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Administration on Developmental Disabilities Envisioning the Future

Note: The window for submitting online testimonies closed as of 6pm PST, March 4, 2011. Comments are available for viewing here. Thank you for commenting.

Topics

• Childhood (0-21):
  How do we ensure that each child with a developmental disability will live a healthy and happy life in a loving family home; fully participate in all of the experiences of childhood in inclusive, welcoming communities; be empowered to advocate for themselves; and successfully graduate from school prepared for college or a career of their choosing?
• Adulthood (21-60):
  In the future, what will be the most important contributing factors to ensuring that adults with developmental disabilities achieve equality of opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency and full participation as valued members of inclusive, integrated communities? Which critical issues must be prioritized - access to healthcare, employment, supports and services, technology, housing, transportation, other issues?
• Aging (60-end of life):
  Aging concerns affect us all. The number of adults with developmental disabilities age 60 years and older is projected to nearly double from 642,000 (2000) to 1.2 million (2030). What can we do to empower older individuals with developmental disabilities to remain in their own homes with a high quality of life, to maintain independence and good health for as long as possible, and to enjoy community and family relationships through the end of life?
• Supports from families, caregivers, professionals and other allies:
  Over 75% of people with I/DD live with families, often with aging parents. Direct support workers usually earn very low wages. Families and caregivers often struggle to access any level of formal support at all. How can we address the future caregiving and support challenges of communities, families, and the allies who care about people with developmental disabilities?

Privacy and Use Statement

Thank you for submitting to The Administration on Developmental Disabilities Envisioning the Future Summit Series. You may provide your testimony by providing a Word, text, or PDF document. Your first name and State will be used to identify your submission on the site. We welcome your comments, and your ideas and concerns are important to us. By submitting this document, the writer assents that ADD has permission to archive, reproduce and make accessible your comments. ADD reserves the right to reject comments that do not follow our submission policy.

SUBMISSIONS POLICY

Only one testimony on a topic will be accepted from an individual -- duplicates will be removed from the system (testimonies from the same person on the same topic)

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Comments Are Subject to Public Disclosure:
Contributors are responsible for any and all comments that are submitted. All posted comments are in the public domain.

Official Sources of Information:
The ADD site should not be regarded as a primary source for official government information or statements (not including links to content on official government Web sites).

Comments by Others Are Not Endorsed:
ADD does not endorse, support, sanction, encourage, guarantee or verify any information, opinions or statements posted by individuals on the website. Any information or material placed online, including advice or opinions, are the views and responsibility of those making the comments and do not necessarily represent the views of ADD, the United States Government or its third party service providers. ADD assumes no liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. The views expressed on the site are those of the individual contributors. These views and posted comments do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the Administration on Developmental Disabilities or any of its federal partners.

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This website is a place for collecting suggestions and new ideas about disability-related programs, services, polices and laws that specifically affect individuals with developmental disabilities. ANY of the following may result in your submission being rejected for publication:

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