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.
Raise the minimum requirement for rates and wages of community attendants in Texas who work with people with disabilities, and provide standardized training to better prepare them to meet the needs of those they assist.
Ensure Texans with disabilities have access to competitive and integrated employment opportunities. Reinforce the state-adopted Employment First Policy by eliminating subminimum wages and raising income limits that prevent individuals with disabilities from maintaining both a meaningful job and access to necessary services. Increase availability of transition supports in public education, 18+ services and programs, training, and vocational rehabilitation specialists. Provide additional funding for Medicaid waivers and other programs that offer employment supports.
Expand dedicated funds for housing assistance for Texans with disabilities and increase the availability of affordable, accessible, and safe housing in communities of their choice. Address barriers to housing such as discrimination, lack of physical accessibility, social isolation, rising costs and state growth, and lack of access to health care and supportive services that are critical to living independently in the community.
Increase the availability of Individualized Skills and Socialization (ISS) programs—formerly known as day habilitation—that help Texans with disabilities with community integration, employment readiness, and workforce inclusion. Increase ISS collaboration with public schools and 18+ services and programs. Provide additional funding for program services to better ensure meaningful, measurable outcomes.
Expand access to community-based behavioral and mental health services and supports for children and adults with disabilities, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Increase the availability of providers with training and experience in the treatment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who also have mental health needs and/or substance use disorders.
Improve the availability of safe, accessible, reliable, and affordable transportation for Texans with disabilities. Expand capacity in suburban, urban, rural, and unincorporated areas to better connect the places where people live with the places they need to go. Ensure the needs of pedestrians with disabilities are taken into account in community planning. Meet the demands of our growing population by increasing the availability of accessible parking spaces and strengthening the enforcement of accessible parking violations.
