August 2025 Council Meeting Recap
Table of Contents
TCDD held quarterly Council and Committee meetings from Aug. 6-8 in Dallas. During the meetings, Council members awarded grant funding to continue ongoing projects and engaged in discussions on important disability issues and initiatives. Here are some highlights from the meetings.
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 grants, which are developing projects in several ongoing TCDD initiatives.
Health Equity for People with DD: Increase knowledge of the experience of people with DD and their families and improve the self-direction, accessibility, and effectiveness of health care and dental care treatment and support.
- Texas A&M University
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- University of Houston-Clear Lake
Leadership Development and Advocacy Training for Youth Self-Advocates: Provide self-advocacy training to youth with DD that supports their self-determination and fosters meaningful participation in planning their education.
- Paso del Norte Children’s Development Center
Leadership Development and Advocacy Training led by Self-Advocates: Provide leadership development and self-advocacy training to people with DD to prepare them for public policy fellowships and other disability advocacy and leadership opportunities.
- Coalition of Texans with Disabilities
- Texas Advocates
Sexual Assault Response and Prevention: Develop a replicable and sustainable program that provides education, training, and resources to reduce the risk of sexual assault for people with DD.
- The SAFE Alliance
TCDD 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:
- Black Down Syndrome Association
- Manifest Academy
- Texas Advocates
- Texas Parent to Parent
Council Business and Discussions
The Council approved an operating budget for the 2026 fiscal year. TCDD’s annual budgets provide funding to achieve outcomes in the Council’s statewide strategic plan. This quarter, Council members discussed future strategic activities, including potential projects to support children with DD, ages 3-11, in expressing preferences and making decisions while enhancing the capacity of families and professionals to nurture choice-making skills earlier in life.
Council members reviewed updates from the Texas Legislature and discussed the development of TCDD’s next strategic plan, which will guide activities and policy work from 2027-2031.
The Council also engaged in presentations on important disability issues and innovative programs:
Disability Training for Elected Officials: Tate Ringer, chief strategy officer for Metrocare Services, shared information about the organization’s recent TCDD-funded project that developed training materials for elected leaders and legislative staff to deepen their understanding of people with disabilities and increase their engagement with the disability community.
Help Me Grow/Help Me Thrive North Texas: Katelyn Sempebwa, community alignment coordinator for the Help Me Grow and Help Me Thrive programs at My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, shared information on the programs’ goals to support families, including those with children with DD, and connect them with developmental and behavioral resources in the North Texas area.
Partners Resource Network: Shannon Rosson, PACT project director at Partners Resource Network, provided details about the Camp Ability program, which coordinates summer camps for youth with DD.
Resource Centers for Independent Living: Sarah Stepp and Jessie Kelley of REACH shared information about the organization’s North Texas locations and its services for information and referral, disability advocacy, independent living, peer counseling, and transition planning for people with DD in all stages of life.
Youth Leadership: Brianna TenBrink, TCDD leadership and advocacy program manager, shared information about youth leadership forums that provide advocacy training for youth with DD as well as support in navigating the transition into adulthood.
Next Meetings
TCDD’s next quarterly meetings are scheduled from Nov. 5-7. To receive updates about future meetings, subscribe to our email alerts.
