Making a Difference, Summer 2010 edition

The Summer edition of Making a Difference, a quarterly publication of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), has just wrapped up. In addition to it’s stellar design (hey, a designer should be able to toot their own horn) the magazine is full of inspiring articles and information.

The summer edition features the Children’s Freedom Initiative, which aims to move children with disabilities under the age of 22 out of state-run facilities and closer to home. The initiative was formed in 2005 after advocates with the Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO) discovered 141 children under the age of 22 living in state-run facilities and other nursing facilities. Mathew Harp, featured on the cover with his mom and sisters, gives an inspiring message about what it meant to him to return home after having to live in a nursing home when he was 21.
Other articles included in this summer edition are:
• Summer Fun for Everyone – summer camps for kids of all abilities
• State Legislature Summary and Outlook
• 20th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act
• Success on the Court – young tennis star soars to the top

A PDF of the magazine can be downloaded here.

We’ve just finished the latest issue of Making a Difference magazine, a quarterly publication of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). O’Neill Communications handled the editorial content, cartoon illustration, and overall design of the publication.

The spring 2010 edition features the 12th Annual Disability Day 2010 in Atlanta. Advocates from across the state came together on February 25 to let the Georgia government know that they are ready…ready for the waiting lists to be cleared; ready for legislation to be passed for more readily available accessible housing options; ready for employers to recognize the value that employees with disabilities bring to the workplace…ready for change.

Kathleen Martinez, the assistant secretary for U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), was the co-keynote speaker for Disability Day. “It’s easy to get channeled into a job with low to no expectations,” she continued. “At the Office of Disability Employment Policy, we’re working on developing jobs with actual promotions, retention and satisfaction.”

Also in the spring issue:

• Safe Schools Initiative: Your Child’s Safety on the Line
• Student-Led IEPs Secure a Bright Future
• State Legislature Wraps Up Session

Published by GCDD, this quarterly magazine can be downloaded here.

This winter 2010 edition features a wrap up of the ninth annual Making a Difference Discovery Day 2009. National, state and local industry experts gathered in Atlanta for the Executive Briefing – Making Accessible Travel and Tourism a Reality in Georgia, presented by GCDD in collaboration with G3ict and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This year’s theme was different than previous years’ by aiming to make Georgia a model that the rest of the country and world could follow in creating accessible travel situations.

“Atlanta has so much to offer, and has a strong and proud disability community,” Keynote speaker Eric Lipp stated. “Atlanta ranks eighth in top locations to visit in the United States, and in the south Atlanta ranks second only to Orlando.”

Also in this latest issue:

• Parent Protection Act: Employers, Employees Explore Benefits
• Real Communities Initiative Gets Underway
• Be Counted: Census 2010

Published by GCDD, this quarterly magazine can be downloaded here.