April 17, 2023 - GCDD Making a Difference Magazine

Public Policy for the People: A Recap of Georgia’s 2023 Legislative Session

Following the end of the Covid-19 pandemic and a strenuous election year, Georgia’s 2023 legislative session was full of profound strides forward as well as unforeseen setbacks for the intellectual disability and developmental disability (ID/DD) community.

Viewpoint: The Power of Advocacy

I love Advocacy Days. I’m biased because when I previously worked for the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), I had the pleasure of starting Advocacy Days. It was a way to have events that really focused on particular issues, large groups of advocates, but not in the thousands. It gave us a way for advocates to directly connect with their legislators because that is such an important part of the process.

Practical Examples of Supported Decision-Making

Supported decision-making (SDM) is a tool that allows people with disabilities to retain their decision-making capacity by choosing supporters to help them make choices. A person using SDM selects trusted advisors, such as friends, family members, or professionals, to serve as supporters. Self-advocates John McCarty and Hannah Hibben share their experience of how Supported Decision Making impacts their life and why it’s important.

Uniting for Change – How and Why We Advocate

Hi, I am Marian Jackson and I am from Fitzgerald, GA. I am a state advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and have been for over 20 years. I am also a mother of an adult child with disabilities. I, along with five People First members and others from a small group, advocated for public transportation. We successfully got transportation for not just the disability community but for all people in Fitzgerald.

GCDD Recognizes National Siblings Day

National Siblings Day, a day that celebrates and strengthens the bond shared by siblings and celebrates siblings’ relationships, is celebrated on April 10th each year. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) wants to recognize sibling advocates in Georgia. A sibling advocate is a sibling of an individual who has a developmental disability. Often times people think of parents as the caretaker or provider, but siblings have also had to step in and take care of their loved ones for life.