$250,000/Year for Five Years Awarded to Enrich Community Supports for People with Developmental Disabilities

GCDD Gets Project of National Significance Grant

The Georgia Council On Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) ( gcdd.org ) has received a project of national significance grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families which will infuse  $250,000 into Georgia communities annually for up to five years to enhance family supports to decrease isolation among people with developmental disabilities.

“Our receipt of this grant is a big win at just the right time,” GCDD Executive Director, Eric E. Jacobson, said.  “Because we’ve focused on developing our concept for Real Communities for a year now, much of the ground work is laid and we are perfectly positioned to launch systems change and broader support for services for people with developmental disabilities throughout Georgia.  The grant also allows us to fully develop a cutting edge model that can be replicated nationally.

” GCDD established the  “Real Communities Initiative,” a year-old innovation for community building, to create opportunities in which persons with developmental disabilities can participate more fully in every aspect of life. “Real Communities” fosters purposeful learning through Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and encourages collective action to enhance connections between people with and without disabilities.  The grant will provide funding so communities can activate specific programs to deepen community collaborations and broaden family supports.

"The Council has a unique opportunity to model new ways of developing communities to support people with disabilities in the context of the reaffirmation of the principles of the ADA, the Olmstead Decision, and the recently settled case with the Department of Justice," Patricia Nobbie, GCDD Deputy Director, said.  “All represent public policy that affirms individuals' rights to live in the most integrated setting.” Year one of the five-year grant will be used for planning.  Following that, the grant will provide family support advocacy in both urban and rural settings to culturally and racially diverse and underserved families of individuals with developmental disabilities.  It will encourage systems change by tapping into community assets and resources and call for collective action to initiate change.  Early proposed project sites and programs include:

Fitzgerald
:  creating grassroots, community-based transportation solutions for people in this community with and without disabilities;

Korean Coalition
:  working to provide family support to first generation Korean immigrants in the Atlanta area, specifically exploring after school programming for youth with and without developmental disabilities;

Community Action Pioneers of Gwinnett
: creating housing and cooperative living arrangements in this north Atlanta suburb;

Refugee Community
:  working with various refugee resettlement agencies, non-profits and leaders to develop and provide family support as refugees assimilate into the larger Atlanta area community;

City of Milton
: working to ensure Milton is welcoming and inclusive to all, including people with developmental disabilities through collective action and city sponsored mini-grants;

Centenary Methodist Church
:  expanding this Macon area congregation’s inclusive, grassroots efforts to strengthen and improve the community. Because one in five Georgians has a disability and greater than 50 million Americans have some type of disability as an occurrence of birth, injury or longevity, these topics are important to all citizens and must come to the forefront of Georgia’s conscience and discussion.   Learn more about the Families Accessing Communities Together grant (FACT) online at the Administration for Children & Families website.

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), a federally funded, independent state agency, is a leading catalyst for systems change for individuals and families living with developmental disabilities. Through public policy initiatives, advocacy programs and community building, GCDD promotes and creates opportunities to enable persons with disabilities to live, work, play and worship as integral members of society.  A developmental disability is a chronic mental and/or physical disability that occurs before age 22 and is expected to last a lifetime.  It may require supports in three or more of the following life activities: self-care, language, learning, mobility, self-direction, independent living and economic self-sufficiency.  Visit  gcdd.org for more information.