The upcoming legislative session provides a unique opportunity to advance inclusivity, empower communities, and foster independence for individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) in Georgia. In this article, I will outline the three key policy areas that the council has decided to focus its advocacy on for the 2024 Georgia General Assembly: (1) increasing Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers and Direct Support Professional (DSP) wages; (2) improving employment opportunities; and (3) ‘truing up’ scholarships for inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE).

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is driven by its Five Year Strategic Plan goals to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Council, charged with creating systems change for individuals with developmental disabilities and family members, will work through various advocacy and capacity building activities to build a more interdependent, self-sufficient, and integrated and included disability community across Georgia.

This project was supported, in part by grant number 2001GASCDD-03, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.