Since its inception in 1971, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), formerly known as the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, has been a powerful advocate for more than 1.7 million Georgians with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families. Our success is driven by the 27-member, Governor-appointed Council and the statewide DD community that have been integral in driving projects, partnerships and policy for Georgia’s DD community.  And to continue our work and impact, GCDD has launched a membership campaign to recruit new applicants interested...

Mira Patel, who works for the DeKalb Community Service Board is a sibling advocate. Her brother Rahul has a developmental disability. Patel says being a sibling advocate has shaped her life and that she has worked in disability services since 2015. “I love working in this field. I started off just trying to help my brother. I can relate to people who need these services,” said Patel. “A sibling is just as affected as a parent, but people don’t realize that. Siblings, I think may have more role of a parent because you are a sibling for life. It’s a lifetime commitment.” Kelly Parry, who wo...

Olmstead v. L.C. is the Supreme Court case that provided what is now known as the Olmstead decision. In 1999, Lois Curtis—the L.C. in Olmstead v. L.C.—and Elaine Wilson, two women with disabilities living in Georgia institutions, successfully argued in the Supreme Court that housing people with disabilities in segregated settings who are capable of living in the community constitutes discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Curtis, who was diagnosed with both an intellectual disability and mental illness at a young age, passed away on November 3, 2022, from pancreatic canc...

Many Georgians associate the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) with serving or working only with the disability community in Metro Atlanta. To make sure that people with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families meet the Council and learn that it serves the entire state of Georgia, GCDD is launching its virtual road tour and campaign, “G is for Georgia!” This new campaign will highlight the DD community and GCDD’s work throughout the state of Georgia in a fun, interactive way. The goal of the campaign will be to introduce the Council to Georgians with DD across ...