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Past Initiatives

Explore how the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities has worked to improve the lives of people with intellectual or other developmental disabilities by reviewing the results of past initiatives, listed by the year they ended. For questions or more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014

2024

Ability Leadership Project of North Carolina (ALP-NC)

The Ability Leadership Project of North Carolina (ALP-NC) initiative was a partnership between Disability Rights North Carolina and the Center for Creative Leadership with NC stakeholders. The purpose of the initiative was to design an innovative and unique leadership development program to support advocacy for systems change in North Carolina. The program was for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD), family members and guardians, professionals, and other stakeholders.

Contractor: Disability Rights North Carolina and the Center for Creative Leadership. The project’s contract transitioned to Community Bridges Consulting Group (CBCG) in March 2024.

After the Law: Guiding the I/DD Community to Supported Decision Making

This project builded upon the work of NCCDD’s previous initiatives that focused on rethinking North Carolina’s guardianship system and promoting alternatives to full guardianship with a focus on educating individuals with I/DD, family members, the legal community, and other key stakeholders about the new Guardianship Rights law, and educating community members on how these rights may specifically offer more independence in healthcare decision-making in preparation for or in light of any future pandemic.

Learn more about this initiative

NC Advocacy Leaders Network

Establish, maintain, and engage an NC Advocacy Leaders Network made up of North Carolinian graduates of state and nationally recognized advocacy and leadership development programs.

Contractor: Akalaka. This project’s contract transitioned to being an in-house project in October 2024. 

Learn more about this initiative

NC Benefits Counseling Expansion Project

The North Carolina Benefits Counseling Services Demonstration Project initiative was funded to demonstrate the impact of using a tiered model to address the lack of system capacity for providing benefits counseling services to individuals receiving federal and state public assistance.

Learn more about this initiative

NC Black Disabilities Network Training to Promote Establishment of IPSE Programs at NC HBCUs

North Carolina has three comprehensive transition and post-secondary (CTP) programs, but none exist at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). This yearlong initiative aimed to interrupt the cycle of poor access and opportunity to attend college by offering training and support to interested HBCU stakeholders who want to learn about IPSE programs and offer guidance in how to establish an IPSE on their campus.

Contractor: North Carolina Black Disabilities Network

Learn more about this initiative

Peer Mentoring for People with I/DD: Third Cohort

The purpose of the Peer Mentoring Training for People with IDD: Third Cohort is to implement the peer mentoring training program for individuals who live independently with the use of Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS).

Products included:

Contractor: Coordinated by Community Bridges Consulting Group, this initiative was a joint venture of Optum, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), and the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities and now includes the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (NCDVRS).

Learn more about this initiative

Supported Living: A How-to Guidebook

This initiative was made possible through a collaborative relationship between the NCCDD and North Carolina Money Follows the Person Project (NC MFP), a Medicaid project that assists Medicaid-eligible North Carolinians who live in inpatient facilities to move into their own homes and communities with supports. The purpose was to create a how-to guidebook to help individuals with the highest level of needs successfully access and use the Supported Living Innovations Waiver service that helps individuals with I/DD live in a home of their choice in the community with supports. The guide is available on the FirstWNC website.

Contractor: North Carolina Money Follows the Person Project (NC MFP)

Learn more about this initiative

2023

Community Living Mini-Grants

In 2023, NCCDD awarded seven Community Living Mini-Grants initiatives to organizations that proposed doing activities to advance NCCDD’s Community Living goal and support systems change activities or build capacity to enable individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) to live full and meaningful lives in the community.

Project ended: September 30, 2024

Autism Grown Up: The purpose of this initiative is to create three courses to establish the Life Course Library through which individuals with I/DD, and particularly autistic individuals across life stages, will have access to more tools in transition and lifespan planning.

Best Buddies International, Inc.: The purpose of this initiative is to provide opportunities for training, experiential learning, and corporate mentorships to transition-aged youth with I/DD to build their capacity to live more successfully in the community.
Bloom Fitness Corporation: The purpose of this initiative is to increase personal health and wellness for adults with I/DD in the building of a highly accessible fitness app specifically designed for and by adults with I/DD.

Chapters Ahead Inc.: The purpose of this initiative is to develop a systematic approach for establishing Next Chapter Book Clubs in North Carolina to provide opportunities for people with I/DD to read together in a community setting and develop peer support/friendships.

East Carolina University: The purpose of this initiative is to create a checklist to address the transportation needs of individuals with I/DD to support and increase successful community living in the community of their choice. The checklist will be used by people with I/DD, occupational therapists, other healthcare providers, family members of people with I/DD, and others who can use the tool to identify skills, abilities, and challenges that are enhancers or barriers to effective community mobility.

The National Leadership Consortium, an Affiliate of CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership: The purpose of this initiative is to conduct a review of organizations fully or predominantly providing community living services in order to understand the strategies, structures, and practices that advance community living opportunities for people with I/DD, with the overarching goal of increasing community living for people with I/DD through enhancing access to essential elements of community living, including community housing, transportation, and healthcare, and by building the knowledge of professionals, people with I/DD, and families about the characteristics and strategies of organizations that provide fully inclusive supports.

ZABS Place: The purpose of this initiative is to enhance the development and implementation of ZABS Place’s Dream Link Skill Development Tracker and Job Placement Portal to help more individuals with I/ DD participate in transition and lifespan planning by offering them the training and resources to gain and improve transferrable employment skills, connect with inclusive employers, and increase the likelihood of them being hired and retained for a job that fits with their career goals.

Learn more about this initiative

Competitive Integrated Employment Engagement, White Paper & Conference

NCCDD contracted with the i2i Center for Integrated Health to engage the I/DD community and stakeholders in dialogue and envisioning North Carolina’s transition to Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE). The i2i Center for Integrative Health interviewed individuals representing all stakeholders in the Competitive Integrated Employment discussion and then engaged in an initial information session with stakeholders, providers, and state leaders, and developed a White Paper. Then, i2i took the “leveling the knowledge” component of the initial discussion and placed alongside it national perspectives and lessons learned from NC and other States to ensure that all participants have the same basic understanding of the intent behind Competitive Integrated Employment. They hosted a pre-conference to its semi-annual conference to share this information and perspectives.

Contractor: i2i Center for Integrated Health

White Paper: North Carolina Transition to Competitive Integrated Employment: Valuing all Perspectives

Learn more about this initiative

Justice: Release, Reentry, and Reintegration

The purpose of this initiative is to improve transition outcomes after incarceration for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD).

Contractor: Alliance of Disability Advocates

Learn more about this initiative

Making Alternatives to Guardianship a Reality in North Carolina

The purpose of this initiative was to increase the number of individuals with I/DD and their families in North Carolina who are aware of and make use of Supported Decision-Making (SDM) and other alternatives to guardianship. The project continued to further the work of NCCDD’s previous Rethinking Guardianship initiatives so that all stakeholders in the guardianship system are educated about guardianship; less restrictive alternatives to guardianship, especially Supported Decision-Making; and best practices so that individuals with I/DD can have more control over their daily lives.

Products from this initiative include:

Learn more about this initiative

2022

Care Extender White Paper - Mission Possible: Advancing Whole Person Care by Employing People with I/DD & Family Members as Care Extenders

While the proposal of a service definition for Care Extenders created a pivotal opportunity to advance the idea of paid, professional family and peer support in the I/DD service system, it came at an uncertain time. DHHS and the I/DD service delivery system were undergoing a big shift, with plans to transition from the current LME-MCO model to the NC Medicaid Managed Care Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Tailored Plan. To help ensure the successful deployment of the Care Extender role, NC Community Bridges Consulting Group identified the challenges of adopting the Care Extender service definitions. After identifying the challenges, organizations and stakeholders can work collectively to address them to ensure that Care Extenders are used adequately for the I/DD population.

Contractor: NC Community Bridges Consulting Group 

Learn more about this initiative

COVID-19 Registry of Unmet Needs Relief

The COVID-19 Registry of Unmet Needs Relief initiative was designed to provide certain types of relief for individuals on the Registry of Unmet Needs whose unmet needs were made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contractor: First in Families of North Carolina

Employer Virtual Forum

Developed a standardized, core curriculum to address the needs of employers in NC about how to recruit, hire and retain people with I/DD. The goal was to increase access to a unique pool of potential employees with a diversity of skills who are eager, reliable and committed to succeeding in a competitive, integrated workforce, and to provide education and strategies for employers to create inclusive work environments. This was an in-house intiative.

Learn more about this initiative

2021

Inroads to Employment

This initiative aimed to expand on, and create new paid apprenticeships for individuals with I/DD, leading to integrated, competitive employment and career opportunities. The work. included establishing three registered apprenticeships; expanding workforce options for youth ages 14-21, improving employment prospects and job search skills for post-secondary students, and demonstrating the impact of post-secondary career mentoring programs that connect local business professionals with current post-secondary students living with I/DD.

Contractor: National Disability Institute, Washington D.C.

Natural Support Network

The purpose of this initiative was to promote systems change innovations that would establish supportive strategies toward expanding non-paid natural supports while identifying and removing barriers that hinder the opportunity for individuals with I/DD to develop natural supports. This resulted in an online portal of resources, videos and tools created to help teams create personal support networks. The tools include “Full Circle Planning Guide for Community Connectors, Full Circle Information for Families and Friends and Full Circle - Planning for a Good Life.”

Products from this initiative include:

Contractor: First Resource Center

Learn more about this initiative

North Carolina Employment Collaborative

This initiative helped support the Unified State Plan Committee by offering guidance, coordination, and other help. It used a teamwork approach called the Collective Impact Model to improve job outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and other disabilities. The goal was to help different state agencies work together to meet the job and workforce goals in North Carolina’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Unified State Plan.

2020

NCABLE Project Prosperity

This initiative aimed to increase public awareness and expand outreach efforts through training and education about NCABLE and other savings options available to people living with disabilities and their families. Activities included:

  • Coordinated the development of live and on demand webinars.
  • Facilitated a partnership among Department of State Treasurer, North Carolina Vocational Services to promote NCABLE.
  • Designed NCABLE module to be added to Upward to Financial Stability curriculum and present in person trainings using the “Train the Trainer “model.
  • Facilitation of LMS (Learning Management System) training designed to be offered to all NCVR employees.
  • Targeted NCABLE outreach activities among private financial institutions.

Contractor: National Disability Institute, Washington, D.C.

NC ADA Network Coordination, Technical Assistance & Fiscal Intermediary

In order for individuals to benefit from the provisions offered in the ADA, federal, state and local entities must effectively implement and put these laws into practice. The NC ADA Network supports grassroots groups, led by people with disabilities, to conduct projects that promote voluntary compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in their local communities. The Fiscal Intermediary provides timely, accurate reimbursement for the funding of Network Affiliate Group ADA initiatives and participant travel/training expenses.

Contractor: NC ADA Network

NC Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NCADSP)

This initiative established a local chapter of the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) to advance the quality of the workforce that supports individuals with disabilities through increased competency, professionalism and a voice in decision-making. 

Visit the NCADSP Facebook page

Safety and Security: Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

This initiative helped to increase the capacity and knowledge of domestic violence and/or sexual assault service providers about the needs of victims who have intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). Activities included:

  • Developed a training program for providers specific to the needs of individuals with I/DD who have experienced domestic and sexual violence.
  • Developed partnerships and strengthen collaboration with state agencies and statewide groups such as the Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and The Arc of NC.
  • Raised awareness of the specific needs of individuals with I/DD who experience violence and how to intervene.

Contractor: The Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons Center, Inc.

Sibling Support

This initiative addressed the various needs and barriers that siblings of a person with an intellectual or other developmental disability face. It established the North Carolina Chapter (NC Sibs) of the National Siblings Network.  

Contractor: First in Families of NC

Visit the NC Sibs Facebook page

2019

Cross-System Navigation in a Managed Care Environment

The goal of this initiative was to develop recommendations for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) about how individuals with I/DD and their families can best be supported to effectively navigate across various service systems (cross-system navigation) as DHHS moves toward implementation of Medicaid Transformation. Medicaid Transformation was NC's plan to transition the physical Medicaid program to managed care to improve overall service delivery and improve the integration of behavioral and I/DD healthcare and physical healthcare services.

Read the white paper

Rethinking Guardianship: A Person-Centered Approach

This initiative funded training, consultation and technical assistance to support the development of policies and practices, relative to guardianship and alternatives to guardianship, that advance integration, productivity, independence, integration, inclusion and self-determination for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD).

Contractor: DHHS Division of Aging and Adult Services

Read the final report

Supported Living: Making the Difference

This initiative launched a learning community around the work of the supported living initiative. A kick-off conference, “Supported Living: A Shared Vision” was held in Greensboro in March of 2017 with 282 people attending followed by several activites (creating videos, a guidebook/resource manual, holding meetings, and more) to education and inform about supported living. 

Support Living Initiative Videos - Success Stories

Contractor: Vaya Health

2018

EveryBody Works NC

EveryBody Works NC sees inclusive, competitive employment as the best means to assure independence and quality of life for everyone in North Carolina regardless of their disability, substance misuse disorder history or economic status. A “real meaningful job” provides dignity, financial security and new social opportunities to those who face barriers to employment including as at-risk teens, people who are striving for or in recovery for substance misuse and people with intellectual/developmental or physical disabilities.

The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities ran a campaign to promote EveryBody Works NC.

From Planning to Action: Integrated, Collaborative Care for People with I/DD

This intiative was a partnership among The Arc of NC, Easter Seals UCP, and the Autism Society of NC that transitioned the systems-change planning groundwork of the Medical Health Home Initiative into actionable demonstrations that advance innovation and access to quality healthcare for people with I/DD. The two demonstration pilots evaluated individual and population health outcomes, consultation structure and effectiveness, funding implications, and the impact of consultation services on access to care.

Contractors: The Arc of NC, Easter Seals UCP, and the Autism Society of NC

Read the final report

Upward to Financial Stability

The goal of this project was to teach individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families about money. It focused on building financial skills and helping people understand that they can save money, make financial plans, and build a better future. Updated and enhanced financial literacy and asset-building curriculum including new modules and tools covering NCABLE, housing and employment, and paying for secondary education were added, hosted train-the-trainer and master trainers events, and held informational webinars.

Contractor: National Disability Institute, Washington, D.C.

2017

Adult Care Home Transition to the Community

This initiative will assist individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to transition from Adult Care Homes to homes of their own, with the appropriate services and supports. The goals were to assist state policymakers and stakeholders in understanding the barriers to community living, and identify practice innovations and policy changes with the potential to assist individuals with I/DD to transition from ACHs to homes of their own, with the appropriate services and supports.

Contractor: Disability Rights North Carolina

Read the final report

Advancing Strong Leaders in I/DD

Advancing Strong Leadership in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ASLiIDD) is a leadership development program for early career professionals in the intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) field in North Carolina. The goals of the project were to:

  • To empower early career leaders to address common systems barriers, to challenge the status quo effectively, and promote policy that contributes to a coordinated, consumer and family-centered, comprehensive system of community services and individualized supports.
  • To develop and nurture a network of people interested in policy, systems change and leadership, outside of their day-to-day roles in their professions in North Carolina.

Almost 70 people who have held increasingly responsible positions in support of people with I/DD were selected and participated in the 18-month leadership development program. Participant activities include considerable reading, an individual project, tailored pilot projects within the participant’s organization, small group work, interactions with a mentor, monthly webinars and/or teleconferences and small group meetings. Activities also include a week-long leadership institute and quarterly workshops.

Contractor: University of Delaware

Emergency Preparedness

This initiative implemented and maintained a program that is inclusive of persons with I/DD and that builds capacity for disaster preparation, emergency response, and related procedures and systems. This supported the work for developing ReadyNC.org. 

Contractor: NC Department of Public Safety

Employment Lookbook

The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities launched its EveryBody Works NC campaign aiming to bring attention to and reduce the employment gap of working-age people with disabilities; educate the business community on the benefits of hiring people with disabilities; and show how the disability community is an untapped and valuable workforce. The campaign was in collaboration with the North Carolina Business Leadership Network and North Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation.

Expansion of Employment Opportunities for People with I/DD

The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities worked with an Employment Services Coordinator to create opportunities to expand competitive, integrated employment and careers for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The goals of the initiative were to establish apprenticeships for individuals with I/DD in North Carolina, continue to support the expansion of Project SEARCH in North Carolina, and form a coalition/partnership tasked with increasing employment opportunities for people with I/DD.

Inclusive Advocacy Leadership Development

The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities was involved in the Inclusive Advocacy Leadership Development (IALD) initiative. This effort focused on several important areas of advocacy and leadership development, including:

  • Advocacy Organizing: The focus on this portion of the initiative was directed toward strengthening the organization of self-advocacy in NC.
  • Leadership Training and Delivery: The focus of this area was to consider intentional leadership development education for self-advocates, parents, professionals and other stakeholders.

The IALD initiative was integral to the Council’s investment in the Leadership Development Training Initiative and the NC Empowerment Network, an emerging statewide self-advocacy organization. This effort focused on several important areas of advocacy and leadership development.

Learn more about this intiative

Medical Health Homes

This initiative worked with stakeholders across the State to identify the needs and concerns of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families, and gaps in the current systems of care, in order to develop recommendations that promote person centered collaborative care in the right setting at the right time.

Contractor: Easter Seals, UCP in partnership with The Arc of NC

Read the key recommendations

2016

Learning and Earning After High School

This initiative created a sustainable approach to providing transition services and resources for students with intellectual disabilities, even with those with the most complex of these disabilities. Accomplishments of the intiative include:

  • Building relationships with NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and Local Education Agencies (LEA). Ten LEA pilots were established. Twenty total partner schools participated.
  • RTLE.org (Roads to Learning and Earning) website launched to house video tutorial and other transition resources for students, teachers and administrators. (Note: This website is no longer available.)
  • Training sessions with stakeholders across the state have been conducted to raise expectations for post-secondary outcomes and to inform about the resources available in the transition process.
  • A comprehensive needs assessment was conducted with LEAs to identify specific policy barriers to address in transition procedures.

Contractor: Western Carolina University

Project SEARCH

Project SEARCH is a high school or young adult transition initiative which is a business-led, one-year, school-to-work program that combines classroom instruction, career exploration, and relevant job-skills training through strategically designed internships for students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). The activities of this project led to:

  • Increasing skills acquisition and employment outcomes for young people with disabilities through the implementation of the Project SEARCH model.
  • Offering new models that can change the business culture to include workers with disabilities.
  • Creating natural opportunities for service systems such as education, vocational rehabilitation, community supported employment agencies, and families to work together to create systems change for employment of individuals with disabilities.

Contractor: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

2015

Medicaid Reform Stakeholder Engagement Group (SEG)

The NC Stakeholder Engagement Group (NC SEG) was a cross-disability advocacy initiative focused on shaping the long-term support and service systems through meaningful engagement and dialogue with policymakers. It was the only group in North Carolina that consisted solely of individuals receiving services and their family members. There were no provider organizations in order to avoid a potential for a conflict of interest. The intiative resulted in establishing a sustainable cross-disability consumer and family group that can serve as a resource to state policy leaders, and providing a forum for ongoing dialogue among disability groups across the state to ensure our service delivery system responds to the needs and expectations of all people with disabilities and their families.

Read the final report

Partners in Policymaking

Partners in Policymaking is a nationally replicated, forward-thinking, cutting-edge leadership and disability advocacy training program for parents of school-aged children with developmental disabilities and adults with developmental disabilities. Only parents of school-aged children with developmental disabilities and self-advocates should apply. This initiative supported participants who were accepted into the NC Partners in Policymaking leadership and advocacy training program to attend eight, two-day training sessions in Raleigh, NC. 

Contractor: Advocacy Institute, Inc.

Reaching the Summit of Success

This program offered students with intellectual disabilities experiences and interactions with other students within the context of a typical college environment; integrated with access to the activities and services a college provides its students.

Read the final report

Contractor: University of Massachusetts

2014

Advocacy Ambassador

This group worked to obtain a current and accurate assessment of the state of self-advocacy in North Carolina and receive clear feedback from self-advocates about how the NCCDD can best support and advance the self-advocacy movement.

Contractor: Mike Mayer, Monica Foster, Barton Cutter, Jonathan Ellis

Read the final report

Family Support: Coming of Age

Identified the support needs of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) or Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and their aging caregivers in North Carolina and the barriers involved in attaining that support.

Contractor: First in Families of NC

Read the final report