GCDD, Author at GCDD Making a Difference Magazine

GCDD Launches New Council Member Campaign

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

Expert Update: In Their Own Words

As the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) gets ready to advocate at the 2024 Legislative Session, we wanted to share the expertise of the people with developmental disabilities across Georgia on what they have and what they need to

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities Kicks off Virtual Road Tour

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

Parent 2 Parent of Georgia Empowers Parents & Families

In this issue of Making a Difference, Karen Addams, Vice President of Innovation at Parent 2 Parent — an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides resource navigation and training for people with disabilities and their families — discusses the many services that help educate the community and promote self-sufficiency. Continue reading to learn more about the organization and its impact.

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.

Building a Community with Intention

“Nobody has a real straight answer of when [the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta (DSAA] started,” laughs Sheryl Arno, executive director of DSAA. “I’ve tried to find out the answers, and if we look at our paperwork, we surmise it’s 1976.”

Organizations Employing Georgia IPSE Students & Graduates

A partial list of organizations employing Georgia IPSE students and graduates as of August 2022 A Alumni Cookie Dough (Athens) Advanced Auto Advanced Metals Components (Swainsboro) AMC North DeKalb (Decatur) Ansley Golf Course (Atlanta) Athens Leisure Services (Athens) Atlanta History

2021 GCDD Project Impact Map

GCDD’s mission is to bring about social and policy changes that promote opportunities for diverse people/persons with developmental disabilities and their families to live, learn, work, play, and worship in their communities. Learn how GCDD impacted communities across Georgia in

The Value of Being Valued in Inclusive Post Secondary Education

By John McCarty, Self-Advocate in the Leadership Collective of Uniting for Change Many people believe that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can’t learn and don’t belong in post secondary educational settings. As part of Uniting for Change and

Self-Advocate Gives Powerful Speech at State Capitol

On February 28, 2022, Michael Housel, a self- advocate from Tifton, Georgia, gave a powerful and passionate speech at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, in support of Senate Bill 208. Mr. Housel is a founding member of Uniting for