State Plan

Goal 1: Self Determination

Pennsylvanians with developmental disabilities and their families increase their knowledge in order to make informed decisions, exercise their rights and control their own lives.

• Objective 1.A: Supported Decision Making Every year, an additional 30 people with developmental disabilities and their families will receive training on how to use supported decision making in their own lives.

• Objective 1.B: Everyday Lives By 2026, as a result of peer-to-peer training, the number of people with developmental disabilities who state they make decisions for their own lives in housing, employment, and family life will increase.
• Objective 1.C: Education & Early Intervention Each year, there will be an increase in the number of diverse families of young children with developmental disabilities who receive information and education about the benefits and positive impact of inclusion and self determination.

Goal 2: Social and System Change

Change service systems and community resources so that they are more responsive, accessible, and flexible for Pennsylvanians with developmental disabilities.

• Objective 2.A: Employment Each year, 20 businesses will be supported through education and technical assistance focused on promising practices to employ and promote more people with developmental disabilities.
• Objective 2.B: Housing By 2026, an increased number of people with developmental disabilities will have information and support in order to secure safe, accessible, and affordable housing in the communities they choose.
• Objective 2.C: Technology By 2026, people with developmental disabilities will report increased independence as a result of accessing, acquiring, using, and/or maintaining assistive technology devices and services.
• Objective 2.D: Transportation By 2026, as a result of promising practices, people with developmental disabilities will report decreased barriers to using public and private transportation.
• Objective 2.E: Quality Health Care By 2026, people with developmental disabilities will report increased quality of services as a result of health care professionals having training and information.

Goal 3: Community Living

Empower communities to provide positive, inclusive experience for everyone, so that people with developmental disabilities and their families feel welcomed and supported.

• Objective 3.A: Community Capacity Each year, starting in 2022, an increasing number of people with disabilities will report fair and equitable treatment when engaging with community resources and public services.
• Objective 3.B: Community Inclusion Each year, people with developmental disabilities will report increased access and meaningful engagement with people, places, and events in their community.
• Objective 3.C: Targeted Disparity in Education Each year, in-school suspensions and expulsions among black and brown students with developmental disabilities will decrease as a result of promotion and implementation of promising practices to disrupt the school to prison pipeline that begins in early education.
• Objective 3.D:  Community Options Each year, an increasing number of people with developmental disabilities and their families will be provided information and education around options for community living, including the role of the HCBS final settings rule, the role of natural supports in community living, and the ability to self-direct one or more services in Pennsylvania.

Goal 4: Self Advocate Leadership

Support policy solutions, advocacy, and civic engagement led by people with developmental disabilities, their families, and allies.

• Objective 4.A: Self-Advocacy Support Each year, self-advocacy organizations throughout the state will be provided resources to identify, train, and support an increasing number of self-advocates who are empowered to make change in their communities.
• Objective 4.B: Information and Advocacy Each year, people with developmental disabilities, their families, and allies will be supported to engage in cross disability and diverse coalitions that increase access to information and advocate for quality community resources and systems.
• Objective 4.C: Planned Collaboration Throughout the 2022-2026 State Plan, PADDC will collaborate with the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University and Disability Rights Pennsylvania in advocacy efforts to support the closure of state institutions, reduce the waiting list for services, improve COVID response, decrease the number of people in segregated settings, address racial disparities in community systems, and respond to emerging needs.