The Georgia Developmental Disability Network (Includes the GA UCEDD) - A Network that Creates Positive Change
April 4, 2013
The Developmental Disabilities Act (DD Act) created new pathways to providing successful programs and supports for people with disabilities. The DD Act established three programs with a shared goal and complementary functions. The combined efforts of the University Centers on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), the Protection and Advocacy Agencies (P&As), and the Developmental Disabilities Councils (DD Councils) was intended to serve as a network creating positive change in the lives its citizens with disabilities.
In the state of Georgia, the DD Network includes four organizations:
DD Council - Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD)
P&A - Georgia Advocacy Organization (GAO)
UCEDDS - The Center for Leadership and Disability at Georgia State University (CLD) and the Institute on Human Development and Disability at the University of Georgia (IHDD)
The leadership and collaborative successes of the Georgia DD Network can be seen in initiatives to create more inclusive post-secondary educational opportunities in the state, to unlock the waiting lists for services, and to change laws that eliminate capital punishment for inmates with developmental disabilities. These organizations do great things because they are lead by people who bring years of experience to the people and causes they serve.
Executive directors of three of these organizations - Eric Jacobson (GCDD), Ruby Moore (GAO), and Dr. Daniel Crimmins (CLD) came together on March 13th to speak to trainees of the 2012-13 Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (GaLEND) program at GSU. The GaLEND program is a one-year interdisciplinary training experience that prepares students and community leaders to provide family-centered care to children and their families with developmental disabilities. This panel of experts was able to answer questions and offer valuable insight into advocacy, capacity building, and systems change.
Jacobson set the tone for the discussion with his response to the first question, "How do you lead?" His response, "By creating systemic change," spoke to one of the fundamental goals of the GaLEND program. The projects that the trainees and fellows have worked on during their time in the program have taught them the value of this process. It has also taught them that success in this field cannot be achieved alone.
The Georgia network owed their success to its leaders knowing when to lead an initiative that they were strong at; but also knowing when to defer to a more experienced organization in the network. This ability to put the best organization forward to overcome challenges; makes the synergy of Georgia DD Network one its most valuable assets. Jacobson commented on the cohesiveness of the organizations, "I think that the four DD entities in GA are a model for collaboration across the country."
The panel discussed the "Us versus Them" mentality, challenges of leading people out of the "disability bubble", and creating solutions for schools that benefit all students. The trainees realized that some battles they fight might not end as successful as they may hope. Questions began to arise about the hardest times of being a leader. One GaLEND trainee asked, "What do you do when you fail at a project?" Moore responded, "You can't call it a failure until you walk away and say, 'I surrender.'"
When asked how the organizations were able to build stronger communities given their different emphases, Crimmins added, "We share a vision. We start from different places but share values and ultimate goals."
The trainees felt that the lessons learned from the panel were invaluable. The knowledge share will make them more successful in their careers. Trainee Carolyn Lullo said, "I was so encouraged by the commitment of the leadership in the state of Georgia to addressing the deep-seated issues surrounding how we, as a society, think about people and disability; and their recognition that for effective and lasting change in policy and practice to occur we must continuously be changing that narrative. I left the seminar with an acute awareness of our need to link arms in order to achieve a just society in which people with disabilities are meaningfully included in all aspects of life."
Learn more about the organizations of the Georgia Developmental Disability Network by visiting their websites at:
- Center for Leadership in Disability and GaLEND at www.cld-gsu.org
- Georgia Advocacy Organization at www.thegao.org
- Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities at www.gcdd.org
- The Institute on Human Development and Disability at the University of Georgia at www.ihdd.uga.edu