One of the main purposes of the ADDPC is to offer competitive grants targeted at filling in system gaps for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Arizona. We use our grants to help individuals advocate for themselves and create more inclusive communities. The following grants were approved by the Council in June 2023:

Conference & Training Sponsorship Grants

Bloom 365: 2024 Safety for All Conference ($8,850)

The 2024 Safety for All conference addresses sexual assault services and programs to increase access to and utilization of trauma-informed outreach, case management, advocacy, and therapy services for victims of violence with disabilities. Currently, Safety for All is available on-site at Arcadia High School and Coronado High School in Phoenix, as well as a variety of other disability centered community organizations.

Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona: 2024 Rays of Hope Brain Injury Survivor and Family Conference ($5,000) 

Rays of Hope provides an opportunity for survivors, their families, and caregivers to share experiences on their respective roads to recovery, learning from professionals and from each other. The conference engages the brain injury community, including individuals with I/DD, in the planning of the conference where they influence speakers, session topics and other details.

Care 4 the Caregivers: In-person sexual education training courses ($9,040)

Care 4 the Caregivers will conduct 6 in-person sexual education training courses in the communities of Tempe, Anthem, Peoria, Phoenix, Nogales and Flagstaff, for caregivers who are raising children with disabilities and I/DD. The promising practice training on sex education for families/caregivers is titled, "Healthy Foundation: Caregiver Workshop about Sexuality and Disability." As part of this project, Care 4 the Caregivers will seek feedback from selfadvocates to identify gaps in knowledge within the curriculum, evaluate resources, and provide input on other strategies to be considered.

Northern Arizona University-Institute for Human Development (NAU-IHD): 2024 Evidence for Success Disability Conference ($10,000) 

Funding will be used to support conference sessions that cover the topic of customized, integrated competitive employment. The NAU-IHD annual conference is designed to educate service providers such as schools, therapists, Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, DDD support coordinators and families/caregivers about the trends, research, and evidence-based practices that support the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities in all life activities. The in-person conference will be held in Phoenix, over two days, in June 2024.

United Cerebral Palsy of Southern Arizona: Training sessions on Independent Living ($3,750)

UCP of Southern Arizona will offer free training sessions, September through May 2024, on four key topics covering Independent Living. The four-part series will provide resources and tools to self-advocates to enhance their independence, build community, and encourage quality of life. The theme is, “Powering Through Life: by People who have Developmental, Intellectual, and Physical Disabilities.” Each session will be facilitated by self-advocates and professionals and is meant for self-advocates who are 18 and older and use mobility devices. The format will allow the participants and speakers to share their stories, exchange information and ideas, and help educate and support one another. Sessions will be in-person and online via Zoom.

Parenting Supports for Persons with Disabilities 

Arizona State University School of Social Work ($35,604) 

ASU School of Social Work will carry out a best practice model in three phases, targeting four groups for each phase. The groups are parents with disabilities and their family members; social service organizations; policy advocates and policy makers; and social workers who work with parents with disabilities. The project is designed to develop a user-friendly guide of models of support; an interactive training curriculum for parents with disabilities; and a series of training courses to educate persons with disabilities who are or would like to become parents.

Northern Arizona University-Institute for Human Development ($75,046) 

NAU-IHD proposes to improve access to high-quality parenting support for Arizona parents with I/DD who have infants or young children (focus is 0-5 years of age). As a statewide project, IHD will build capacity within the existing Arizona evidence-based home visiting (EBHV) parenting programs to serve parents with I/DD. Because this focus will improve the capacity of EBHV’s programs, there is the potential for future funding to continue researching and enhance implementation.

The University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities ($68,319)

The University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities, in collaboration with Ability360, Raising Special Kids, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association, and UnitedHealthcare, will build upon the work the collaborative team has done for the past two years. This work includes addressing the needs of parents with disabilities and their capability to communicate their pregnancy and parenting questions. In addition, the team will bring awareness to the medical community of the support needed by parents with disabilities.

Self-Advocacy

The Arc of Arizona/The Arc of Tempe ($60,000)

Funding will be used to continue establishing and growing a statewide coalition of self-advocates who work together and learn leadership development, speaking skills, peer-to-peer mentoring, partnership with local advocacy groups around the state, and participation with community groups.

Six training sessions will be held, of which five will be in-person. The training sessions will take place in Cottonwood, Kingman, Kearney, Nogales, and Tuba City. The Arc of Arizona will also submit two presentation proposals for self-advocates to speak at upcoming conferences in the Spring of 2024. A select number of self-advocates will share their perspectives on disability advocacy within these cultural contexts.

Supported Decision-Making

The Arc of the United States/The Arc of Arizona ($80,000)

Supported Decision-Making (SDM) is an alternative to traditional guardianship or substitute decision-making models and is based on autonomy, self-determination, and inclusivity. The Arc of Arizona’s project will focus on understanding legal capacity, communication and decision-making skills, Person-Centered Planning, identifying and managing risks, identifying support networks, legal and ethical considerations, advocacy and empowerment, and the development of practical tools and resources. The Arc of Arizona will partner with the Arizona Center for Disability Law.