Developmental Disabilities Act Recommendations and Strategies

The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act), signed into law in 1963 and reauthorised most recently in 2000, is the nation's policy and civil rights framework for more than 4.7 million Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). When the law was passed in 1963, Congress established a set of principles and programs focused on improving the lives of people with ID/DD; protecting their civil and human rights; and promoting their maximum potential through increased independence, productivity, and integration into the community. Today, these goals must be revitalised and translated into a co-ordinated federal strategy focused on supporting citizens with ID/DD in achieving optimal self-sufficiency, economic advancement, and full participation in the community. This book examines specific regulatory and legislative strategies that could be deployed to ensure a solid, unified federal policy aimed at fully realising the intent of the DD Act to give people with ID/DD the information, skills, opportunities, and support to make informed choices and decisions about their lives.