NAMI Texas — Developmental Disability Policy Fellow

Developmental Disability (DD) Policy Fellow projects increase the number of people with the knowledge and skills needed to engage in public policy activities to help people with DD become fully included in their communities and exercise control over their own lives. Policy Fellows work at national, state, and community levels on issues that address major social and health conditions facing people with DD.

NAMI Texas mentored a DD policy fellow who facilitated meetings and led training for aspiring advocates. The fellow connected with policymakers and created a policy brief on mental health care for Texans with DD. The brief featured recommendations for Texas lawmakers to improve mental health care access, including:

• expanding training programs for mental health professionals who specialize in caring for people with DD;
• enhancing care coordination by establishing multidisciplinary teams of mental health professionals, primary care providers, and social workers; and
• improving access to services by increasing funding for community-based mental health care for people with DD.
    

The fellow also contributed updates to the NAMI Texas Advocacy Guide (PDF, 32 pages, 861 KB). NAMI Texas is part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.