Public Policy Priorities

Learn more about TCDD’s public policy priorities and position statements and how they guide our policy work and advocacy.

TCDD is a state agency created through the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act). Our mission is to create change so that all people with disabilities are fully included in their communities and exercise control over their own lives.

TCDD is overseen by a 27-member governor-appointed board that includes people with disabilities, family members, and representatives from state agencies, university centers for excellence in developmental disabilities, and other organizations.

Personal and Civil Rights

Increase the protections for the personal and civil rights of Texans with disabilities. Texans with disabilities deserve to understand and exercise their personal and civil rights in order to lead safe and successful lives as independently as possible, and they deserve equal protection when their rights are infringed upon.

Employment

Ensure Texans with disabilities have access to competitive and integrated employment opportunities. Texans with disabilities deserve access to competitive and integrated employment opportunities. Texas should strictly adhere to the state-adopted Employment First Policy by addressing barriers to community-based employment by expanding training, supported employment, and opportunities for advancement, including funding Medicaid waivers that offer employment supports.

Accessibility

Raise accessibility standards in Texas to promote community inclusion and ensure equal access. Texans with disabilities deserve to live in communities which are accessible to them in all aspects of their lives, including meeting basic needs in places outside of the home and utilizing the various modes of transportation.

Health and Safety

Ensure Texans with disabilities have equal access to and are proactively included in using all community resources designed to maintain and improve individual and public health and safety, including during public health emergencies. Texans with disabilities deserve health care that is available, accessible, and affordable, as well as emergency planning that is responsive to their needs.

Early Childhood and Inclusive Education

Ensure children with disabilities ages 0-22 receive necessary services to promote healthy growth and development to support long-term success and independence. Children with disabilities in Texas deserve access to quality care and education such as inclusive childcare, therapy and case management services, special education services, and transition planning, which meet or exceed federal standards to increase childhood and long-term outcomes.

Funding for Services

Ensure that current funding levels for vital programs that support Texans with disabilities are maintained and increased. Texans with disabilities deserve access to services and supports that are sufficiently funded by state lawmakers.

Attendant Wages and Training

Raise the minimum requirement for rates and wages of community attendants in Texas who work with people with disabilities, and provide training to better prepare them to meet the needs of those they assist. Community attendants deserve fair and livable wages. Increasing attendant wages and standardizing training will reduce workforce turnover rates and provide more opportunities for Texans with disabilities to be fully included within their communities and exercise control over their own lives.

Public Policy Priorities

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Ideas and Suggestions

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Accessibility Statement

Additional Resources

Contact TCDD

Ideas and Suggestions

Menu

Accessibility Statement

Additional Resources

Contact TCDD

Ideas and Suggestions

Menu

Accessibility Statement

Additional Resources

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