No Cuts to I/DD Services and Staff Ensures Care and Support for People with I/DD in Georgia

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), their families, and allies work hard every day to make life better for the disability community. Along the way, they face many challenges in society, politics, money, and systems. One of the biggest challenges is getting and keeping the funding needed for important services that support people with I/DD.

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) and the Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities (SPADD) are working together during the January 2026 Georgia legislative session. Lawmakers will be discussing the budget for disability services and staffing. GCDD and SPADD want to make sure there are no cuts to adult disability services, staff, or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). 

They are also asking for more New Options Waivers (NOW) and Comprehensive Support Waiver Program (COMP) waivers. These Medicaid programs help people with disabilities get the care and support they need.

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.