Hello Advocates! How in the world are you doing? We have officially celebrated our nation’s 248th birthday. The hamburgers are cooked, and fireworks have gone off, and now it is time to get ready to do one of the most important things a country can do, go and vote for the people that you want to see represent you and your communities!  The upcoming election is set for November 5th, 2024. In this election, we will not only be voting on who will be the next president of the United States, as well as our federal representatives but also our state and local officials will also be determ...

Charlotte Densmore, GCDD Public Policy DirectorAs the month of October ushers in National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), organizations across the nation come together to recognize the critical contributions of workers with disabilities, promote inclusive employment practices, and raise awareness about the work that remains to be done to ensure equitable opportunities for all. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) has long been at the forefront of advocacy for developmental disabilities (DD). One of the most significant efforts spearheaded by GCDD is the pu...

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities’ (GCDD) public policy team has made tireless efforts to foster new relationships and educate legislators on the need for policy change that promotes opportunities for Georgians with developmental disabilities (DD) to live, learn, work, play, and worship in their communities – and it’s showing results. This year, GCDD hosted three Advocacy Days. Advocacy Days encourage individuals from the intellectual (ID) or developmental disabilities (DD) community throughout Georgia to use their voices to advocate for their needs by coming to the state C...

With approximately 25% of the representatives being new legislators during this session, a significant portion of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) public policy work focused on making new relationships and educating new legislators on the need for policy change that promotes opportunities for Georgians with developmental disabilities to live, learn, work, play, and worship in their communities. As seen in previous legislative sessions, GCDD’s Advocacy Days was an integral program allowing individuals from the ID/DD community throughout Georgia to use their voices t...

Hello Advocates! How in the world are you doing? My name is Charlie Miller and I am the Legislative Advocacy Director for the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). We are excited to bring you this edition of Public Policy for the People. Fall is in the air, the leaves are changing, holidays are right around the corner and my favorite time of the year is almost here. That's right, the legislative session! From the second week of January to mid-March or later in the spring, Georgia State legislators come together at the state capitol, or what we like to call “the Gold Dome,” ...