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August 2026 Council Meeting Recap

TCDD Logo featuring a Texas outline, a checkmark, and a dot, along with text that says: TCDD Council and Committee Meetings.
TCDD Logo featuring a Texas outline, a checkmark, a dot, and text that says TCDD Council and Committee Meetings

Table of Contents

TCDD held quarterly Council and Committee meetings from Aug. 5-7 in San Antonio. Council members awarded funding to continue ongoing grant projects; developed legislative advocacy strategies; discussed potential future projects involving disability employment, peer support, and inclusive recreation; 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 continue seven ongoing projects:

  • Building Capacity for Inclusive Healthcare (University of Houston-Clear Lake): Support health equity by improving the capacity and confidence of healthcare professionals to provide medical care to patients with DD.  
     
  • Collaborative Oral Healthcare (The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston): Provide people with DD with access to credentialed oral healthcare providers while developing integrated and collaborative training for dental and healthcare professionals.  
     
  • Coping with Grief and Loss (Rice University): Develop an evidence-based toolkit for people with DD to access mental health resources for handling grief and loss.  
     
  • Future Leaders Advocacy Corps (Coalition of Texans with Disabilities): Provide leadership development and advocacy training to people with DD preparing for future public policy fellowships and other disability advocacy employment.  
     
  • Next Generation Engagement – Raising Texas Voices (Baylor University): Enhance disability advocacy training to ensure people with DD have a significant voice in shaping policies and practices that impact their lives.  
     
  • Partners in Academic Leadership (Paso del Norte Children’s Development Center): Provide training and opportunities for youth with DD to develop as leaders and advocate for themselves and their peers when planning their educational future.  
     
  • Project LEAD (Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Self-Determination) (Texas Advocates): Develop training and resources to prepare adults with DD to become effective self-advocates and community leaders. 
     

TCDD also provides stipends to increase access to disability information and advocacy opportunities. Organizations can apply for stipends 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 (AAIDD) Texas Chapter
  • Education Service Center Region 19
  • Texas Advocates
  • Texas APSE (Association of People Supporting Employment First)
  • Texas Parent to Parent

Council Business and Discussions

The Council approves and monitors TCDD’s strategic state plan, which guides projects and policy work. This quarter, Council members discussed potential future projects and activities related to disability employment, self-advocacy and peer support, and inclusive recreation. Council members also reviewed the 2027-2028 TCDD Public Policy Priorities as well as advocacy strategies for the next Texas legislative session, which begins in January 2027.

Along with discussions, Council members engaged with guest speakers on presentations covering innovative disability programs and support strategies, including:

  • EveryChild: Elizabeth Tucker gave an overview of EveryChild, an Austin-based nonprofit that offers support and training to help families explore options for children with disabilities to live at home rather than in institutional settings.  
     
  • San Antonio League of Self-Advocates: Ameen Al-Bahloly and Gwenda Taggart shared information about the goals and activities of SALSA (San Antonio League of Self-Advocates), a local chapter of Texas Advocates.  
     
  • South Texas Disability Employment Collaborative: Dr. Lidia Fonseca and Dr. Matthew Atterberry with the Valley Association of Independent Living (VAIL) provided an update on a TCDD-funded project to develop employment training and increase job opportunities for early-career adults with DD living in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.  
     
  • The Farmer’s House: Amy Allison shared information about The Farmer’s House, a Missouri-based nonprofit that offers programs for people with DD to support job training, career planning, community integration, and social activities.

Next Meetings

TCDD’s next quarterly meetings are scheduled from Nov. 4-6. To receive updates about future meetings, subscribe to our email alerts.