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GCDD e-news - March 2024

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A Digital Newsletter from the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities   •   March 2024

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities newsletter keeps you up-to-date on the latest news, from what’s happening with public policy in Georgia to updates on current issues affecting Georgians with developmental disabilities to upcoming events. 

In This Issue:

Message from GCDD Executive Director: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

When I’m not working or trying in vain to keep up with my daughter, I love to ice skate. That’s where I first heard the phrase, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” At the time, I thought it was kind of corny.

I have since realized that while the rhyming may be corny, the sentiment is a million percent true. As I write this, the Georgia General Assembly’s session is heating up. By the time you read these words, it will be in overdrive. I honestly don’t think it’s possible for a single person under the Gold Dome to be fully involved in everything they care about, especially in these last few wild weeks. But what may not be possible for a single person is possible for a team. And the more people we have collaborating on a team, the more powerful we can be.

If you’re reading this, I believe you are a part of our team. That is, the team of Georgians who care deeply about making our state better for people with developmental disabilities and their family members. My message to you is “thank you and please get involved.”

You may be thinking, “I can’t come to the state capitol all the time! I’m not an expert on all these issues!” But the absolute truth is, you don’t need to make frequent visits to the capitol or be an expert on disability issues to be a vital part of our teamwork and advocacy.

Being involved doesn’t mean you are trying to do everything. Being involved means doing your part to make a difference and your involvement does make a difference. Advocacy can look different from one person to the next. And depending on where you are in life, it may look different for you at different stages in your life. Working with the community is at the heart of what we do at the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). We consistently work to offer many ways that you can choose to be involved.

One great way to get involved is to sign up to be part of our advocacy network. We’ll share opportunities that range from coming to the capitol in person to sending an email. If all you can do right now is send emails, that is okay! There will be plenty of opportunities to do more.

If you’re ready to take your involvement to the next level, apply to be a Council member. Our members govern the Council, providing us with critical direction and enjoying a variety of opportunities to make an impact on the disability community in Georgia.

Other ways to get involved and be a part of our advocacy can be speaking up for people with disabilities when someone makes a negative statement or comment about a person with a disability. Maybe your business is hiring, and you make an active effort to reach out to potential employees with disabilities. Getting to know the candidates running in your local, state or federal elections, and asking them what their plans are to support Georgia’s disability community is another form of advocacy. Maybe you run for office yourself – and I hope more people from our community do! It all matters, deeply.

As we’re in the homestretch of the legislative session, please get involved in the ways that you can, one step at a time. An advocate asked us just today, does sending an email really matter? The answer is, YES – when advocates send emails to their state representatives, while other advocates visit their lawmakers in person, and others cultivate close relationships with leaders in the community – it all builds up into a powerful impact for our community.

After all, those corny words are true – teamwork is what makes the dream work.

D’Arcy Robb
Executive Director, GCDD

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2024

By Tianna Faulkner

March is Developmental Disability Awareness Month (DDAM). The purpose of this monthly celebration is to get individuals with and without developmental disabilities (DD) to share their stories about living alongside each other and forming strong diverse communities. Everyone can participate. The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) announced that the theme for DDAM 2024 is “A World of Opportunities” – we’re celebrating people and communities, working together to remove obstacles. Our goal is to build a community that is committed to creating a world where everyone can do well and succeed.

NACDD and DD Councils across the country, including Georgia participate in a social media campaign, activities and events to celebrate the DD community. DDAM began in 1987 and has continued every March to date. This year NACDD wants to highlight diversity, equity, and inclusion. Individuals with and without DD are asked to spread the word and share their stories via social media by sharing a post, photo, or video and DDAM hashtags. Sharing resources and information is another form of advocacy during DDAM.

The artwork for this year was illustrated by Lee Waters from Alaska. The piece is called “What.” DDAM hashtags are: #DDAM2024, #DDawareness2024, and #NewOpportunities.

Additionally, the campaign will be translated into various languages including Japanese, Italian, and French. The DDAM social media campaign and events is the DD community’s way of showing the depth of their work and strength that these communities have. These innovative opportunities are providing great works by self-advocates dispelling barriers, stigmas, and myths about people with disabilities.

National events and activities will be posted on the NACDD website: https://nacdd.org/ddam1/.

For more information about Developmental Disability Awareness Month, visit www.nacdd.org.

The Disability Vote Counts!

It is election season again! In November, millions of Americans will head to the polls to vote in the presidential election and other key lawmakers that make decisions on behalf of the communities they represent. Your voice, your vote matters!

But, there are many more elections this year from now until the general election where your voice and vote needs to be heard.

In Georgia, the election season begins on March 12, 2024 which is also called Super Tuesday. This election is the Presidential Primary Preference where people will head to the polls to vote for the candidate for president.

My Voter Page✅Register to Vote

  • Visit mvp.sos.ga.gov
  • Enter your name, date of birth, address, county of residence and your driver’s license or state ID number
  • Applications can be completed online or printed and mailed

🗓️ Save the dates! Georgia’s 2024 Elections Calendar is as follows:

  • Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) - March 12, 2024
  • General Primary / Nonpartisan Election - May 21, 2024 
  • General Primary / Nonpartisan Election Runoff - June 18, 2024 
  • 🌟Election Day!🌟 General Election Runoff for Federal Offices General Election - November 5, 2024
  • General Election Runoff December 3, 2024 General Election Runoff for Federal Offices  

☀️Voting in Person on Election Day

  • You must be registered to vote 
  • Find your polling place 
  • Bring ONE photo ID to your polling place
    • Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a free Voter Identification Card issued by your County Registrar’s Office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services
    • A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired
    • Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency or entity of the U.S. government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state
    • Valid U.S. passport
    • Valid U.S. military photo ID
    • Valid tribal photo ID

What’s Important

While the focus will be on the presidential election, don’t forget that local seats matter too! With the federal election coming up do not forget an important fact: local senators and representatives are also up for election. Georgia has 56 state senators and 180 state representatives, and they are ALL up for election.

Visit Open States online to find out which state senate and house district you live in, and the current state legislators who represent you. You can even see the committees the legislators serve on and the bills they have sponsored. Visit Ballotpedia to learn more about the election history of your state-level districts and whether or not your current legislator has a general election challenger.

Resources:

Disclaimer: The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities does not endorse any candidate and that the enclosed information encompasses only a small piece of a larger political platform for each candidate. We encourage you to reach out to them with questions of your own – and to vote.

Join GCDD’s “G is for Georgia” Virtual Road Tour

G is for Georgia - GCDD Virtual Road TourMany 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 launched a virtual road tour and campaign in January called, “G is for Georgia!”

This new campaign highlights the DD community and GCDD’s work throughout the state of Georgia in a fun, interactive way. The goal of the campaign is to introduce the Council to Georgians with DD across the state and educate and inform them that GCDD is a go-to resource for education, advocacy and information when it comes to what impacts people with DD.

Follow along with us every Thursday on Facebook or Instagram to see where our road trip takes you! Leading the tour is our official tour guide Justin Gold, a student at Georgia State University’s IDEAL program. We plan to visit over 40 cities in the state between now and January 2025 to introduce you to Council members, projects, partners, and individuals with DD who have been integral in advancing and advocating for policy for people with DD throughout these cities and beyond in Georgia. The campaign will run for one year.

Be a part of the road trip!

We encourage the disability community across the state to share their story and what matters to them.

How can you do this? By sharing your story through an easy-to-use Google Form so we can hear from and meet you through our road trip. Share with your friends. And you may even be featured in our campaign! 

So what are you waiting for? Join our virtual road tour! It’s with your input and stories that we can build a better advocacy effort to serve all Georgia DD communities.
For more information, visit https://magazine.gcdd.org/topics/around-the-state/the-georgia-council-on-developmental-disabilities-kicks-off-virtual-road-tour/

GCDD Accepting Applications for New Council Members

GCDD Council Member Campaign The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) kicked off its Council membership campaign early February to fill open positions on its Council. The purpose of the campaign is to identify individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families who can bring their own voice and the voice of Georgia’s disability community to advocate for and decide upon projects, policy and programs that directly impact the I/DD community across Georgia.

GCDD is currently recruiting new applicants interested in serving on the statewide Council. The Council seeks to fill nine spots on the Council and applicants should fit into one or more of these categories:

  • Individual with a developmental disability
  • Family member of an individual with a developmental disability
  • Representative of an agency/organization related to developmental disabilities

Applicants should have first-hand knowledge about DD in Georgia as well as experience in serving on committees, boards or organizations. The Council’s work is driven by its Five-Year Strategic Plan, which is developed with input from people with DD, their families and other key stakeholders from around the state. Council members are involved with developing Council’s goals and objectives for the five-year period. To meet these goals, the Council then distributes funding to various organizations and groups across the state that help drive these goals forward through projects, events and research. 

How to Apply

Applying for appointment to the 27-member Council is a true form of advocacy. If you are appointed to the Council, all members are responsible for attending four quarterly meetings, held virtually or in-person. Members are reimbursed for lodging, meals and mileage to attend meetings. 

While applications are accepted year-round, the Council has immediate openings and is encouraging the DD community to apply by March 15, 2024.

Applications are available in English and Spanish and can be submitted online, by email, or by mail. The application and instructions on how to apply are found at https://gcdd.org/blogs/3736-gcdd-council-member-application.html.  

If you have any questions about applying to the Council or completing the application, please email us at . 

GCDD is one of 55 entities of its type in the United States and territories that report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration for Community Living. It is authorized under Public Law 106-402, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act Amendments of 2000. The Council is made up of at least 60 percent individuals with I/DD and family members. Other members include policymakers who represent various agencies and organizations having a vested interest in persons with I/DD.

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 I/DD and their families. GCDD’s success is driven by the 27-member, Governor-appointed Council and the statewide I/DD community that have been integral in driving projects, partnerships, and policy for Georgia’s DD community.

Calendar Spotlight

Uniting for Change: Community Strong Virtual Gathering
When: Mondays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Register here

FOCUS of Georgia
Check out their Calendar of March events.

Parent2Parent: The Big IDEA! What’s the Big IDEA Behind Inclusion?
When: March 7, 2024 from 10:00 a.m.to 11:00 a.m.
Register here

Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta: Three 21 Celebration!
When: Thursday, March 21, 2024 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Where: 42 West, 1088 Huff Road NW, Atlanta, GA, 30318
Register here

For more events, visit our website's Calendar of Events!

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