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Accessible Audio for Making A Difference

Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities

Accessible audio for the magazine from the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities

education

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4:42

Public Policy for the People: Tracking Policy Changes...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/10/31

In this issue, we’ll take a look at the latest developments in the federal government shutdown, where the Georgia Developmental Disabilities Network currently stands, and what’s happening at the U.S. Department of Education. We’ll also gear up for another Georgia state legislative session under the Gold Dome. So get ready as we travel from Washington, D.C. to the Georgia State Capitol on our continued journey of advocacy. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by i...

4:01

GCDD Honors Jacquelyn Daniel with 2025 Spirit of Kim...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/10/21

Jacquelyn Daniel, founder of ConnectAbility in Dahlonega is the 2025 Spirit of Kim Unsung Hero Award Winner! This award celebrates individuals who demonstrate selfless service to Georgia's intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) community. The winner shows the same giving spirit as GCDD's late Office Manager Kim Person. Kim worked for the Council for 19 years and passed away suddenly in July 2023. The award recognizes individuals who make an impact, often behind the scenes, to advanc...

3:05

Self-Advocate Spotlight - Look at the Good!

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/10/21

Joy is powerful. It helps us stay strong, connected, and hopeful. As the holiday season approaches, we’re celebrating the moments that brought smiles and strength this year. We asked several self-advocates from Uniting for Change to share what has brought them joy in their lives in 2025. For each person we asked: What brings you joy?What is something you are grateful for or that has brought you joy this year?What are some good surprises that happened to you this year? The Georgia Council...

2:32

Letter from Leadership: Simple Joys, Lasting Meaning

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/10/21

“Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” Those are the famous words of Tevye, the main character in Fiddler on the Roof. Without giving any spoilers, I can tell you the story is about a loving family living in very uncertain times. Tevye and his family are trying to honor traditions, support their community and keep a sense of humor at a time of great change. At the end of the year when it feels like the world has been moving at the speed of light, we at...

4:56

Destination Dawgs: Where Opportunity Meets Inclusion

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/10/21

When the University of Georgia (UGA) launched Destination Dawgs in January 2017, the vision was clear: create a fully inclusive program where students with intellectual disabilities could learn, grow, and thrive alongside their peers. What began as an idea from a 2014 exploratory grant has since become a nationally recognized program that places students at the heart of campus life. Unlike some programs that offer separate classes, Destination Dawgs was built to be fully integrated. Staff exp...

5:13

Georgia, What’s Happening in Your Town?

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/10/21

As we look back on the year, we know that you and others are making communities better every day for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities (I/DD). So, GCDD decided to find out what’s working across Georgia in your town. We used a survey to ask two questions: What’s going well in your community?How has it made the town better for people with I/DD and the local community? In this article, read some of the stories that have been shared from across the state. And it’s...

4:19

Building Leaders: How “My Voice. My Participation. My...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/10/21

In Georgia, a training program is helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities become leaders in their communities. My Voice. My Participation. My Board. is a program that started in 2014, and has trained 85 Georgians to serve on boards and advisory councils across the state. The program was created to solve a problem. State agencies and nonprofit organizations were making decisions about people with disabilities, but people with disabilities weren't part of those conversat...

4:52

UnlockGA Works to Improve Services and Supports for...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/10/21

UnlockGA is a group of people and organizations working together to make Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) easier to get for people with disabilities and their families. The group looks for problems in the system and pushes for changes that help people who need these services live better lives. HCBS, or Home and Community-Based Services, are personalized services provided in a person's home or community instead of an institution. UnlockGA recently completed its strategic plan on ...

4:54

Synergies Work is Leveling the Playing Field for...

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2025/10/01

The National Business Association says that small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They create two out of every three new jobs in the country. They also make up almost half of all the money and goods that America produces each year. Many organizations support small businesses through funding, connections, and mentorship. But until 2016, none of these groups chose to include business owners who have disabilities. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by ...

4:16

Disability Advocate and Artist Derek Heard Uses His...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/09/25

Every election presents an opportunity for people to shape the future of their communities. Voting allows people to lend their voices to improving their city, state, or country. Derek Heard, an Albany native with autism, is developing a voter education campaign. The campaign uplifts the voices of individuals with disabilities and encourages them to exercise their right to vote. Using his two passions – art and activism – he is creating a documentary, Doodling for Democracy. The documentary sh...

5:31

A Life Committed to Advocacy: Remembering Shelly Simmons

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/09/25

In September, the disability rights community mourned the loss of Shelly Simmons. Simmons was a pioneer for Georgia’s disability movement and served as the Executive Director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia. She passed away on August 29. Simmons grew up in Englewood, California, and was diagnosed at 13 years old with Muscular Dystrophy. She was passionate about sports and earned a degree in Sports Communication from California State University. Her goal was to bec...

8:25

Public Policy for the People: Federal Update

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/09/25

During the summer, President Trump provided a plan on how the government should spend (appropriate) its money. Congress is reviewing the plan to decide if it agrees with it or wants to make changes. These changes are called markups. There are 12 appropriations subcommittees and committees in Congress. They are debating and marking up appropriation (funding) bills for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget. The funding bills that are most important to the disability community come from the Lab...

1:52

Letter from Leadership: Building Momentum for...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/09/25

Happy Fall! The season of cool breezes, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin spice lattes is here. I’m excited to introduce myself as the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities’ (GCDD) new Chief Program Officer. In this role, I’ll be working closely with the GCDD staff and council members to guide the agency’s work and help shape our next five-year plan. The five-year plan is our roadmap. It lays out what the council members want to see happen with and for Georgians with intellectual and develop...

3:02

Letter from Leadership: Growing Our Team, Growing Our...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/08/24

Please join me in welcoming GCDD’s two newest employees: Cathy Harmon-Christian as our Public Policy Director and Rena Harris as our Chief Program Officer. By the time you read this, they will have been on the job for a couple of weeks, settling in, setting priorities and, I’m sure, already making a difference with their expertise. I participated in the selection processes that brought Cathy and Rena into GCDD’s employment. The pool of candidates for both positions was competitive, and ...

5:09

Public Policy for the People: Federal Update and...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/08/24

Hello advocates! We’re back with another federal update on critical funding for the disability community. In our previous articles, we’ve worked hard to give you all the essential information about how proposed federal budget cuts could affect people with disabilities. In this update, we will also cover new information from the Governor’s Office asking state agencies not to request increased funding for the upcoming state budget. Finally, we will share how you can help advocate on these issue...

3:19

GCDD Welcomes New Staff Members!

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/08/24

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities welcomes two new staff members. Rena Harris is the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities’ (GCDD) new Chief Program Officer. M. Cathy Harmon-Christian, PhD is GCDD’s new Public Policy Director. Learn more about their background and how they will help further GCDD's mission to support people with intellectual and developmental disablities. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic...

3:40

The Spirit of the Lunch Special: How Community...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/08/24

Hi, my name is Ben Oxley and I’m from McDonough, Georgia. When I was a kid, McDonough was a quiet little town, just 20 minutes south of the hustle and bustle of Atlanta. Older people and the generation of folks like me only knew it as a quiet little town where everyone knew everyone. You would find out about local news, like the opening of a new grocery store, just by talking with a friend at your favorite restaurant, as you enjoyed the signature weekly lunch special. Then the community...

8:33

No Cuts to I/DD Services and Staff Ensures Care and...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/08/24

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), their families, and allies work hard every day to make life better for the disability community. Along the way, they face many challenges in society, politics, money, and systems. One of the biggest challenges is getting and keeping the funding needed for important services that support people with I/DD. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) and the Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities (...

5:30

A Champion of True Inclusion: Honoring the Life and...

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/07/29

The disability rights movement lost one of its visionary leaders when John O'Brien passed away on June 27, 2025. For decades, O'Brien and his wife Connie Lyle O'Brien championed a simple belief: that every person deserves to be fully included in community life. His groundbreaking work changed how we think about disability. It moved goals beyond basic accommodations to pursue full community belonging. Belonging in schools, neighborhoods, and everyday conversations. He emphasized the importance...

4:33

Session is Out! The Opportunity to Advocate is Now

Accessible Audio for Making A Difference ·

2025/07/29

Session is out and we are in the middle of summer, but the perfect time to advocate is now. We’ve experienced many changes over the past few months. These include funding shifts at the federal level to key developments within the Department of Education. Now is the time to speak up for what matters most. Speak up for both federal and state issues. Georgia has started talking about how to handle the problems that are coming. This is especially important because no one knows exactly what will h...

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