Developmental Disabilities Act

What is the Developmental Disabilities Act?

The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) is the fundamental law supporting and enhancing the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families. The goal of the act is to “assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life. The DD authorizes three programs that operate in each state and territory (UCEDD, DD Councils, and PADD) known as the DD Network. View the Developmental Disabilities Act in plain language.

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UCEDD Resource Center A project of AUCD, in partnership with AIDD, to strengthen and support the network of the UCEDDS
Title: The DD Act directs the DD Network Partners to collectively promote Community Integration Clockwise Text : UCEDDSs University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

Picture of an outline of United States of America with the words 1 or more in every US state and territory

Provide interdisciplinary pre-service preparation
Perform community services and training o Conduct research, evaluations, and information dissemination

Text: DD Council Developmental Disabilities
Picture of an outline of United States of America with the words 1 or more in every US state and territory

Understanding system barriers
Working with stakeholders to achieve enduring change
Empowering advocates

Text: P&As Protection & Advocacy
Picture of an outline of United States of America with the words 1 or more in every US state and territory

Monitor and investigate conditions in facilities that care for people with disabilities
Provide legal representation to people with disabilities
Ensure equal access to life in the community Center image

Circle with a house and accessible sign and a graph that shows the ranges of the Annual Average populations (25,000-275,000) of Large State ID/IDD facilities, 1960-2010.

Bottom of image AUCD Logo: AUCD Ball with the text Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Research, Education, Service

Sources: Residential Services for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Stories and Trends Through 2010 By Sharon Larson, Amanda Ryan, Patricia Salmi, Drew Smith and Allson Wururio Research and Training Center on Community Living, Institute on Community Integration UCEDD , College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota