A message from our executive director
“With guidance and leadership from our council members and continued commitment of our staff, we were proud to see advances in several key areas in 2022 for people with developmental disabilities. With the continued support of our council, agency partners, grantees and our dedicated CDD staff, we are looking forward to another year of promise and progress in 2023.”
- Vicky Hiffa, CDD Executive Director
2022
By The Numbers
Participation
18,800 people in the developmental disability community engaged with our grant projects.
6,800+ professionals in the developmental disability community received training through CDD grants.
Outcomes
Almost 100% of individuals and their family members expressed satisfaction with their experience.
250+ people with developmental disabilities and 500+ family members reported an improved ability to self-advocate after participating in projects we funded.
Growth
We continued our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the disability field by funding 9 existing projects, awarding 9 new grants, and developing 2 grants focused specifically on reaching un/under-served communities.
ADVOCACY
We represented and advanced your voice
As a direct result of our supported decision-making (SDM) pilot project, legislation was enacted during the 2022 legislative session to recognize supported decision-making as a less restrictive alternative to guardianship.
We supported 8 new advocacy initiatives, run and led by people with developmental disabilities and their families, as well as supported non-profit organizations, to enhance advocacy opportunities. One grantee, the Alliance for Families with Developmental Needs, coordinated more than 10 advocacy-focused workshops and peer events, engaging more than 250 Chinese-American parents.
Our grantee, Sinergia, hosted the APPLE Academy to increase the advocacy of Spanish speaking families and caregivers of people with disabilities. Participants worked to develop skills to advocate on their own behalf and on behalf of their children with developmental disabilities.
I now feel more confident and knowledgeable about my daughter's rights and feel more confident communicating with teachers, therapists and the entire school team to request more services for my daughter.
INNOVATION
We developed groundbreaking projects to create real change
To improve new Americans' access to disability resources, information and services, we funded the Office for New Americans’ (ONA) Ramirez June Initiative. This initiative is a first of its kind in the nation. It reached 70 family members and 180 other stakeholders this year.
We supported the NY Unified Court System to train Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC) staff to improve mediation and conflict coaching services to people with developmental disabilities. They trained 170+ CDRC volunteers and staff and served 140+ people with developmental disabilities and their families in various disputes.
This new program provides youth with developmental disabilities opportunities to explore careers in information technology.
