The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) is pleased to announce that it was awarded a five-year grant for a national Community of Practice (CoP) grant that will be focused on improving aging services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), as well as their aging families. The CoP will be made up of 15 States and/or Territories through grants made available by the Administration for Community Living at the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
The grants to the States and/or Territories will be awarded at five per year for three years, with all 15 grantees participating in the CoP for the final two years.
As health care technology and services have improved, individuals with ID/DD are living longer and healthier lifespans that are close or equal to those individuals without ID/DD, however, evidence has shown that aging programs at both the State and Federal levels have not been prepared to provide suitable services to the ID/DD population.
The Bridging ID/DD and Aging grants will bring together State Councils on Developmental Disabilities, State Developmental Disability Agencies, State Aging Agencies, and other State and/or Territory partners through State Alliance Teams (SATs) to give States and/or Territories the opportunity to develop best practices, systems change, policy change, and other types of changes and training that can be replicated across the country that will enhance and improve aging services to individuals with I/DD and their families.