Justice and Developmental Disabilities Project

AADD is excited to announce a new partnership with the Division of Developmental Disabilities to administer a Justice and Developmental Disabilities Project.

All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD) has a 54-year history as one of Atlanta's premier nonprofit organizations in service and advocacy to people with developmental disabilities.  Our mission is to build communities of support, acceptance, and opportunity for children, adults, and families living with developmental disabilities. As we work to encourage and support this community, we have become aware of the need to address this gap between the perceptions and needs of professionals involved in the justice system and those of individuals affected by developmental disabilities.

A great deal of work still needs to be done with the various stakeholders across multiple systems to address the needs of people with developmental disabilities that encounter the legal system.  To continue to address this issue, a targeted and collaborative training effort will be sustained and enhanced to train judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, police officers, as well as other stakeholders to be aware of people with developmental disabilities and how their lives intersect with various aspects of the legal system. This project will provide consultation and training to the justice system and would work to identify existing resources that could be used as referrals to families and agencies dealing with these issues.

To support the long and short term goals of the project, a Justice and Developmental Disabilities Coalition will be convened to open up a broader public discourse among stakeholders around recognizing and addressing the multiple intersections of people with developmental disabilities in the legal and human resource systems. This project is funded by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Developmental Disabilities and administered by AADD.