NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council Announces Three Grants of $50,000 Each

ALBANY, NY (12/14/2007)(readMedia)-- New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) announces three grants of $50,000 each to NYS Citizen’s Coalition for Children, Inc. (Ithaca), Leake & Watts (Yonkers), and New Alternatives for Children (New York).

George E. Fertal, Sr., Chairperson, announced that on December 13th, 2007, the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) awarded three grants for the second year of a potential three year period, to facilitate the development of foster and adoptive parent support systems for families parenting children with developmental disabilities

DDPC is looking to these agencies to create a long lasting system of support for foster and adoptive parents who have children with developmental disabilities. Parents and families who reach out for education and new information stay involved and become better advocates for their children and family needs. The parents can also become a resource and provide assistance to other new parents who have adopted children with developmental disabilities.

Terri Bailer, Family Forum Facilitator with New Alternatives for Children, stated, “Feedback has been positive from the Family Forum parent groups and trainings held thus far. Parents walk up to me at the end of training and say thanks for the information they received. They have told us that they learned something useful that they did not know prior to coming. Parents have made connections with other parents by sharing their experiences and knowledge of programs and services. This makes it worthwhile for the parents and more likely that they will remember Family Forum as a place to go for help. We are all very pleased to be part of this program.”

The DDPC is a federally funded state agency dedicated to designing and implementing new programs that serve New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and their families in the most effective way possible. Sixty percent of the Governor-appointed membership of the DDPC is parents and people with developmental disabilities. For more information on the DDPC, go to: www.ddpc.state.ny.us.

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