Our mission is threefold:
- to empower people with disabilities;
- to ensure access to goods and services, and
- to encourage freely given and unpaid relationships between Pennsylvanians with and without disabilities.
The Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council is a group made up of people with disabilities, family members, advocates, and state department representatives who work to create favorable conditions for people with developmental disabilities and their families in the Commonwealth. Created under a federal act and Governor's Executive Order, the Council is both a planning group and a funding body.
The Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council is authorized though a piece of federal legislation The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (PL 106-402), often referred to as the “DD Act.” The purpose of the DD Act is to “assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life”. The DD Act is rooted in legislation passed by Congress and President Kennedy in 1963.
Activities
To fulfill their purpose, Developmental Disabilities Councils engage in:
- Systems Change
- Capacity-Building, and
- Advocacy
These three primary activities anchor the work of the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council (PADDC). The law forbids PADDC to provide direct disability services and supports, other than short-term demonstration projects.
Values
Over the years, the PADDC realized that fulfilling the DD Act goes beyond just disability services. PADDC believes that all community systems should be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, with the right accommodations and supports. Instead of special programs for special people, Council aims to create change by promoting inclusion and diversity in the community. As the DD Act states, “Disability is a natural part of the human condition”.
Membership
The PADDC consists of twenty-three members appointed by the Governor. Members represent diverse disability interests and reflect the geographic and census makeup of the state. Per federal law, sixty percent of Council Members must be people with developmental disabilities or their family members. Council has five seats for Secretaries (or their representatives) of state agencies receiving federal funds that impact people with disabilities. Those agencies for Pennsylvania include the following departments: Labor and Industry, Education, Human Services, Aging, and Health.
The Council must also have members representing Disability Rights Pennsylvania (Protection and Advocacy organization) and Temple University-Institute on Disabilities (University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities). These are the two other state agencies outlined in the DD Act. The remaining members of the Council must include a representative from a non-profit and a local and non-governmental agency. Finally, the Council has non-voting committee members appointed by its chairperson.
To learn more about the PADDC, visit www.paddc.org.