (DD) often find themselves as primary caregivers because they do not want the relative to be institutionalized and alternative options are not always readily available. Individuals with DD who have been referred to a nursing home or other institutional level of care, may be eligible for home and community-based services (HCBS) through Georgia’s Me...

At the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), we are always driven by our overarching values, and specifically by our public policy agenda. As we gear up to head into another legislative session in 2024, I want to take time to reflect on the wins in 2023 before we call on our advocates and community to continue the work in 2024.  In 2023, we were excited to have a big win with waive...

Many Georgians associate the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) with serving or working only with the disability community in Metro Atlanta. To make sure that people with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families meet the Council and learn that it serves the entire state of Georgia, GCDD is launching its virtual road tour and campaign, “G is for Georgia!” This new campai...

Presented by Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), Equitable Dinners, L’Arche Atlanta and Out of Hand Theatre on February 6 and 27, 2024, the two gatherings will bring together dinner and discussion about the value of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) in the lives of Georgians with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families and is the latest iteration of the GCDD Storytel...

The upcoming legislative session provides a unique opportunity to advance inclusivity, empower communities, and foster independence for individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) in Georgia. In this article, I will outline the three key policy areas that the council has decided to focus its advocacy on for the 2024 Georgia General Assembly: (1) increasing Home and Community-Based Services (H...

In November, Uniting for Change held a State and Area Leadership Collective retreat in Macon with 80 people attending. During this retreat, we set priorities for 2024 within each workgroup of the four Local Area Networks, and as the Statewide Leadership Collective. We decided that we will focus on legislative advocacy in each of our three workgroups: Impact and Engagement, Education, and Outreach/...

When Georgia legislator Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, heard from a constituent that there were residents making as little as 22 cents an hour, she had to do a double take. “It seems like that is something out of the 1800s when we didn’t have child labor laws and they had children working for six cents an hour. It’s just antiquated,” she said. Cooper gathered her team to research the issue and discove...

Self-advocates across Georgia work and contribute to their communities as individual citizens and as members of the growing self-advocacy network, Uniting for Change . When we focus on how everyone has something to contribute, we find ways for people to find and share their gifts and talents.  Everyone has something to offer and can contribute when given the opportunity and/or provided with the su...

The EAGLE Academy is a two-year program within Georgia Southern University that provides individuals with intellectual disabilities a chance to gain independence, skills, knowledge and confidence alongside students who do not have intellectual disabilities. The program currently focuses on years three and four of the college experience, meaning the students have either attended other post-secondar...

The state of Georgia's 2023 November elections has significant importance as they will determine the direction and leadership of communities across the state. While they are not as high-profile as statewide or national elections, these municipal races have a profound impact on the lives of Georgians with disabilities and their families. There are roughly 650,000 people with disabilities of vo...

Fall is in the air, the leaves are changing, holidays are right around the corner and my favorite time of the year is almost here. That's right, the legislative session! From the second week of January to mid-March or later in the spring, Georgia State legislators come together at the state capitol, or what we like to call “the Gold Dome,” to work on the state budget for the upcoming year and...

When Georgia legislator Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, heard from a constituent that there were residents making as little as 22 cents an hour, she had to do a double take. “It seems like that is something out of the 1800s when we didn't have child labor laws and they had children working for six cents an hour. It’s just antiquated,” she said. Cooper gathered her team to research the issue and di...

Life can change in an instant. From a loved one falling ill, to a natural disaster in your hometown, to a pandemic shutting down the world, emergencies can strike any time, any place and anyone. And, when it comes to people with disabilities, medical, situational and mental health emergencies can be even more critical and difficult to navigate.  The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (G...

The DSP workforce shortage has been an on-going issue for decades, but it has now become a crisis. People who rely on DSPs for care and community connection are left with few caregiving options. Between poverty-level wages, insufficient benefits, inadequate training, and a lack of advancement opportunities, recruiting and retaining DSPs is a growing challenge.  The Georgia Council on Developmental...

D'Arcy Robb, executive director of GCDD, is back in season 3 to discuss the opportunity that the state of Georgia has to build its workforce and economy by including people with disabilities.  The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic Plan goals to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilitie...

Pinpoint interviewes Emily Myers, region director at Briggs & Associates, a supported employment company that assists people with disabilities with finding employment. This episode speaks about the state of work for people with disabilities, unemployment among people with disabilities, and what Briggs & Associates does to help individuals find meaningful and accommodating jobs and careers....

D'Arcy Robb, executive director of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, shares her views on what the Council has been doing and where it's going. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic Plan goals to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Council, charg...

With the onset of the global pandemic that impacted everyone around the world, the disability community and the services and supports that individuals received daily was greatly impacted. From a Direct Support Professional (DSP) crisis that was already rising before the pandemic to a need for more waiver slots which has been an advocacy platform for many disability advocates, COVID-19 actually inc...

disABILITY LINK is a nonprofit organization in Tucker, Georgia that supports Georgians with disabilities by providing five core services of advocacy, information referral, peer support, independent living skills training and transition services. disABILITY LINK has worked under its current name since 2008, providing services and opportunities to those with disabilities in 12 Georgia counties. Howe...

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic Plan goals to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Council, charged with creating systems change for individuals with developmental disabilities and family members, will work through various advocacy and capacity building activities to...

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic Plan goals to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Council, charged with creating systems change for individuals with developmental disabilities and family members, will work through various advocacy and capacity building activities to...

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic Plan goals to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Council, charged with creating systems change for individuals with developmental disabilities and family members, will work through various advocacy and capacity building activities to...

Now that the 2023 legislative session has ended, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the legislative process and the impact that so many advocates have had on making real policy changes. And hopefully the success stories from this year will inspire and revitalize us to continue doing good work in the “off season.” The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year...

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic Plan goals to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Council, charged with creating systems change for individuals with developmental disabilities and family members, will work through various advocacy and capacity building activities to...