FDDC Connections: February 2025

Save The Date: Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day 2025

The Idelio Valdes Self-Advocate Award and the Bobbie Lake Family Member Award



Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day is a time to recognize those who make a difference in the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Florida. As part of this important event, two awards will be presented: the Idelio Valdes Self-Advocate Award and the Bobbie Lake Family Member Award.

We are seeking nominations for individuals who exemplify leadership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to the I/DD community for these two awards. See below to submit a nomination today for someone who deserves to be recognized.

FDDC "Our Work Matters" Podcast Series Episode 2

FDDC Legislative Platform & Capitol Updates

Each year the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council develops and approves a Legislative Platform that includes priorities identified by stakeholders, family members, and self-advocates. The 2025 Legislative platform is now available in multiple formats.* 

The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) has the primary mission of increasing the capacity of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to be included in their communities. 

Our Council members are appointed by the Governor, and they oversee the implementation of the Council’s 5-Year State Plan.

This year, the FDDC will illustrate the importance of supporting people with I/DD and their families through a powerful video series, Our Care Matters, which provides real stories that deepen understanding and empathy to encourage meaningful change.

The Council’s three central priorities for this year’s platform emerged from national and statewide data for the State Plan, which includes input from people with I/DD, their families, and the people who support them.

*Also Available in Plain Text and Spanish. 

Coming soon...the 2025 FDDC Capitol Update, with a new and improved format to help you track each bill that we are following.



The inaugural edition will be released on 2/24/25.

Take the "Strive to Thrive" Florida Survey

Share Your Experience Working As A Direct Support Professional

If you are a professional who is employed by a service provider agency to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), please share your voice.

The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. (FDDC) would like to understand the perspectives and lived experiences of individuals working as Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) so that they can best inform DSP workforce policy in Florida. Your input is needed to make this possible!

This survey is for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who are employed by a service provider agency. You may use another term for this work (for example, Direct Care Worker, Direct Care Professional, Personal Caregiver, or Home Health Aide). Even if your exact title is not “Direct Support Professional,” if you are working to support an individual with I/DD and are employed by a service provider agency in Florida, we would like to hear from you.

Please complete the survey by March 7th by clicking here.

The survey is available in English and Spanish.

The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete.

Those who are eligible and complete the survey will receive a $30 gift card. This gift card is funded by Mathematica – no FDDC funds were used for this purpose.

The FDDC hired Mathematica, an independent research firm, to conduct this survey. This survey will ask about your experience working as a DSP, what aspects of your work and compensation you value most, training you may have received, how you got started in the field, and whether you plan to continue this work.

Your participation is voluntary, which means you do not have to take part and you may skip any questions you do not want to answer. Your responses will be kept private and will be anonymous in all reports (i.e., your responses will never be linked to your name or your service provider agency in any reports to the FDDC or to the public). Your

individual responses will not be shared with your service provider agency or the individuals you support.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mathematica at FLProviderSolutions@mathematica-mpr.com.

Focus Group Para Adultos Con Discapacidades Intelectuales o De Desarollo y Los Miembros De Su Familias

¿Qué puede ayudar a los adultos con Discapacidades Intelectuales o de Desarrollo (DID) y a los Miembros de su Familias para que logren prosperar? 

Estamos llevando a cabo varios focus groups para adultos con DID, así como para los miembros de sus familias, con el fin de saber qué los puede ayudar para que logren prosperar. 

Usted puede participar si es: 

• Un miembro de la familia de una persona con DID, de 50 años o más 
• Una persona con DID, de 18 años o más 
• Residente de Florida (tanto en miembro de la familia como la persona con DID deben vivir en Florida, aunque no tienen que vivir juntos) 

El focus group de 90-minutos se llevará a cabo en Zoom (Fecha por determinar)

Recibirá una tarjeta para regalos (gift card) de Visa, de $50 por participar.  

Para participar, contacte a Hope Sparks a través de hspark2@uic.edu  

Declaración de Revelación en las Redes Sociales: “Por favor, recuerde que aunque las redes sociales no tendrán acceso a la información que usted suministre, al hacer clic en el enlace ubicado abajo, al seleccionador de elegibilidad (eligibility screener), la página de la red social recaba la información sobre sus actividades en línea, según el convenio de uso que usted aceptó, y compartirá esa información con otros, incluyendo sus anunciantes”.

FDDC Advocacy Toolkit

Ready to make a difference? Download our four must-have toolkits to learn about the ways you can participate in developmental disabilities advocacy. These resources will help you create a lasting impact in your local community. Take the first step today—because advocacy starts with you!

Our Care Matters - Video Spotlight

The "Our Care Matters" series has now reached over 405,000 video plays, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Your views, shares, and comments are helping ensure these stories—of Floridians with developmental disabilities and their caregivers—are amplified across Florida and beyond.

Thank you for standing with us and for being part of the change we’re working toward together.

Want to hear the stories from people in your community? Click the link below to watch the "Our Care Matters" videos and see how individuals from counties across Florida are sharing their experiences.

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