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.”

Developing the Next Generation of Advocate Leaders with Project SETA

Project SETA (Students Enhancing Their Advocacy) is preparing the next generation of leaders with developmental disabilities through the New Leaders grant from the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). Project SETA is a leadership development program for current inclusive post

Moving Awareness to Action in National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and Advancing Employment is working to ensure that Georgia’s developmental disability community isn’t forgotten in the fight for competitive, integrated employment and an end to subminimum wages— the legal practice of paying
2021 Impact Map

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

ACL Awards Georgia-based Mentra Award for Inclusive Employment

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) in Washington D.C. recently awarded its top prize of $100,000 in its “Inclusive Talent Pipeline for American Businesses” challenge to Georgia’s Mentra. Mentra is the brainchild of passionate disability advocates Jhillika Kumar and Conner
GCDD Five Year Strategic Plan: Goal 1: Systems Change. Goal 2: Self-advocacy. Goal 3: Targeted Disparity & Diversity.

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