GCDD Helps Those with Disabilities Realize the Importance of Self-Advocacy

The State of Georgia kicked off its legislative session in January, and the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) was front and center to advocate for the disability community across the state. During the session, GCDD hosted its annual Advocacy Days at the Georgia State Capitol. Advocacy Days is an opportunity for GCDD, self-advocates, and the developmental disabilities (DD) community across Georgia to meet, educate, and inform legislators about issues that are important to Georgia’s disability community. This year, there were three days of advocacy at the Capitol focusing on:Increase funding for Inclusive Post Secondary Education (IPSE).Increase in wages for direct support professionals (DSP) and an increase in the number of Medicaid waivers allocated to people with DD each year.Employment equity (abolishing 14(c), the law that allows employers to pay subminimum wages to people with disabilities).The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic Plan goals to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Council, charged with creating systems change for individuals with developmental disabilities and family members, will work through various advocacy and capacity building activities to build a more interdependent, self-sufficient, and integrated and included disability community across Georgia.This project was supported, in part by grant number 2001GASCDD-03, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.