NCCDD Media Relations Program

System Gap Addressed

The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) is federally mandated by the Developmental Disabilities Act (DD Act) to fund initiatives that influence policy and promote independence, inclusion, and self-determination of North Carolina citizens with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their
families.
There are approximately 180,000 individuals with I/DD residing in North Carolina.
NCCDD is responsible for advocacy, community capacity building, and systems change achieved by sharing information learned from its funded initiatives with elected officials, state leaders, and community organizations.
NCCDD determines its funding priorities with significant public input from individuals with I/DD and family members across the state through its five-year state planning process.

Implement a strategic marketing plan to raise awareness of the mission of NCCDD and its resources available to elected officials, state leaders, and local organizations across the state.
Assist NCCDD in communicating the work of existing grant initiatives information with key decision makers at the state and local level.
Assist NCCDD in the communication of public policy issues that impact the independence and inclusion of individuals with I/DD and their families.
Assist NCCDD in community outreach and collection of public input from individuals with I/DD and their families on opportunities and barriers they face in everyday life to guide the development of funded grant initiatives, public policy goals, and systems change activities.

Description of Activities

Marketed the work of the Council through social media messaging. Social media posts were created and shared through NCCDD’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Marketed the work of the Council through email marketing. 36 email announcements were shared with an average of 7,155 subscribers.
Supported Council activities and campaigns including Self-advocate Discussion Series, ALP-NC applications, I/DD Listening session, Five Year Plan survey, Policy Education monthly meeting, The Council Presents webinar series, and more.
Developed newsletters and other material in English and Spanish and accessible audio that Council members and the general public can use to share information about issues that impact individuals with I/DD.
Distributed weekly updates, as needed, via email marketing to share events and updates of interest to the I/DD community.
Continued with the Council’s website upgrade. Completed the new layout/design, conducted the content audit, received input from Council, and continue to work on finalizing the site before launching.

Increased public presence through local media reports, press releases, public policy input, and collaboration with communications liaisons across state government.
Continued outreach via social media and website formats to share outputs from the Council and to solicit greater input from individuals and families across the state.
Distributed 36 email campaigns to 7,155 subscribers with a 37% open rate.

Raise awareness of the Council across the state as a consensus-builder on the broad issues that affect people with I/DD and their families.
Identify strategies to raise awareness of funded initiatives and opportunities for collaboration.
Increase the number of people who understand and champion the removal of barriers in systems that impact independence, inclusion, and self-determination among those with I/DD.

Contact Pam Hunter Dempsey, Systems Change Manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.