In this issue, read about:
- Protecting Your Benefits: What to Know About Accepting Gifts
- State DD Councils Sign On Joint Statement to Express Concern over Recent Layoffs U.S. Department of Education and SAMHSA
- Advocacy Project Empowers People with Developmental Disabilities to Lead Change
- NACDD Celebrates 2025 Champions of Equal Opportunity Award Winners at National Leadership Summit in Pennsylvania
- Beyond the Paycheck: My Path to Purpose, Inclusion, and Advocacy
- Stay engaged with the NACDD network!
If you have ideas and stories you want to share about your DD Council and community, send them at media@nacdd.org.
Protecting Your Benefits: What to Know About Accepting Gifts
On November 1, 2025, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may be stopped affecting almost 42 million people across the nation, including people with developmental disabilities (DD). This is due to the current government shutdown.
Friends, neighbors, and family may be reaching out and wanting to help people with disabilities who receive food assistance through the SNAP program. That is wonderful. It is what being part of the community is all about.
However, they may not be aware of the risk that accepting certain help might risk people with disabilities losing federal benefits that have income and asset limits such as Medicaid, SSI, housing, and other programs.
NACDD is concerned that many people may not be aware that some kinds of gifts could risk your eligibility to receive federal benefits that have income and asset limits as part of the eligibility criteria.
To protect benefits, NACDD put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions that shares the basics of what you need to know about protecting your benefits when accepting gifts.
DD Council Impact
State DD Councils Sign On Joint Statement to Express Concern over Recent Layoffs U.S. Department of Education and SAMHSA
The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities released a statement undersigned by State Councils on Developmental Disabilities to express deep concerns about the recent layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
These cuts affect key offices that make sure people with disabilities get the education, mental health support, and community services they are entitled to under the law.
These offices are the backbone of national efforts to implement and enforce IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Without them, oversight, accountability, and technical guidance to states collapse. These are real consequences for students and families in every community.
Advocacy Projects Empower People with Developmental Disabilities to Lead Change
The South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council (SCDDC) equips people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) with the tools to lead change in their communities. By funding leadership and self-advocacy programs, SCDDC builds statewide capacity and empowers individuals to transform the systems that affect their lives.
One of those programs is Individuals Motivating People to Achieve Change Together (IMPACT) SC. This self-advocacy group supports people with IDD to set and reach personal goals while becoming active advocacy leaders. IMPACT collaborates with local self-advocacy groups and hosts leadership training classes, giving participants the skills and confidence to share their stories and drive meaningful change.
Another program is Equip, a youth and young-adult self-advocacy initiative implemented by Able SC, South Carolina’s largest Center for Independent Living. Equip builds leadership and advocacy skills, provides peer support, and prepares young people with IDD to transition into independent adult lives.
One Equip graduate has gone on to become a fierce advocate in the disability space. Kim Brock, a homeschooling mother of two, SCDDC Council member, and disability advocate, attended the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) Conference in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). There, she met with representatives and shared her story on a national stage to advocate for community-based supports.
Brock said, “It has been an absolute privilege to attend the NCIL conference in Washington, D.C., to be at the forefront of discussions with our legislators, and to have the honor of being one of the speakers at the Rally.”
NACDD Insights
NACDD Celebrates 2025 Champions of Equal Opportunity Award Winners at Leadership Summit in Pennsylvania
This month, NACDD proudly celebrated the 2025 Champions of Equal Opportunity (CEO) Award winners during its National Leadership Summit in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania First Lady Lori Shapiro joined the event and honored the award recipients this year. The recipients included:
- Oscar Drummond (Pennsylvania) received the Betty Williams Champion of Equal Opportunity Award for his visionary advocacy with Self Advocates United as 1 (SAU1).
- Lo Thamer (Colorado) received the April Dunn Start Your Journey Award for their groundbreaking youth advocacy and leadership in neurodiversity and inclusion. These leaders embody the power of self-determination and the spirit of the disability rights movement.
Beyond the Paycheck: My Path to Purpose, Inclusion, and Advocacy
Bryan Dooley, NACDD Apprentice and Leader with Lived Experience, shares insight on his path to employment and provides a resource for individuals with DD on how to break barriers into employment.
Employment is about more than a paycheck — it’s about belonging, purpose, and being valued for your skills. For people with disabilities, work represents independence and the chance to contribute meaningfully to our communities.
But for many of us, the barriers to employment start long before graduation.I became a client of North Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) when I was sixteen.
My first counselor was incredible — she helped me plan for college and secured the assistive technology I needed to succeed.
With her support, I began college with tools like the professional version of Kurzweil reading software, which made a huge difference.Still, I soon realized how rigid the system could be. VR expected me to choose one career path and never deviate, even as my interests grew from law to journalism and advocacy.
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