March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, a national campaign that began in 1987. It reminds us that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are important members of our communities and should be fully included in all parts of life—school, work, recreation, and community activities.

In this article, you will read about a young woman with I/DD who is living the life she chooses. She is building an independent and meaningful life with support from her family and the services provided by a Medicaid waiver.

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.