NJCDD 5-Year Planning 2022-2026

Goals and Objectives (2022-2026)

Download the NJCDD 5-Year Plan (2022-2026).pdf

Goal 1: (Advocacy)

All New Jersey residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their family members, from an early age and throughout the lifespan, will have increased access to information in order to learn and strengthen the advocacy and leadership skills they need to be self-directed, manage supports and services, and engage as active citizens with control and choice over their own lives.

Objectives:

1. For each year through 2026, the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities (NJCDD) will increase civic engagement and self-direction on the part of individuals with I/DD. The NJCDD will provide support and technical assistance to a statewide self-advocacy organization, provide leadership training opportunities, promote emerging leaders with I/DD as trainers and speakers, and support and expand participation of individuals with I/DD in culturally-diverse, cross-disability leadership coalitions.
2. For each year through 2026, NJCDD, in collaboration with Disability Rights New Jersey and The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities (DD Act Partners), will provide training and mentoring to at least 20 individuals with I/DD and their families representative of New Jersey’s diverse populations and geographical regions, and will support projects to develop advanced leadership skills and networking opportunities for at least 2 individuals with I/DD, their families, and direct support professionals through mentorships, internships, and apprenticeships in careers related to public policy and disability advocacy, with an emphasis on serving historically-underserved populations, including individuals who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, have limited English proficiency, and/or identify as LGBTQ+.
3. For each year through 2026, Black New Jersey residents with I/DD and their families will have increased access to information about NJCDD, its DD Act Partners, and all developmental disability systems, and how to access the full range of supports and services available through New Jersey’s system of services and supports. (Targeted Disparity #1)
4. By 2026, NJCDD will support projects to decrease barriers in access to technology and internet access/connectivity for individuals with I/DD and their families.

GOAL 2: (Systems Change)

All New Jersey residents with I/DD, their families, and stakeholders will have increased ability to improve the design and delivery of the services intended to support and benefit them.

Objectives:

1. For each year through 2026, NJCDD will facilitate government and community partnerships, and improve interagency coordination through collaborations and coalitions designed to reduce barriers to service access and delivery, with an emphasis on reducing inequities experienced by historically-underserved populations, including individuals who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, have limited English proficiency, and/or identify as LGBTQ+.
2. By 2026, NJCDD, in collaboration with community partners, will develop and implement a comprehensive public awareness and outreach campaign to highlight and promote the skills, abilities, and needs of people with I/DD, and educate communities on ways in which services available to the general public can be made more appropriate, accessible, and responsive to the needs of people with I/DD and their families.
3. (Formal and Informal Community Supports) By 2026, NJCDD, in collaboration with family members, advocates, and those providing natural supports, will work to remove barriers and redesign systems in order to improve, simplify, and expand the system of formal and informal supports for caregivers of children and adults with I/DD.
4. For each year through 2026, NJCDD will monitor and respond to emerging issues and trends affecting individuals with I/DD and their families through collaboration, information, technical assistance, outreach, special projects, and advocacy.

GOAL 3: (Capacity-Building)

All New Jersey residents with I/DD and their families will have increased information and support they need to access the services and supports they need to live, work, and learn in the community with independence.

Objectives:

1. Beginning in 2022, NJCDD will support projects and engage in outreach designed to ensure increased levels of diversity, equity, cultural competency, and linguistic responsiveness in all aspects of the work carried out by the Council, and its staff.
2. By 2026, and in collaboration with educators and stakeholders, NJCDD will support projects using best practices designed to eliminate the inappropriate use of seclusion, restraint, suspension and expulsion for Black and Hispanic students with disabilities, in targeted areas (schools and districts with high rates of seclusion, restraint, suspension, expulsion, and/or high rates of referral to law enforcement). (Targeted Disparity #2)
3. By 2026, NJCDD will provide information and technical assistance designed to empower students, families, and stakeholders in identifying and delivering education and transition services that align with Employment First, and that can lead to competitive integrated employment, post-secondary education, and/or independent living options, with an emphasis on supporting those in urban and rural schools.
4. By 2026, NJCDD will support projects to expand the capacity of New Jersey’s system of community-based housing and supports to serve those with complex medical and behavioral needs, including those who are aging.
5. By 2026, in collaboration with families and community agencies, NJCDD will provide information and support projects designed to improve the capability of New Jersey’s behavioral health care system to meet and respond to the mental health and dual diagnosis needs of individuals with I/DD and their families, including those in urban and rural areas of the state.
6. By 2026, NJCDD will support innovative projects based on best practices to increase the number of individuals with I/DD who are engaged in competitive, integrated employment, including those who have high and complex support needs such as behavior challenges, medical disabilities, and mental health issues.