ADDPC’s Plans for 2024

A poster on the table saying 2024

The Council in 2024 will continue to work in its five Goal areas: Self-Determination, Meaningful Careers, Inclusion with Engagement, Safety, and System Access & Navigation. The Council’s funds will be used for some exciting things in 2024. Following is just a brief preview of things that will happen in the upcoming year:

Conference & Training Sponsorship Grants

  • Bloom365’s 2024 Safety for All conference, scheduled for April, 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.
  • 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 self-advocates to identify gaps in knowledge within the curriculum, evaluate resources, and provide input on other strategies to be considered.

Parenting Supports for Persons with Disabilities 

The Institute for Human Development (IHD) at Northern Arizona University is working to improve access to high-quality parenting support for Arizona parents with I/DD who have infants or young children (the 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. With an emphasis on improving the capacity of EBHV’s programs, there is the potential for future funding to continue researching and enhancing implementation.

Self-Advocacy

ADDPC is supporting Arizona Achieve, a collaboration between The Arc of Arizona and The Arc of Tempe, to continue 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.

Arizona Achieve will hold six training sessions, 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

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 and Disability Rights Arizona (formerly Arizona Center for Disability Law) are jointly conducting a project to help self-advocates, caregivers, and professionals in multiple disability-related fields understand 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 to utilize SDM effectively.

The Council also will be sharing information on transportation, Arizona’s criminal justice system, employment resources, webinars, and other community engagement activities that affect Arizonans with I/DD. It’s going to be a busy year!

ADDPC GOAL AREAS – 2022-2026

  • GOAL 1 – SELF-DETERMINATION

We aim to establish, strengthen, and expand advocacy among and for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities so that they can live more self-determined lives, fully engaged, and included in all aspects of community life.

  • GOAL 2 – MEANINGFUL CAREERS

We will increase the career potential of people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and link them with resources needed to achieve their career goals.

  • GOAL 3 – INCLUSION WITH ENGAGEMENT:

We want to support communities and agencies across Arizona to include and engage people of all ages and backgrounds who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

  • GOAL 4 – SAFETY:

We will expose and reduce instances of abuse and neglect against individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities of all ages while working toward a systemic focus on prevention.

  • GOAL 5 – SYSTEM ACCESS & NAVIGATION:

We will enhance, strengthen, and expand access to accurate and user-friendly information and the services needed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead more self-determined lives.

Thu, 01/18/2024 - 12:05pm