We Change Lives by Changing Systems

The Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD) improves the lives of people with developmental and other disabilities in Indiana by strategically funding grants, influencing public policy and training people with disabilities and their family members to more effectively communicate and advocate for themselves and their communities. GCPD works to ensure that people with disabilities can live independent and productive lives in the community with the supports and services that they need to maximize their potential. The following is a snapshot of just some of the work that GCPD has done in the past five years:

GCPD awarded over $5 million dollars grants and contracts and leveraged an additional $4.25 million dollars in non-federal funds, including projects that:

• Increase the availability of accessible and diverse housing in Indiana
• Increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities
• Improve transportation coordination and access
• Empower people with disabilities to protect themselves from abuse, neglect and exploitation
• Registered 11,022 individuals with disabilities to vote
• Recruited 28,867 individuals with disabilities to join Indiana’s statewide disability advocacy coalition

Over 130 policies and programs were created or improved through Council activities and collaborations, including policies that:

• Provided greater and safer access to the community for people with disabilities through the adoption of municipal ordinances and/or regulations
• Helped open the doors for individuals with developmental disabilities to attend colleges and universities around the state
• Assisted with the statewide adoption of “Employment First” which makes integrated community employment at competitive wages as the first and preferred outcome for all people with disabilities 

Nearly 21,000 individuals were trained to enhance their leadership skills, increase their knowledge and more effectively communicate with policymakers.

• People with disabilities and families are members of boards and leadership coalitions and remain active in grassroots advocacy since receiving training
• In the words of one recent trainee: “For me, this has been a life changing experience. I now feel that I CAN be the change I want to see in the world.”

Council News

 

Help us create our 5-Year State Plan! The State Plan is used to create specific grant proposals, and this Public Survey will be the first step in identifying problems and needs. The Council believes it is important to know what people like you find important. We have broken the surveys out into three separate groups: People with Disabilities; Parents, Family Members, and Guardians; and Disability Professionals and Other Stakeholders. We know that there are absolutely people who fit into more than one of those categories! We ask that you fill out the survey that you feel the most comfortable identifying with; please do not fill out more than one survey. Our testers have reported that the survey may take as little as 10 minutes, or as long as 45 minutes, to fill out. Please make sure that you set aside enough time to fully make your opinions count! Like the Census, this is a way to help make sure that you have a say in your government and your community! The surveys are here: Survey for People with Disabilities (http://survey.gcpd.in.gov/s3/State-Plan-Survey-PWD) Survey for Parents, Family Members, and Guardians (http://survey.gcpd.in.gov/s3/State-Plan-Survey-for-Families-and-Guardians) Survey for Disability Professionals and Other Stakeholders (http://survey.gcpd.in.gov/s3/State-Plan-Survey-for-Disability-Professionals-and-Other-Stakeholders) We also have a short version that gets the bare bones of our needs--the long one is more useful, but we understand that not everyone has a lot of time to give. We appreciate any answers we receive! Short Version State Plan Survey (http://survey.gcpd.in.gov/s3/State-Plan-Survey-Short-Version) Thank you for your time, your input, and your comments! ***Important: The deadline to fill out the survey is August 31st!***

GCPD Statement on Racial Justice GCPD’s board met on Tuesday, June 9th, 2020, and voted to approve this statement which begins with “The brutal killings of George Floyd in Minnesota, Dreasjon Reed of Indiana, Breonna Taylor of Kentucky, Ahmaud Arbery of Georgia, and too many others will not be met with silence by the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD). We are outraged, we are grieving. Racism is the other virus plaguing us.” The Council is proud to stand with those calling for reform by issuing the following statement demanding racial justice which includes the actions GCPD has committed to in order to do its part.