November 2024 Council Meeting Recap
Table of Contents
TCDD held quarterly meetings in Houston and online from Nov. 6-8. During the meetings, the Council awarded funding to continue ongoing projects, reviewed priorities for the upcoming Texas legislative session, discussed strategies for meeting with lawmakers and legislative staff, and more.
Funding Awards and Stipends
TCDD invests in grant projects to strengthen service and support systems across Texas. Our projects build community capacity to help people with developmental disabilities (DD). This quarter, Council members awarded funding to seven existing TCDD grantees to continue ongoing projects.
Collaborative Oral Health Care for Texans with DD: Provide people with DD access to credentialed oral health providers while also developing integrated and collaborative training for health professionals.
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Disability Cultural Humility for Elected Officials: Develop training programs and materials for elected leaders to deepen their understanding of people with disabilities and increase engagement with the disability community.
- Metrocare Services
Leadership Development and Advocacy Training led by Self-Advocates: Support people with DD as they develop leadership skills, participate in local self-advocacy groups and partnerships, and become more visible leaders in their communities.
- Children’s Disabilities Information Coalition
Money Basics: Increase the money management skills of people with DD, so they can effectively manage their money and have more control over their lives.
- Project Amistad
Self-Advocates in Participatory Action Research: Develop an accessible training curriculum for people with DD to engage in participatory action research.
- disABILITYsa
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response: Establish a sustainable sexual assault prevention model for people with DD that enhances self-advocacy and leads to an enriched quality of life.
- West Central Texas Council of Governments
Treatment for Substance-Use Disorders: Improve the quality of care and services for people with DD who experience substance-use disorders.
- University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth
TCDD provides stipends to increase access to disability information and advocacy opportunities. Stipends are available for conferences and events, disability-related speakers, and translation and interpretation services. This quarter, TCDD provided stipends to the following organizations:
- American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Association of People Supporting Employment First (Texas chapter)
- Harris County Department of Education
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Texas
- Providers Alliance for Community Services of Texas
- Texas Tribune
Presentations and Discussions
The Council approves and monitors TCDD’s strategic state plan, which guides projects and policy work. This quarter, Council members discussed the development of the TCDD 2027-2031 State Plan, a process that will begin next year.
The Council met with Jason Sabo, a policy strategist and founder of Frontera Strategy, and participated in a presentation on techniques and strategies for meeting with lawmakers and legislative staff. Council members also reviewed TCDD policy priorities for the 89th Texas legislative session, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 14, 2025.
Next Meetings
TCDD’s next quarterly meetings are scheduled from Feb. 5-7, 2025. To receive announcements about future meetings, subscribe to our newsletter.
