The DDC implements activities that help us meet the goals and objectives in our 5-Year State Plan.
The Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council carries out its State Plan through staff-led initiatives, Council activities, and contracts with community partners. Staff coordinate advocacy, outreach, and systems change efforts, while supporting Council operations and public engagement.
The Council also funds organizations, especially those led by or serving people with developmental disabilities, to advance innovative projects aligned with State Plan goals. All efforts are tracked and evaluated to ensure they promote inclusion, equity, and self-determination.
Current Activities
Goal 1: Collaboration and Coordination
The Behavioral Health Project, initiated in 2024, is a research project to focus on what is currently happening nationally and in Washington State around evidence-based practices that are culturally relevant and focused on helping individuals and families in the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Community.
This project produced a report that is being used as the basis for further activities addressing the barriers experienced by people with IDD and mental/behavioral health challenges as the access services and supports.
The final report may be found at: Behavioral Health Report
The Council actively nurtures and promotes collaborations with community organizations and governmental agencies to create capacity, advocate and reform and improve systems. The Community Advocacy Coalition (CAC) is a grassroots coalition for Developmental Disabilities that provides a platform for advocacy organizations to share information, educate one another on issues of mutual concern, and coordinate their legislative agendas to give people with disabilities a stronger voice in government affairs. The CAC accomplishes this task by advocating with a common voice for meaningful community living at the state and local levels.
The purpose of the Home and Community Based Services Quality Assurance Advisory Committee is to provide oversight and guidance for the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) administered by the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA).
The Dan Thompson Memorial Developmental Disabilities Community Services Account was established by the Washington State Legislature in 2005 following the death of Dan Thompson—an advocate, Microsoft employee, and person with a developmental disability. The fund was created to improve services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) across the state.Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the account has been supported through a combination of funds from the lease or sale of real estate associated with I/DD institutions and the American Rescue Plan Act. To date, $51,620,425 has been awarded to projects across 18 counties, with an estimated impact on more than 60,000 individuals with I/DD and their families.
Goal 2: Leadership and Advocacy
A statewide behavioral health and developmental disabilities conference that brings together subject matter experts, stakeholders and other resources to focus on and plan around this topic. This includes presenters and other relevant topics that intersect with the behavioral health and the intellectual and developmental disability community.
The Advocacy Partnership Project trains and supports individuals in leadership skills and systems advocacy about people with developmental disabilities and their families. The project prepares participants to get involved in advocacy at the local, state and federal level. This is a long-standing project between the Council and Arc of Washington.
Goal 3: Policies, Programs, and Practices
The Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council is committed to addressing the pressing issue of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) residing in restrictive settings such as jails, prisons, and hospitals. The Incarceration Research Project was awarded to University of Washington: University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). It resulted in a report that reviews laws at state and national levels addressing criminal justice involvement of people with IDD, documents programs, practices, and initiatives related to criminal justice and people with IDD and provides recommendations for future policies and programs. To the extent possible with the available literature, the report will highlight the disproportionate criminal justice involvement of racial and ethnic communities and/or rural or other historically marginalized or underserved IDD communities and the intersectionality of identity and systems.
