May 2025 Council Meeting Recap

TCDD held quarterly Council and Committee meetings from May 7-9 in San Antonio. During the meetings, Council members awarded grant funding to continue ongoing projects, discussed TCDD’s next statewide strategic plan, engaged in presentations on important disability issues, and more. Here are some key 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 four ongoing grant projects. The following information includes project descriptions and organizations awarded funding.

Inclusive Postsecondary Education: Create an affordable and sustainable four-year postsecondary education program for students with DD.

• Texas State University        
    

Mental Health Care for Youth: Conduct research to better understand the relationship between trauma, mental health, and DD for youth and young adults.

• Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute        
    

South Texas Disability Employment Collaborative: Increase employment opportunities for early-career adults with DD living in South Texas.

• Valley Association for Independent Living        
    

Support with Grief and Loss: Develop resources to help people with DD navigate the experience of grief and loss, which can overwhelm, traumatize, and create long-lasting impacts on mental health.

• Rice University        
    

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:

• Alexander Jewish Family Service
• Children’s Disabilities Information Coalition
• Lone Star College System

Discussions and Presentations

The Council discussed the development of TCDD’s next strategic plan, which will guide activities and policy work from 2027-2031. Council members also reviewed future strategic activities, including support for self-determination and choice-making among youth with DD.

During the meetings, the Council engaged in discussions and presentations on important disability issues and initiatives. Here are some examples: 

• Home and Community-Based Services: Alanna Clayton, a program manager at Lifetime Living, gave an overview of the organization, which provides home and community-based services. Clayton also spoke about Medicaid waivers and challenges in the state service system.  
    
• Legislative Update: TCDD Public Policy Director Scott Daigle gave an update on the Texas legislative session, including the status of bills that might impact people with disabilities. 
    
• Paratransit Services: Carolyn Dougherty, Raquel Reyes, and David Vidal of VIA Metropolitan Transit shared information and answered questions about VIA’s paratransit services. VIA operates the mass transit system for the San Antonio area. 
    
• Youth Ambassadors: Courtney Trevino shared information about the Youth Ambassadors for Choice-Making in Health Care program, a partnership between TCDD and Wellpoint to build awareness and self-advocacy skills for youth with disabilities. Trevino, founder of Mindful Advocacy, served as the program’s youth engagement coordinator.

Next Meetings

TCDD’s next quarterly meetings are scheduled from Aug. 6-8. To receive updates about future meetings, subscribe to our email alerts.