2008 annual report [2008]

2008 annual report
Real Learning. Real Inflluence. Real Careers. Real Homes. Real Supports. Real Learning. Real Inflluence. Real Careers. Real Homes. Real Supports. Real Lea

Vision
We see a state in which all persons are included in all facets of community life, have choices while exercising control over their lives and are encouraged to achieve their maximum potential.
Strategic Vision
The Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities for Georgia promotes activities and creates opportunities which enable people with developmental disabilities to exercise their right to live, learn, work and play in the place and manner of their choice.
Mission
The mission of the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities is "to collaborate with Georgia citizens, public and private advocacy organizations and policymakers to positively influence public policies that enhance the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities and their families. GCDD provides collaboration through information and advocacy activities, program implementation and funding and public policy analysis and research.
Core Messages
Too many Georgians don't live in their own homes, can't get a good education, can't find satisfying work or have a voice in their future just because they have a developmental disability.
The Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is a resource for leading, supporting, joining and developing welcoming communities across Georgia for people with disabilities, families, friends and neighbors.
GCDD advocates for Georgians with developmental disabilities so they can live, learn, work, play and worship where and how they choose by engaging community and business leaders, lawmakers and the general public people like you and me.
To this end, GCDD funds pilot projects, conducts public policy research and analysis, provides training and distributes public information.

We must understand that the people who live in the community are its center, and some will require supports.

real influence. real supports. real learning. real careers. real homes.

GCDD Looks to Involve Communities in Change

To paraphrase leadership guru Peter Drucker: The greatest danger in times of change is not change, it is to act with yesterday's logic. We certainly live in times of change and must seek out new ideas and ways to address the many issues that people with disabilities and their families face. For the Georgia Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, 2007-08 was a time to experience and think about change through new eyes and ideas.
On the state and national front, we witnessed one of the greatest economic downturns in history. Before the end of the year, Gov. Sonny Perdue was projecting an almost $2 billion shortfall in revenues for the budget. Advocates saw victories from the previous legislative session cut or eliminated as agencies were required to cut budgets by 6 -10 percent. Fewer services were available for people on waiting lists and rate increases for direct care professionals were eliminated. Families already struggling found little help. People across Georgia lost jobs and those looking for jobs found them harder to find. The number of new homes being built plummeted, making purchasing a home more difficult for low-income families. It sounds like a depressing novel if it were not true.

And yet, like any good book there were glimmers of hope. A presidential election meant new leadership and the opportunity to change policies. Ecuadorian Ambassador to the United States Luis Benigno Gallegos Chiriboga addressed over 1,500 individuals in the rain at Disability Day at the Capitol and talked about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that the United States has not signed. Now, we have a president who supports the signing of the UN Convention. Hope for the future that people with disabilities will have increased educational and employment opportunities; discrimination will end; and more opportunities for community-based supports will be available.
This idea is at the foundation of GCDD's Real Communities Initiative. GCDD Real Communities focuses on engaging with others through purposeful learning and collective action to create change in communities so people are seen as citizens, not clients. This community-centered approach focuses on increasing the community's capacity to accept and work with individuals and their varying gifts and contributions. We must understand that the people who live in the community are its center, and

some will require supports. By moving toward a more community-centered approach, we can recognize the power that exists among relationships and build that power in a more collective way. Healthier communities organize citizens by making progress on common concerns and actively supporting the participation and contribution of people with disabilities through voluntary commitment, shared care and relationships.
Will this be easy? No. It is a different logic to address the changes and turbulence that exist. As sociologist Margaret Wheatly wrote in Turning to One Another, "There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." This is the hope that GCDD sees for the future. We can bring people together in their community to find and support the change needed to make sure that all people are welcomed and recognized for the gifts they bring.
Eric E. Jacobson Executive Director, GCDD
Tom seegmueller Chairperson, GCDD

Both the House and the Senate created study committees to consider
tax incentives or breaks for the home building industry to implement these features.
Real Homes
GCDD Advocates for Accessible Housing
Working with Eleanor Smith of Concrete Change and the Coalition for Accessible Housing, the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities actively supported legislation that would require including accessibility features to all new homes built on slabs. Both the House and the Senate created study committees to consider tax incentives or breaks for the home building industry to implement these features.
"The staff is treating the interns like regular employees. They're already beginning to form friendships with the mentors in their departments, which gives them a little extra support beyond the job coach."

REAL INFLUENCE. REAL SUPPORTS. REAL LEARNING. REAL HOMES. REAL CAREERS.

Real Careers

Discovery Day Features National Leader
Assistant Secretary Neil Romano of the U.S. Office of Disability Employment Policy explained why employers should hire people with disabilities during the Eighth Annual Discovery Day.
"The best businesses in America recognize diversity," Romano said.
Hosted by the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, employers and advocates learned how hiring people with disabilities could improve their businesses and the tools and resources available to help them become more inclusive. The event was Web cast to reach more people, and is also archived on the GCDD Web site.
Jobs Program Implemented Across the State
GCDD has replicated Project SEARCH, a jobs program for students with disabilities that has been successful in the metro-Atlanta area, to five new school districts across the state.
The program is a collaborative effort between GCDD, Briggs & Associates and Georgia Department of Labor Vocational Rehabilitation to help people transitioning from high school to work find meaningful employment through on-the-job training at sites such as hospitals and banks.
"The staff is treating the interns like regular employees. They're already beginning to form friendships with the mentors in their departments, which gives them a little extra support beyond the job coach," enthused Dianne James, the coordinator of the Walton County Project SEARCH site.

Customized Employment
Customized employment is a flexible blend of strategies, services and supports designed to increase employment for job seekers with complex needs through the voluntary negotiation of employment tasks with the employer. ODEP's customized employment initiative has demonstrated that this approach produces high-quality employment with increased wages, benefits and integration into the community for people with disabilities. It also helps employers retain valuable staff and assists employers to address specific conditions within their business that require attention.
The Summer 2004 issue of "Making a Difference" Magazine, a publication of the Georgia Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, featured the customized employment success story of employee Keith Woodall (left) with his boss Troy Aquila, on the job at a construction site.
Courtesy Georgia Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities
Georgia's customized employment program was featured in a national disability exhibit.
ODEP Recognizes Georgia's Leadership
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy recently compiled a photo exhibition and book called, History, Progress, Transformation: Vision of the Future, chronicling the challenges Americans with disabilities have overcome in the past century.
One of the successes highlighted in the exhibition is the development of customized employment, which was pioneered in Georgia. The exhibition features a cover of Making a Difference magazine to illustrate the concept.

Real Learning
Partners Clubs Expand
What started out as two clubs connecting students with and without disabilities in Hall County has expanded to eight clubs in three counties, with another club under development, thanks in part to support from the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities.
The inclusive clubs provide opportunities for students to become engaged in their schools and communities by participating in social activities and community service projects. Club membership develops leadership skills and leads to natural friendships and enhanced self-determination.
Club members held clothing drives, created unified Special Olympics teams, participated in Disability Day and more over the past year.

Real Supports
Against All Odds Conference Inspires Independence
Self-advocates and family members from across Georgia gathered in Athens June 1 3 to learn how to successfully meet challenges they might face when trying to get the services they need to live, work and play in their communities.
People with disabilities and experts from all over the country shared their stories of persistence and best practices at the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities' first Against All Odds Conference, informing attendees about customized employment, transitioning, self-directed services and more.

Club membership develops leadership skills and leads to natural friendships and enhanced self-determination.

REAL INFLUENCE. REAL LEARNING. REAL SUPPORTS.

Navigator Teams linked families to services in their communities.

Asset Alliance Hosts Summit
Georgia's Asset Alliance planned and hosted "The Summit: Steps to Building Financial Literacy and Independence" April 3, 2008, bringing leaders in the financial and disability service sectors together for cross-training on asset development in a broad context, including for people with disabilities.
Additionally, the Asset Alliance, with support from GCDD, continues to plan ways to help people with disabilities build wealth, including promoting the Earned Income Tax Credit and volunteer income tax preparation; advocating for Indi-

vidual Development Accounts to be more inclusive; identifying and overcoming federal and state policies that inhibit asset development; supporting organizations in other areas of Georgia that wish to form local Asset Alliances; and more.
Navigator Teams Serve Families
A Navigator Team is made up of parents who have experience in accessing services and professionals who want to be a resource for families. The teams link families to services available in the community. Each county has different

needs and can apply for grants from the Parent Leadership Coalition (PLC), a collaborative agency supported by GCDD.
This year PLC and GCDD helped fund a camp run by the Clay County Navigator Team. Shirley Cody organized the camp with a handful of volunteers and donations of toys, books and food. Her goal was to offer a safe, organized environment, plus a mid-day meal and structured activities, including help with math and reading, for kids with and without disabilities.

Her goal was to offer a safe, organized environment, plus a mid-day meal and structured activities,
including help with math and reading, for kids with and without disabilities.

"We need to provoke change in society. Not only to rectify
past discriminations against persons with disabilities, but also to create a society based on
justice and equality,"
Legislative Victories 500waiverslotsfunded Medicaid provider rate increased 3% 100 new Independent Care Waivers funded

REAL INFLUENCE.

Real Inflluence
Ambassador Addresses 10th Annual Disability Day
Ecuador's Ambassador Luis Benigno Gallegos Chiriboga, who chaired the United Nation's committee that created the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, addressed Georgians with disabilities and the state legislature during the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities' 10th Annual Disability Day February 21, 2008.
"We need to provoke change in society. Not only to rectify past discriminations against persons with disabilities, but also to create a society based on justice and equality," Gallegos challenged the crowd of nearly 2,000 advocates who braved the rain to make their voices heard.
The theme of the annual event was "My Vote is for Real" and GCDD's dedication to diversity was evident with speakers of all races and religions participating. The crowd was also delighted when Darius Weems, star of the film Darius Goes West stopped by, and Pat Puckett, executive director of the Statewide Independent Living Council was named the Georgia Self-Advocate of the Year.
The theme of the annual event was "My Vote is for Real" and GCDD's dedication to diversity was evident with speakers of all races and religions participating.
Organizing Institute Welcomes Second Class
GCDD trained a new class of grassroots organizers in its second Organizing Institute, in partnership with Project South. This year's class included:
Clarietha Allen who worked to get out the vote and is creating an employment network and housing initiative; Gloria Chamlee, who is working with schools, businesses, service providers and families to provide better outcomes for students transitioning out of high school; Sharon Chung, who coordinates summits for the Korean community so parents know of all the resources available to their children with disabilities; Betty Hasan-Amin, who started Project ACCESS (Achieving Community Commitment Empowerment Sensitivity Services), that reaches out to immigrants who have disabilities so they can learn about services that might be available to them; and, Jordan Schwartz, a high school sophomore, who is working within schools to promote acceptance of students who are medically fragile or have developmental disabilities through a play she wrote, called Mr. Ooba's TEAM (Together Everybody Achieves More).

Self-advocates' top priority is recruiting a new generation of advocates.
Advocates Hold Summit
Some of Georgia's top disability advocates met to discuss the future of the movement in Georgia in June. Hosted by GCDD, one of the top priorities was bringing new advocates on board.
"We need to get the next generation ready to take advantage of the opportunities waiting for them," said Pat Puckett, executive director of the Statewide Independent Living Council.
GCDD Honors Award Winners
Legislative Awards: Rep. Mark Butler (R-Carrollton) and Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) were recognized for their leadership in trying to provide accessible housing for Georgians with disabilities. Sen. Dan Moody (R-Alpharetta) and Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville) were recognized for working on legislation in regards to early periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment.
Advocate of the Year: Eleanor Smith of the Action Group for Visitability earned the advocacy award for her work lobbying the state legislature to help provide accessible housing for everyone.
Excellence in Media: Former CNN journalist Bobbie Battista was honored for her willingness to participate as moderator during GCDD's Discovery Day program, and Travis Fain of the Macon Telegraph was commended for his story about a group of Partners in Policymaking members who visited Central State Hospital.
C. Anthony Cunningham Council Member of the Year: Tameeka Hunter's extraordinary leadership qualities led to her recognition as this year's outstanding GCDD member.

Rep. Mark Butler, Sen. Nan Orrock, and Sen. Dan Moody accepted awards.

GCDD FY08
Funded Programs and Supported Activities:
Against All Odds Conference Alliance of Direct Support Professionals Direct Support Professional Certificate Program Employment First Georgia GA Workforce Development Initiative Georgia Microboards Association Workforce Development Evaluation Asset Development and Enhancement Disability Housing Partnership Easy Living Home Innovative Grants Advocacy Evaluation Georgia Voices That Count Organizing Institute Partners in Policymaking Partnerships for Success Unlock the Waiting List Making A Difference Magazine Moving Forward Legislative Newsletter Children's Freedom Initiative Disability Day At The Capitol Making A Difference Discovery Day Kennesaw State University Academy for Adult Inclusive Education

DD Grant

FFY 2008 BUDGET - EXPENDITURES

Period Covered October 1, 2007 - September 30, 2008



EXPENDITURES

EXPENDED

ADMINISTRATION Council................................................................................ $71,250 Administrative................................................................. $447,586 Total Administration....................................................... $518,836

PRIORITY Individual/Family............................................................. $731,827 Public Policy.................................................................... $319,231 Advocacy........................................................................... $801.70 Public Information.......................................................... $334,210 Total Priority................................................................. $2,186,965

Total EXPENDITURES................................................. $2,705,800

Breakdown of Budget

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Council Members
Allan Goldman BJ Walker Brian Dowd Bruce Lindemann Carl Flair Daniel Crimmins David Glass Denny Spear Don Watt Gwen Skinner

Jaime Cahill James Risher Jenny Holland Jonathan Duttweiller Julie Lee Ken Whiddon Kim Chester Lenora Maynard Meg Nichols Micheal Thurmond Nancy O'Hara Renee Feldman

Rhonda Medows Rhonda Page Ruby Moore Scott Crain Stacey Ramirez Stephen Hall Susan Sherman Tameeka Hunter Tiffiny M. Nash Tom Connelly Tom Seegmueller Zolinda Stoneman

Advisory Board
David Glass Glen Friedman Jill R. Alexander Madeline Ponder Nicholas Harris Randall D. Grayson Riley Buckmaster Tiffiny M. Nash Toney Allen DuVall

Standing, left to right: Bruce Lindeman, Dan Crimmins, Marlene Bryar, Tom Seegmueller, Tom Connelly, Jim Risher, Jill Alexander, Denny Spear, Carl Flair, Nick Harris, Madelaine Ponder, Scott Crain, Don Watt
Seated, Left to right: Kathleen Kinsella, Susan Sherman, Jaime Cahill, Riley Buckmaster, David Glass, Kim Chester, Zo Stoneman, Julie Lee

GCDD Staff FY08
Eric Jacobson, Executive Director Patricia Nobbie, PhD, Deputy Director Dottie Adams, Individual and Family Supports Director Kate Gainer, Advocacy Director Valerie Meadows Suber, Public Information Director John Dallas, Program Associate Drelda Mackey, Contracts Manager Kim Person, Executive Secretary Dee Spearman, Program Associate Eric Foss, Receptionist
Supports. Real Learning. Real Inflluence. Real Careers. Real Homes. Real Supports. Real Learning. Real Inflluence. Real Careers. Real Homes. Real Supports.
2 Peachtree Street, NW, Suite 26-246 Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3142 404.657.2126 www.gcdd.org