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Current Feature Stories
Preparing for the 2022 Legislative Session
Georgia’s hot and sticky summer is finally coming to a close. The leaves are changing, the weathe...
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A Desire for Independence
Living Independently is an article series by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (G...
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State of Employment: How Shifts in the Economy Impacted Job Seekers with Disabilities
While the pandemic has played a key role in every aspect of life for the last 20 months, employme...
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On A Personal Note
On October 16, 1992, I began working at what was then called the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. Since then, I have had the honor and privilege of meeting people with developmental disabilities and their families all over this state.
Our New Council Leadership Team
This edition of Making a Difference will introduce you to our council leadership team. You will note that GCDD Chairman Nick Perry has co-written this letter with Executive Director Eric Jacobson. This will be a regular column. Nick was appointed to GCDD in November 2020 and elected chairman in January 2021.
Now is the Time to Get Vaccinated
It has been over a year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Since then, we have struggled with how the virus might impact us or a loved one. We’ve worn masks and isolated ourselves from others. When people got sick and went into the hospital, we could not visit them.
Our brothers and sisters living in nursing facilities have been left alone, and many have passed away without the comfort of friends and family. Our only hope was that scientists would develop an effective vaccine.
Students Soar at the EAGLE Academy at Georgia Southern
For his first year of college last fall, Max Champion took half his classes online. This semester, he’s happy to be taking them all in person. Champion, 20, is a student at the Equal Access to Gainful Learning and Employment
Students Excel at Georgia Tech
Elliott Smith has known he wanted to work with children since the seventh grade. After starting as an intern, Smith now works 35 hours a week as a teacher’s assistant at the Phase Family Learning Center in Alpharetta. “It’s a
East Georgia Makes Higher Education an Easy CHOICE
Theresa Davis retired from her position as a special education instructor and high school transition coordinator after more than a decade, but she chose to continue working with young adults with disabilities who wanted to attend college after high school.
My Journey to One of My Dreams
Uniting for Change is a grassroots network of self-advocates that is growing the self-advocacy movement in Georgia. Along with family members, allies and supporters, self-advocates work on “uniting Georgians and influencing change by speaking up and taking control of our
Essay Forty-Six
I would like to share with you a message from my dear friend and use her message as a conduit for my own. We have known each other for a while but have become extremely close during COVID-19. She is
Uniting for Change Impact Committee at Work!
Hello from Uniting for Change, a statewide network of self-advocates who are “uniting Georgians and influencing change by speaking up and taking control of our lives.” We are a group of folks in Georgia who have intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) and
What’s Happening in Washington?
As we round out the end of the fiscal year, action in the nation’s capital is both frenetic and action-packed. Congress is super-focused on passing a historic multi-trillion-dollar reconciliation bill that includes major investments in COVID recovery, infrastructure development, and
What’s Happening in Washington?
Federal Disability Policy Updates If 2020 felt like a long crawl across the Sahara Desert, 2021 feels a lot more like being in a race at the Indy 500 here in Washington! Check out the whirlwind of activity occurring both
What’s Happening in Washington?
It’s been a busy 2021 so far, which has brought some important wins for the disability community. Below we provide a few key updates and what we expect to see in the coming months. COVID-19 Response American Rescue Plan Act:
Preparing for the 2022 Legislative Session
Georgia’s hot and sticky summer is finally coming to a close. The leaves are changing, the weather is starting to get that nice cool and crisp feeling, and now it’s time to get ready for fall. Here at the Georgia
Focus on Education
In this Education edition of Public Policy for the People, we will be focusing on the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE)’s plans to spend the dollars provided to the state’s educational system through the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds
2021 Virtual Advocacy Days Bring Greater Access to Event for People with Disabilities
Over 550 disability advocates registered to virtually attend the 2021 GCDD Advocacy Days – the first time the DD council has hosted the days exclusively online since the initiative’s inception. Hosted by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) in
The Blossoming of Real Communities
When a Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) initiative ends, the celebration continues. The work has planted a seed, sown results, and now all can watch the fruits and impact of the initiative multiply as time goes on. So it
Welcoming Community Movement Adds Think Tank Partner to Coaching Group
TeMaya Eatmon has been chosen as the Think Tank Partner for the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) initiative the Welcoming Community Movement (WCM), overseen by Global Ubuntu. Eatmon joins other leaders who are coaching those participating in the WCM
Welcoming Community Movement Gaining Momentum across Georgia
A new focus has changed the 10-year-old Real Communities Initiative, funded by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), into a totally new movement. The program, now the Welcoming Community Movement (WCM), has shifted its goal to creating welcoming communities
Progress on GCDD’s Five Year Strategic Plan
The federal government requires all Developmental Disabilities Councils to create new strategic plans every five years. The Five Year Strategic Plan determines how each Council will allocate funding to create systems change for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) and family
GCDD Funding Boosts Key Georgia Projects Seeking Federal Support
For the last 35 years, the Quick Response Research Award Program has awarded small grants to a variety of academic institutions to support social and behavioral science in the wake of disaster. As the pandemic began last year, Georgia State
Statewide Disability Organizations Form New Network
The Georgia Developmental Disabilities Network (GDDN) is a consortium of 15 Georgia disability-focused organizations that are committed to connecting people with resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Launched at the beginning of the pandemic in Spring 2020, GDDN has hosted monthly
Making Competitive, Integrated Employment a Reality
GCDD interviewed Amy Gonzalez, Project Manager for the Administration on Disabilities (AoD) Disability Employment Technical Assistance, to discuss the ways competitive, integrated employment is becoming a reality for people with disabilities across the country, why employers need to get on
Going Back to School
For students with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), I don’t think we’ll be able to find many students that haven’t typically had some negative impact around their education for the past two years during the COVID-19 disruptions. For many students, especially if
Let’s Talk About Advocacy
Featuring Nandi Isaac, Self-Advocate & GCDD Council Member Nandi Isaac, self-advocate and GCDD council member; and Eric Jacobson, executive director of GCDD sat down for a virtual interview on what advocacy means and how it helped the disability community during
Telling Their Own Stories
Treasure Maps showcased the stories of 10 people from across the state with developmental disabilities. The stories are expressions of the storytellers themselves. They chose the stories they wanted to tell, what was most important to them as individuals, as
Model of Hope
“I’m ready to tell my story! Have you seen any of my movies?” This is how Eric Naindouba, a soon-to-be 14-year-old with cerebral palsy greets us as we meet for the first time in a local McDonald’s. Eric is with
The Kidpreneur
It’s a rainy Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Georgia. The Christmas tree is up in the Le Denney house, but it’s not yet been decorated. Seven-year-old Kalel, Kal for short, runs from one end of the house to the other, full
A Desire for Independence
Living Independently is an article series by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). The series will cover self-determination and self-direction. Jenny Pryor lives an active life working in a Kroger supermarket, hiking on her off days or sometimes catching
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