Current Feature Stories
Official 2020 Legislative Recap.
By Alyssa Miller, PsyD
June 20, 2020
Welcome to our official 2020 legislative recap. This session can only be described as a roller coaster, with plenty of highs and lows. For starters, no one could have predicted we would not have a recap for you all until
ADA 30: Celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act
By GCDD
June 20, 2020
Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) Legislative Advocacy Director Charlie Miller interviewed Mark Johnson, renowned disability advocate and former director of advocacy at the Shepherd Center, on what it was like to advocate for the Americans with Disabilities Act, what
Parents Navigate Georgia’s K–12 Education Supports: Planning for the Future
By Clay Voytek
June 20, 2020
When Joshua Williams walked the graduation stage with his peers in 2014, he received a standing ovation. He didn’t know what the big deal was, his mother Mitzi Proffitt recalls. After returning for another year to complete a math credit
GCDD Viewpoint

Eric E. Jacobson
Executive Director, GCDD
Justice and Equality
I hope that you are all doing well during this time of great change. Not only have we dealt with a global pandemic, economic chaos and a state primary election riddled with criticism – but now we are witnessing people in the streets asking for justice and equity. Never in many of our lifetimes have we seen an outcry of this scale in the United States. Indeed, this week, this month and this year have been difficult. Still, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) continues to stand in solidarity with those around the world who speak out against systemic racism.
Current Topics
Congratulations, Graduates!
It’s graduation season! Across the state, young people graduated from high school and college throughout Georgia earlier this spring and last fall. Making a Difference magazine wanted to celebrate this milestone of the graduates across the nine inclusive post-secondary education
An Interview with Ron Wakefield
Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities Chairman Parker Glick interviewed Ron Wakefield, director of the Division of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities under the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) about the state of developmental disabilities services for Georgians
What’s Happening in Washington?
Over the last few months, we’ve seen the devastating impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities, who are struggling to get the home and community-based services (HCBS) they need to stay safe in their own homes and face a high
Keeping the “Welcome” in Welcoming Community Dialogues
As the world deals with COVID-19, the typical way of gathering for day-long brainstorming and discussions, going out into neighborhoods and doing face-to-face contact, are no longer viable options. Like many other groups and organizations, each of the Georgia Council
Georgia Advocacy Office Raises Awareness about Supported Decision-Making
From Toccoa to Macon to Savannah and points in between, the idea of supported decision-making as the best alternative to guardianship has turned people’s thinking 180 degrees. Supported decision-making is defined as a series of relationships, practices, arrangements and agreements
Meet the People Behind “6,000 Waiting,” GCDD’s Forthcoming Documentary
After much hard work from the Friends of L’Arche project team, along with film producers, editors and directors, GCDD is excited to soon release its film, “6,000 Waiting.” Seasoned filmmakers Michael McDonald, Lexi Read and Zach Read came together and