In this episode, I’m interviewing Dr. Torica Exuma and Dennis Debbaudt about their project with the FDDC, developing training on autism and other developmental disabilities for first responders. They share valuable tips and resources for promoting safety at home and in the community, and explain why training for first responders is so important for our community.

They also offer guidance for law enforcement on how to interact with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Plus, we provide many resources to help you ensure safety in your home and community, along with tips for interacting with law enforcement.

Water Safety

Water Safety Book: https://www.flipsnack.com/faucard/autism-water-safety/full-view.html

Water Safety Info Flyer (PDF): https://www.fau.edu/education/centersandprograms/card/documents/drowningbrochuredraft.pdf

Interacting with Law Enforcement

Interacting with Law Enforcement Book: https://www.flipsnack.com/faucard/interacting-with-law-enforcement.html

Persons with Disability Registry: https://snr.flhealthresponse.com/

Autism Risk and Safety Management Website: https://autismriskmanagement.com/

Suggested Apps

Red Panic Button: https://www.redpanicbutton.com/

Emergency Chat (Apple App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/emergency-chat/id1024194363

ICE4Autism: https://www.ice4autism.com/

Learn More at www.fddc.org/our-work-matters

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) experience numerous situations in which they need to self-advocate, and their families need to advocate for them. Part of that process is being able to effectively evaluate services they receive, like case management, or settings in which they would like to live.

In today’s episode, our partners and guests from Mathematica, Inc. are sharing two innovative tools to help with self-advocacy and advocating for family members. One tool focuses on understanding and evaluating case management. The second focuses on evaluating prospective or current residential options.

In this episode, Alex Kobrin and Diane Beaver share how the tools were developed and how they can help individuals with I/DD and their families. We talk about how these tools work, how they can help individuals self-advocate, and how you can access them.

Links:

Find the tools and download the guides here!

Diane Beaver, MBA (Johns Hopkins University), is a Managing Consultant at Mathematica. Her passion is helping people with disabilities to successfully access needed services and supports, so they can live healthy, meaningful lives in their setting of choice. As a consultant, she combines subject matter expertise in home- and community-based service policy with lived experience research to elevate the voices of people with disabilities to decision-makers. Topics of particular interest include integrated care for individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, case management and system navigation, and work incentives counseling for Social Security beneficiaries. Prior to her time at Mathematica, Ms. Beaver oversaw community-based programs in Maryland, including supported employment, rehabilitation services, and benefits counseling. She has worked on the Best Practices in Case Management project with the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) since 2022 and supports other Council initiatives, including the Measuring Service Quality and the Access to Services through Knowledge projects.

Alex Kobrin, M.A. (University of Connecticut), is a Survey Researcher at Mathematica. Ms. Kobrin brings experience designing and developing tools and surveys, as well as conducting interviews and focus groups with a wide range of audiences. She has extensive personal and professional experience working with populations with I/DD and children and youth with special healthcare needs. She has worked on the Measuring Service Quality (MSQ) project with the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) since 2023. Beyond leading the MSQ work, Ms. Kobrin holds leadership roles in other Mathematica-contracted Council initiatives, including the Best Practices in Case Management and Research Provider Solutions projects.

Learn more at https://www.fddc.org/our-work-matters/

Jeanne Farr & Dr. Celeste Harvey

https://thenadd.org/

Learn more at www.fddc.org/our-work-matters

While advocacy and self-advocacy for I/DD can and should happen throughout the year, March is Developmental Disabilities Month. That provides a perfect time for communities to come together and advocate in Tallahassee and in their own communities.

In this episode, I’m talking to Michelle Zeman and Patrick Darcy, two self-advocates who worked with the MAGICAL group of the Florida Self-Advocacy Network (SAND) to create their own DD Day in Greater Orlando. They share how they planned to develop the program, the impacts, and how it grew over just two years.

Interested in running your own DD Day in your community? Grab the tips from this episode and check out the toolkit on our website.

Want to know more about Michelle and Patrick? Catch their Our Care Matters stories on our website too! Or come and join us March 11, 2025 in Tallahassee for DD Day to make your voice heard.

Learn more at https://www.fddc.org/our-work-matters

Our Care Matters - https://www.fddc.org/our-care-matters/

In this episode, Margaret Hooper (Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the FDDC) and Sarah Goldman (a FDDC Council Member) share valuable information for anyone advocating for individuals with developmental disabilities. We talk about the legislative platform of the FDDC and how it can be supported, as well as why this advocacy is so important for our community. This episode gives self-advocates, families, and any disability advocates in Florida valuable information for how they can support efforts in making changes to laws and policies in Tallahassee that affect the lives of individuals with I/DD.

Download the 2025 Legislative Platform: https://www.fddc.org/legislative-platform/

Learn more at www.fddc.org/our-work-matters

Our Care Matters - https://www.fddc.org/our-care-matters/

The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) is not something many Floridians are familiar with…and we want to change that. So, in this initial episode of our podcast series, Valerie Breen shares how the FDDC is related to the Developmental Disabilities Act of 2000 that is designed to help people with developmental disabilities be productive, achieve independence, and be a part of their communities.

Valerie Breen is the Executive Director of the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. She is staff to the Council’s 26-member Governor-appointed board, which includes individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, family members, state agency leaders, and organizations.

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Valerie received her Master of Science in Social Administration through Case Western Reserve University’s School of Applied Social Sciences in 1980. In her 47-year career in the field of health and disability, she has designed and implemented multiple public-private partnerships and is a strategic advocate for policy and system change efforts that advance services and supports for persons with disabilities and their families.

In this episode, Valerie shares everything about how the council is formed, the work that is done, as well as some of the projects the FDDC funds and works on. We talk about how the FDDC decides which projects get funded and how it is administered within the state and federal government. She also shares how individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities can access resources created by the Council and how you can get involved.

Learn more at www.fddc.org/our-work-matters

Our Care Matters - https://www.fddc.org/our-care-matters/

Whether you are a self-advocate or a family member/caregiver of an individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), this podcast has tools to help you advocate for the developmental disabilities community and promote inclusion in your state and local community. Join Dr. Chris Reeve, a Program Director from the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) as she interviews project partners, family members, caregivers and self-advocates about ways to help advocate in your community and resources available from the FDDC. Join our community to help build inclusive environments and opportunities for those with developmental disabilities in Florida.

Visit www.fddc.org/our-work-matters to learn more.