NACDD was established in 2002 to bring together the two organizations that previously supported DD Councils, Consortium of Developmental Disabilities Councils and National Association of Developmental Disabilities Councils.

NACDD represents the diverse interests of its Council members. It is the national voice of the Councils
on Developmental Disabilities. Its purpose is to support Councils in implementing the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and in promoting the interests and rights of people with developmental disabilities and their families.

The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) states that the purpose of State Councils is to "engage in advocacy, capacity building, and systemic change activities that are consistent with the purpose of the DD Act and; contribute to a coordinated, consumer and family-centered, consumer and family-directed, comprehensive system of community services, individualized supports and other forms of assistance that enable individuals with developmental disabilities to exercise self-determination, be independent, be productive and be integrated and included in all facets of community life."

DD Councils are encouraged to promote the involvement of their members and staff, especially persons with developmental disabilities and their families. NACDD promotes, encourages, and supports persons with developmental disabilities and their family members in leadership positions within the organization.

Councils on Developmental Disabilities are located in every State and Territory. Council members are appointed by governors to represent and advocate for people with developmental disabilities. Council Members serve in a volunteer capacity. More than 60% of these volunteers must be people with developmental disabilities or family members. In this way, the “customer” of the service system plays an important role in directing Councils’ activities.

The Developmental Disabilities Act charges Councils to identify the most pressing needs of people with developmental disabilities in their State or Territory and to develop innovative and cost-effective ways to meet these needs in a manner that upholds the human and civil value of people with developmental disabilities.

State Plans
Each Council develops a State Plan, identifying specific five year goals for their State. Councils implement their State plans by conducting activities such as: outreach, training, technical assistance, supporting and educating communities, interagency collaboration and coordination, barrier elimination, systems design and redesign, coalition development and citizen participation, informing policymakers, and demonstration of new approaches to services and supports.

Areas of Emphasis
Areas of emphasis in which Councils must work, according to the DD Act are related to activities in quality assurance, education and early intervention, child-care, health, employment, housing, transportation, recreation, and other services available or offered to people in a community which affect their quality of work.

Goals for Change:

Councils are given powerful direction and broad authority to set priorities in their individual states by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act). Councils work toward public policies that promote several goals for people with developmental disabilities, including:

Self Determination - Activities that result in individuals with developmental disabilities having the ability and opportunity to communicate and make personal decisions, exercise control over the type and intensity of supports and services they receive, the authority to control resources, opportunities to participate in and contribute to their communities, and support to advocate for themselves and others.

Inclusion - acceptance and encouragement of the presence and participation of individuals with developmental disabilities, by individuals without disabilities, in social, educational, work, and community activities.

Integration - exercise of the equal right of individuals with developmental disabilities to access and use the same community resources as are available to and used by other individuals.

Why We Need Strong Councils on Developmental Disabilities

Before the first passage of the Developmental Disabilities Act in 1970, families received almost no help, children could not attend schools, and many people were sent to State institutions for life. During the past 30 years, Councils have helped to bring about some remarkable changes:

• Today there is a societal expectation that children with developmental disabilities will group up in families, and that families will receive needed supports.
  
• The total number of people with developmental disabilities in State institutions has dropped significantly.
  
• Infants and toddlers receive needed services to help them get the earliest possible start on learning and development.
  
• Children with developmental disabilities are going to school, often in their own neighborhoods.
  
• Young adults with developmental disabilities learn to work in real job settings.
  
• Adults with developmental disabilities have jobs in increasing numbers and live in their own homes.

Overall, people with developmental disabilities are becoming more valued and contributing members of their local communities. The Councils on Developmental Disabilities continues to advocate for the resources and supports to sustain these achievements. We know we have much more work to do.

Karen Flippo, Executive Director
703-739-4400 x 2
kflippo@nacdd.org

Phyllis Guinivan, Council Services Liaison
302-529-7270
pguinivan@nacdd.org

Pat Brown, Office Manager
703-739-4400 x 3
pbrown@nacdd.org

Sheryl Matney, Technical Assistance Contract Manager
334-268-0245
smatney@nacdd.org

Valerie Billmire, Technical Assistance Contract Specialist
435-640-4172
vbillmire@nacdd.org

Officers:

Becky Harker (Iowa), President
bharker@dhs.state.ia.us

Matthew Wangeman (Arizona), Vice President
wangeman@npgcable.com

Deborah Swingley (Montana), Treasurer
Deborah@mtcdd.org

Bill Lynch (Oregon), Secretary
Bill.F.Lynch@state.or.us

Board Members At-Large:

Julia Bell (Maine)
Julia.J.Bell@maine.gov

Brian Cox (Maryland)
Brianc@md-council.org

Althea McLuckie (New Mexico)
mcluckie@unm.edu

Dave Zwyer (Ohio)
David.Zwyer@dmr.state.oh.us

Team Conveners:

Millie Ryan (Alaska) -- Public Policy Team
millie_ryan@health.state.ak.us

Wanda Willis (Tennessee) -- Council Services Team
wanda.willis@state.tn.us

Immediate Past President:

Eric Jacobson (Georgia)
eejacobson@dhr.state.ga.us

Benefits of Membership in NACDD

• Our national office has a respected and persistent presence on Capital Hill
• We work collaboratively with other organizations to assure implementation of the Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act
• The NACDD staff represents the Council’s issues to the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and works collaboratively with the other network partners, the National Disability Rights Network and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities to further the implementation of the DD Act
• Along with the more than 100 other disability related organizations, we participate in the Consortium for Citizens with disabilities, an organization that advocates for issues across the life span pertaining to individuals with disabilities and their family members
• Our LegislativeActionCenter, located on our NACDD website, provides national and state information about the current status of legislation of interest to our members (as determined by our membership annually). The LegislativeActionCenter makes it easy for our Member Councils and their constituents to respond quickly to legislative action alerts.
• We provide individualized, self-directed technical assistance and training to Member Councils through the ADD funded Technical Assistance Project
• We provide mechanisms for information sharing such as our Member-only list serve, our extensive web site (www.nacdd.org), and printed and web based products such as Executive Director and upcoming new chair web guides.
• The Member only section of our website provides resource material specifically for Council use, including agendas and minutes of all Council team meetings.
• We conduct an annual Fall Conference, during which we highlight Council and field promising practices
• The Administration on Developmental Disabilities funded Technical Assistance Institute, held in the summer, assists Councils in learning how to comply with the Administration on Developmental Disabilities policies and procedures
• Through the Technical Assistance Project, we conduct 4 quarterly teleconferences on a variety of topics such as fiscal reporting, performance measurement, and programmatic issues
• In conjunction with The Arc, the UCPA, AAMR, and AUCD we conduct an annual public policy seminar providing our members in-depth analysis of current legislation from Members of Congress, Federal Agency representatives, or key legislative aides. For those requiring assistance in advocacy, training is provided. The final day of the conference consists of visiting Capitol Hill to discuss the NACDD legislative agenda with Congressional representatives.
• The “Council Chronicles” is an online topical publication that highlights Council’s promising practices.
• All of the NACDD meetings are open to our Member Councils. The NACDD is a member driven organization and our Members are encouraged to become involved in building the new organization through participation on the Board of Directors or the various work teams (Finance, Public Policy, Council Services, Bylaws, Nominations, Conference, Strategic Planning and Audit).

The Technical Assistance Institute, sponsored by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities is held in the summer in or near Washington, D.C. This past year the event was held in Baltimore in June.. The Association’s Business Meeting is held the day prior to the event. Attendees are typically Council Members and Staff, but anyone is welcome to attend.

The Fall Conference, hosted by a DD Council, is held annually. The Conference theme and sessions vary from year to year but focus on promising achievements of Councils, topical issues that affect the Councils and people with developmental disabilities, and afford numerous opportunities for networking. Attendees range from Council members and staff to self advocates and other professionals. Anyone is welcome to attend. The 2006 Conference was hosted by the Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia Councils. The 2007 conference was held in San Diego, California in October.