Nasddds

NASDDDS Directors Forum and Annual conference is now open for registration! Find out more here: https://conta.cc/45ILliq

NASDDDS Directors Forum & Annual Conference Registration Open! NASDDDS 2023 Directors Forum and Annual Conference Presenting Sponsor Therap Services, Inc | Website Sponsor Relias Will you be joining us? November 14-17 | Alexandria, VA Join N

Recognizing the importance of public professionals to receive leadership training and for other participants to be involved with state leaders during leadership training, the NASDDDS Board of Directors approved an annual contribution to the Gary Smith Scholarship Fund to support the participation of individuals from state government at the Leadership Institute, held twice yearly. The scholarship fund in Gary Smith’s name is a legacy to support others who work for state, local, or the federal government in their pursuit to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families. Congratulations to the Summer 2023 scholarship winners! Find out more on our website at

Gary Smith Scholarship Recipients Named - Nasddds The Gary Smith Scholarship for Public Managers was established by the NASDDDS Board of Directors in honor of Gary Smith, an extraordinary […]

The NASDDDS mission is to assist member state agencies in building person-centered and culturally and linguistically appropriate systems of services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Find out more at www.nasddds.org.

Join NASDDDS November 14th through 17th for our first extended annual conference! For the first time, attendees will benefit from two full days of targeted content following the directors forum. Presentations feature subject matter experts as they introduce participants to state systems and the professionals leading the charge to bring truly innovative approaches to the field. On November 17th, attendees will once again have an opportunity to take a deeper dive into key areas within the I/DD field. Participants will have the chance to choose between topics of interest to explore in smaller groups with colleagues and subject matter experts. The NASDDDS Directors Forum and Annual Conference will leave you both motivated and prepared to take your work to the next level! Registration opens September 6th!

An important blog contribution by Jeanine Zlockie, NASDDDS Director of Technical Assistance & Special Projects, published by ICI: The Future of Self-Determination: Four Visions

Impact Feature Issue on Self-Determination and Supported Decision-Making for People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities | Volume 32, Number 1 | The Future of Self-Determination: Four Visions Impact Feature Issue on Self-Determination and Supported Decision-Making for People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities The Future of Self-Determination: Four VisionsAuthorsJohn Smith is a Coordinator at the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, Minneapoli...

NASDDDS recently released our topic brief, Caring Families: Paid Family Caregivers following a recent survey and deep dive into the national landscape of supports in the I/DD field. States recognize that among other positive outcomes, paid family caregiving can be an important tool to address the systemic shortfall of available direct support professionals. States also recognize these options may provide a strategic way to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to individuals supported. These opportunities must be balanced by important safeguards to ensure that such strategies do not usurp individual autonomy and do not place individuals at a higher risk for abuse, neglect, or exploitation. NASDDDS members continue to evolve their policies and to make decisions addressing both the drive for flexibility with the essential need for transparent expectations and accountability. Our brief is now available to the public here: https://conta.cc/3KtNkOX

In a new podcast titled IDD Health Matters with Craig Escudé, MD, host and president of IntellectAbility, Dr. Craig Escudé speaks with NASDDDS Executive Director, Mary Sowers, along with a wide range of leaders, self-advocates, agency directors, clinicians, administrators, and others from across the globe involved in designing and facilitating service delivery to people with IDD. Find out more at

Health Matters Podcast Featuring Mary Sowers - Nasddds In a new podcast titled IDD Health Matters with Craig Escudé, MD, host and president of IntellectAbility, Dr. Craig Escudé […]

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 6 from 3-4pmET for the Sarah Taub Memorial Webinar. This webinar will showcase key findings about access to services, community inclusion and participation, health and wellness, rights and respect, and person-centered planning across the populations who participate in NCI. Discussion will explore trends in these outcomes across service users, including which outcomes are promising and in need of improvement, as well as outcomes that differ across populations. The findings shared in this webinar will improve understanding of where there are gaps in outcomes for service users and can inform LTSS policy and practice. Click here to register today: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AcsYzBSQTzKiN35_kadM9Q

Captioning, ASL interpretation and Spanish translation available live.

ADvancing States

Session proposal applications are now OPEN for the NASDDDS 2023 Annual Conference! Apply today!

NASDDDS Annual Conference Session Call Applications Open! Session Call: NASDDDS Directors Forum and Annual Conference The extended NASDDDS Directors Forum and Annual Conference will occur November 14-17th in Alexandria, Virginia. And only

Session proposal applications are now OPEN for the NASDDDS 2023 Annual Conference! Apply today! https://conta.cc/3YMfJFP

NASDDDS Annual Conference Session Call Applications Open! Session Call: NASDDDS Directors Forum and Annual Conference The extended NASDDDS Directors Forum and Annual Conference will occur November 14-17th in Alexandria, Virginia. And only

NASDDDS has released our prospectus of annual conference exhibit and sponsorship opportunities for our event in Virginia November 14th through 17th. https://www.nasddds.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/FINAL-NASDDDS-Sponsor-and-Exhibitor-Prospectus-11142023-1.pdf

Are you a NASDDDS member? Have you checked out our calendar of events outlining our member education opportunities? Find the complete listing on our website at https://www.nasddds.org/events/

NASDDDS recently released our topic brief, Caring Families: Paid Family Caregivers following a recent survey and deep dive into the national landscape of supports in the I/DD field. States recognize that among other positive outcomes, paid family caregiving can be an important tool to address the systemic shortfall of available direct support professionals. States also recognize these options may provide a strategic way to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to individuals supported. These opportunities must be balanced by important safeguards to ensure that such strategies do not usurp individual autonomy and do not place individuals at a higher risk for abuse, neglect, or exploitation. NASDDDS members continue to evolve their policies and to
make decisions addressing both the drive for flexibility with the essential need for transparent expectations and accountability. Our brief is now available to the public here: https://conta.cc/3KtNkOX

NASDDDS Caring Families Topic Brief Paying Family Caregivers NASDDDS Releases Caring Families Topic Brief Family caregiving has been evolving as the foundation of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in the U.S. for many years, stabil

NASDDDS is proud to support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 33rd Anniversary. On July 26th we celebrate this important civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.

The Link Center: Bridging I/DD and Mental Health Systems, is pleased to announce the members of its inaugural steering committee. Funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the mission of this national resource center is to improve the quality of life for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and mental health conditions by supporting state agencies with policy development, service design, and service coordination resources, and sharing resources with individuals, families, direct support professionals, clinicians, and other policymakers. Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/e7VEn2yc

NASDDDS is proud to support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 33rd Anniversary. Learn how you can too, here: www.adaanniversary.org

NASDDDS appreciates the collaborative effort from members and our fellow associations as we reviewed the proposed CMS access rule changes and submitted comments reflecting the priorities of our national membership. The association continues to work to keep members on the forefront of developments in the field. Find out more at www.nasddds.org.

Family caregiving has been evolving as the foundation of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in the U.S. for many years, stabilizing supports and providing essential care to family members. NASDDDS released the Caring Families: Paying Family Caregivers Topic Brief today to members highlighting results of the survey and providing information on current practices in I/DD supports across the country. The association will follow up the release of this work with a member education webinar on August 17th providing an opportunity for members to hear directly from states involved in this work and offering further support for this ongoing discussion. https://conta.cc/3KyNSDt

NASDDDS Will Release Caring Families Topic Brief Topic Brief Out Monday! NASDDDS Will Release Caring Families Topic Brief Family caregiving has been evolving as the foundation of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in the U.S. for many years, sta

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Family caregiving has been evolving as the foundation of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in the U.S. for many years, stabilizing supports and providing essential care to family members. NASDDDS will release the Caring Families: Paying Family Caregivers Topic Brief on July 24th to members highlighting results of the survey and providing information on current practices in I/DD supports across the country. The association will follow up the release of this work with a member education webinar on August 17th providing an opportunity for members to hear directly from states involved in this work and offering further support for this ongoing discussion. https://conta.cc/3Q3PN6f

NASDDDS Will Release Caring Families Topic Brief Topic Brief Out Monday! NASDDDS Will Release Caring Families Topic Brief Family caregiving has been evolving as the foundation of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in the U.S. for many years, sta

Thank you to our sponsors and exhibitors for your support of the NASDDDS Directors Forum and Mid Year Conference! We look forward to seeing you in November!

There are many ways to get involved at NASDDDS! From member education to affinity groups to our conferences-there is always something to discover. Find out more at www.nasddds.org.

The National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) regularly honors professionals in both the public and private sectors who have left indelible marks on the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) services. The Ben Censoni Award for Excellence in Public Service is the only award that recognizes public officials who strive to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The award is named in memoriam of Ben Censoni, former developmental disabilities director for Michigan and chair of the association’s Governmental Affairs Committee. This year, NASDDDS is pleased to announce Lilia Teninty as the 2023 Censoni award honoree. Read the full press release at the below link: https://www.nasddds.org/.../2023/05/Lilia-Award-2023.pdf

The Link Center: Bridging I/DD and Mental Health Systems, is pleased to announce the members of its inaugural steering committee. Funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the mission of this national resource center is to improve the quality of life for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and mental health conditions by supporting state agencies with policy development, service design, and service coordination resources, and sharing resources with individuals, families, direct support professionals, clinicians, and other policymakers. Read the press release here:https://www.nasddds.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/TheLinkCenter_SteeringCommitteeRelease071223_cmm.pdf