For further information, contact:
Larry Swabe, NC Council on Developmental Disabilities, 919-850-2901, Larry.Swabe@dhhs.nc.gov
Roy Wallace, The Wallace Group, 877-832-4548 or roy@wallacegroup.com
PUBLIC INVITED TO COMMENT ON PROPOSED FIVE YEAR DISABILITIES PLAN
BASED ON STRONG FEEDBACK FROM STATEWIDE SURVEY
More than 800 survey comments helped shape the goals and objectives in plan
for NC Council on Developmental Disabilities
As part of the creation of its Five Year State Plan for 2011-2016, the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) is inviting state residents to give their comments on the plan’s four goals and their related objectives.
The goals address the need to change systems so that people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families have greater access to services and supports during key life transitions: inclusion in community life is promoted; the knowledge and skills of those providing services is improved; and people with disabilities have opportunities to build their self-advocacy skills. The draft goals and objectives are posted on the NCCDD website, along with a simplified version in an online survey.
“This Five Year Plan achieves a milestone in the record number of public comments that have shaped its content,” said Holly Riddle, executive director of the NCCDD. “We now want comments on the plan’s goals and objectives to be sure we are on the right track.” Each goal seeks to increase the integration, productivity, self-determination, independence and inclusion in the community of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
If public comment on the plan warrants major changes, a revised plan will be resubmitted for public comment. Once adopted by the Council, the final plan will be submitted to the federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities.
The goals and objectives for the draft plan are based on a record number of over 800 comments gathered during the fall of 2010 through an online survey and face-to-face community meetings. Individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, their family members, professionals in the field and other citizens throughout the state were invited to give their opinions on how to improve the lives of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in the areas of Medicaid-funded services and supports, post-secondary education, housing, workforce development, self-advocacy, employment and primary health care.
New comments on the draft plan can be given through an online survey found at www.nccdd.org or by contacting Melissa Swartz at 1-800-357-6916 or melissa.swartz@dhhs.nc.gov. Alternative formats and a Spanish translation of the survey and goals are also available. Comments are being taken through Monday, April 18, 2011.
The 34-member North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities was established in 1973 and seeks to support effective, innovative systems change initiatives that improve the lives and promote community inclusion for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. The Council’s State Plan directs its awards of grants to grass roots advocacy groups, government agencies, and other community organizations.
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