I want to talk about real choices for people with developmental disabilities. Making my own choices about what I want to do or buy is important to me. My brother does not have a developmental disability, and he gets to decide what he wants to do. So, why can't I do that too? I want to tell you...

By Caitlin Childs In October 2014, Real Communities Community Builder Teri Schell and I traveled to Detroit, MI, for the New Work, New Culture Conference. This was our second learning journey to Detroit. Because the realities of a rapidly changing economy and impacts of globalization hit...

Chad Roberts, 22Cherokee County Hi, I'm Chad. I am 22 and live with Autism. My entire life my mom and others have helped support me. I sometimes have trouble understanding things. I like being with other people who believe in me and know that I am smart. I don't talk a lot but I have a DynaVox,...

By Charlie Miller Recently, I was asked what the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) means to my generation. For me, the ADA means that I get to live my life. If the ADA wasn't here, then no one with a disability would be either. Things like bathrooms, kitchens or even public buildings...

by Mark Johnson Since the last edition of Making a Difference, Phase One of the ADA Legacy Tour was completed. In 2014, the Tour made stops in 18 states and traveled almost 12,000 miles. Wrapped in disability rights photos, the ADA Bus and Legacy Tour pays tribute to the cross-disability...

By Dave Zilles Individuals with disabilities want to live and have the same rights as those without a disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines an individual with a disability as "a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life...

John-Mark Gaines, 24, of Lizella, GA, had the time of his life when he went whitewater rafting down the Ocoee River in North Carolina last summer. "Cross that off his bucket list!" his mother Sheila Gaines said, explaining that it was possible because of the individualized service plan that his...

By Dawn Alford, GCDD Acting Public Policy Director By the time you receive this issue, the 2015 Georgia legislative session will be underway. As many of you know, legislative advocacy is one of the primary tools that the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) uses to further its...