June 2026

Last month, parents, family members, educators, and friends celebrated the newest college graduates of the Class of 2026.

Across the ten inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) programs in Georgia, graduates wore their cap and gown to mark an important life milestone - graduating from college. This year, the IPSE program at Berry College also marked an important milestone. Their first cohort was launched in 2024. This year, it welcomed its first graduates. Berry College’s IPSE program is the first of its kind at a private college or university in Georgia.

“Watching our first three IPSE students walk across the podium and shake hands with our newly inaugurated president, fully included in our graduation ceremony, was the realization of my decade-long dream to create an IPSE program at Berry College,” said Michelle Haney, Director of the Berry College Program for Inclusive Learning.

Since its launch two years ago, Berry College’s program has been successful in making college a meaningful experience for students with disabilities. The program met many goals during the past two years and has supported six full-time students with intellectual disabilities (ID). Students took classes in departments throughout campus and engaged in a variety of social and club events based on their interests. And every student in the program had a paid job in an area aligned with their interests while in the program.

IPSE programs also had another great milestone to celebrate. IPSE Grant funds are now permanent, allowing for students with ID and their families to have more access to attending college after high school. The grants now also apply to public and private universities and colleges in Georgia.

The IPSE Grants funds went into effect July 1, 2023, and the pilot was planned to end on July 1, 2028. It was a state-funded scholarship for IPSE students that covered tuition and other fees.

IPSE Grants Now Permanent

This year, Senate Bill 431, sponsored by State Senator Kay Kirkpatrick, included provisions to make the IPSE grants permanent. For families of students with intellectual disabilities, the bill:

• Makes IPSE grant funding permanent rather than temporary.
• Expands eligibility to approved private colleges and universities.
• Strengthens long-term access to inclusive college programs.
• Creates greater financial support for students pursuing postsecondary education after high school.
• Signals Georgia's continued commitment to employment, independence, and inclusive college experiences for students with intellectual disabilities.

"The successful IPSE grant program is an important tool for helping students with disabilities set higher goals and achieve them. I am pleased that my bill on immediate enrollment for foster students provided an appropriate way to make this program permanent,” said Senator Kirkpatrick.

Georgia now has 10 colleges and universities with programs eligible for IPSE Grant funding, including Berry College, thanks to Senate Bill 431.

“As more institutions develop programs for students with intellectual disabilities and become eligible to receive IPSE Grant funds, more choices will be available to families, making it more likely for students to improve their future career outcomes,” added Lance Wallace, senior vice president of External Affairs, Georgia Student Finance Commission.

This milestone for Georgia’s IPSE programs increases access for students with intellectual disabilities to build a future that leads to employment and independence, just like their peers without disabilities.

To learn more about the Georgia IPSE Grants, visit the Georgia Student Finance Commission website.

To learn about the Georgia IPSE programs, visit the Georgia Inclusive Post Secondary Education Consortium website.

Congrats, Grads!

Congratulations to the 2026 graduates from the following Georgia’s IPSE programs!

Did you vote in Georgia's May primary election? If so, your work isn't done yet. If you did not vote in the primary election, you can still vote in June’s primary runoff election. The primary runoff election is coming on June 16, 2026 and your voice needs to be heard.

In Georgia, if no candidate wins more than 50% of the votes in a primary, the top two candidates move on to a runoff. Think of it like a championship round. Your May vote helped decide who made it to this round, but it does not count toward the final result. You must return to the polls to pick the winner.

For the runoff, early voting runs from June 8 through June 12. That gives you five days to vote before Election Day. You can vote at any early voting location in your county. To find the closest spot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State's My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov.

It is important to know that you must vote on the same party ballot you chose in May. If you voted in the Republican primary, you vote in the Republican runoff. If you voted in the Democratic primary, you vote in the Democratic runoff. You cannot switch.

Also remember that the general election in November is a completely separate vote. The runoff is only about deciding each party's candidate.

Several major races are heading to the runoff. Here's a quick look:

Republican Governor: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is facing Rick Jackson. Neither man won more than 50% in May, so they're heading into a runoff.

Republican U.S. Senate: Former college football coach Derek Dooley and Rep. Mike Collins advanced after Rep. Buddy Carter was eliminated. The winner will take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.

Republican Lt. Governor: Former state Senator John Kennedy will face state Senator Greg Dolezal. The winner will seek to become Georgia's second-in-command who will preside over the State Senate and step in if the Governor is unable to serve.

Republican Secretary of State: State Rep. Tim Fleming from Covington faces former Democratic state representative Vernon Jones. They are competing to replace Brad Raffensperger, who left the office to run for governor.

Democratic Secretary of State: Former Fulton County Judge Penny Brown Reynolds will face Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett. The winner will represent Democrats in the race for Georgia's top elections job.

These offices are very important to the lives of Georgians. Our Governor and U.S. Senators shape policies on jobs, healthcare, and community support for years to come. The Secretary of State runs Georgia's elections. This role includes voter registration and counting the final results. The person who holds that office affects every Georgian, including people with disabilities who rely on fair, accessible elections.

Your vote carries more weight than you think. Data shows that most people who vote in a primary don't come back for the runoff. In 2022, just under 2 million Georgians voted in the primary. That was a rate of about 26% of 7.7 million registered voters. But the voter number crashed in the runoff just weeks later. Only around 281,000 people cast a ballot in that election. That was a rate of just 4% of registered voters.

These numbers show that a small number of people end up deciding who wins when runoffs happen. When fewer people vote, your vote counts even more. If you and your neighbors show up, you can make a real difference in who wins these races.

With several high-profile contests on the ballot this year, turnout is expected to be higher than in 2022 — but that still means the outcome is far from decided. Every single vote matters.

Find your voting location by visiting mvp.sos.ga.gov. If you have questions about your voter registration or voter access, call the Secretary of State at 404-656-2871 (metro Atlanta) or 877-725-9797 (rest of Georgia).

This summer, I want to encourage every Georgian with a developmental disability — and every family member, caregiver, and advocate — to engage with your elected officials.

Significant decisions are being made right now in our state legislature, in state agencies, and in Washington. These decisions involve funding levels, program structures, and policies that will directly affect the lives of people with developmental disabilities in Georgia for years to come. The people making those decisions need accurate, firsthand information about what those impacts look like on the ground.

That is where you come in.

Elected officials represent you. Part of their job is hearing from the people whose lives are most directly affected by the decisions they make. When you share your experience — whether in a phone call, an email, a town hall, or a public meeting — you are giving them information they cannot get anywhere else. Your perspective as someone living with a disability, or as a family member of someone who does, is genuine expertise. It is valuable, and it is yours to offer.

Here are some practical steps you can take:

• Visit your legislators' websites to learn where they stand on disability-related issues.
• Call or email their offices to ask questions about legislation and funding that affect your community.
• Attend town halls and public meetings where these issues are being discussed.
• Share factual information about how specific policies affect people with developmental disabilities in Georgia.
• If engaging alone feels difficult, bring a friend or family member.

If you need reliable facts and figures on disability policy issues, GCDD's resources at https://gcdd.org/public-policy are a good starting point. Come prepared with information, and bring your own experience alongside it.

Civic engagement works best when officials hear a wide range of voices. People with developmental disabilities and their families bring perspectives that are often underrepresented in policy conversations. Your participation helps ensure that decisions affecting your community are informed by the people who understand those issues best.

I encourage you to take one step this summer — a call, an email, a meeting. Every voice adds to the picture that decision-makers need to do their jobs well.

D'Arcy Robb
Executive Director of GCDD

On May 12, 2026, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the state budget for fiscal year 2027. This is the final state budget he will sign as governor since his term as Georgia’s governor ends January 27, 2027.

After the General Assembly approved the budget in House Bill 974, Governor Brian Kemp made 157 changes (also called “disregards”) to the budget. These changes cut more than $344 million from the budget, in areas including public education, healthcare, and human services.

The goal of these cuts is to offset the $1.2 billion in income tax cuts approved this year through HB 463, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Kemp.

According to the Georgia Budget & Public Policy Institute, these tax cuts will result in Georgia households seeing $196 in savings next year. Advocates expressed disappointment that increased funding for disability services was removed due to the tax cuts, and concern about what this means for future funding.

Among the disregards was $9.27 million dollars in new funds that would have allowed Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) increased access to the state’s Medicaid waiver program called the New Options Waiver and Comprehensive Support Waiver Programs (NOW/COMP). NOW/COMP waivers fund home and community-based services (HCBS) that help individuals with I/DD get critical services so they can live independent and fulfilling lives while getting the supports they need.

“It takes a lot of effort to get people energized to advocate for waiver supports when, year after year, there is a minimal amount of attention to it,” said Pat Nobbie, former deputy director of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) and a member of UnlockGA, an advocacy group dedicated to increasing access to HCBS. “After this past session’s disappointment, I felt like writing to legislators and our outgoing governor and asking, ‘Can you imagine what it feels like to listen to the State of the State speeches and attend appropriations meetings year after year and not hear any mention of the needs of the people you love and support?’”

The budget passed by the General Assembly included 500 new NOW/COMP waivers, coming after the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) identified 1,217 Georgians as being in urgent need of NOW/COMP waivers. But the disregarded funds to House Bill 974 reduced the number of new NOW/COMP waiver slots to 100. This will limit access for Georgians with I/DD and creates a challenge for caregivers.

“Uncertainty around waivers creates instability at nearly every level of long-term planning,” said Megan Finnegan, director of academic programming and compass outreach at The Jacob’s Ladder Group. “At Jacob’s Ladder, we work with families from a range of financial backgrounds. Some are able to privately fund services, while others rely heavily on waivers, extended family support, fundraising efforts, or significant personal sacrifice in order to maintain access to care. Regardless of income level, the unpredictability surrounding long-term funding often creates ongoing uncertainty for families and providers alike.”

Gov. Kemp’s budget changes reflect a larger pattern in Georgia’s funding for services and supports for people with I/DD. According to the annual State of States in Developmental Disabilities report from the University of Kansas, Georgia ranks among the lowest-spending states for I/DD services.

One measure used in the report is “fiscal effort,” which looks at how much a state spends on I/DD services for every $1,000 of personal income. Georgia spends $2.32 per $1,000, placing it in the bottom third of states. For comparison, Nevada spends $1.39, while Washington, D.C., spends $10.21.

Even with these challenges, advocates and service providers see opportunities to improve funding and supports in the years ahead.

“Looking ahead, providers are closely watching opportunities to reduce the waiver waiting list, strengthen workforce investments, and ensure reimbursement rates accurately reflect the true cost of care,” said DeAnna Julian, CEO of the Frazer Center and President of the Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities (SPADD). “We are also hopeful that future policy discussions will focus on long-term sustainability, including regular rate studies and strategies to support a stable workforce.”

“I really feel like we need to take full advantage of the election cycle,” said Nobbie. “We need to show up and demand attention to this. Our waiting list members are Georgia citizens, just like every other citizen in the state. One thing that struck me when talking to individual legislators is that there is no real understanding or memory of the DOJ Settlement agreement, or Olmstead, or what HCBS requirements mean. We have a lot of educating to do, but a legislative cycle is the best opportunity.”

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is reminding community members that there is still time to review and comment on the proposed 2027–2031 Five-Year Strategic Plan. The public comment period closes on June 19, 2026.

Earlier this year, GCDD gathered feedback from across the state through focus groups, town hall meetings, and surveys. Families, self-advocates, providers, and community members shared ideas about the biggest needs facing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families.

That feedback helped shape the proposed strategic plan, which will guide how GCDD invests funding in advocacy and capacity-building activities over the next five years.

Now, GCDD is asking the public to review the proposed plan and share any final comments before the deadline.

Comments can be submitted:

• In English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5DR2B5S
• In Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R7JF7QT

The deadline to submit comments is June 19, 2026.

Learn more about GCDD’s Five-Year Strategic Plan.

Join the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities on Thursday, September 17th, for its 2026 Candidate Forum. This is a virtual event where candidates running for public office will share their views on the issues that matter most to Georgia’s disability community.

Topics discussed will include affordable health care, gainful employment, educational opportunities, voting access, and more!

Candidates invited to participate include the positions for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Insurance Commissioner, Attorney General, Labor Commissioner, State Superintendent of Schools, and US Senator for Georgia.