OLYMPIA– Individuals with developmental disabilities play an important role where they live, work and play. In an effort to build an environment where everyone contributes to improving their communities, the Department of Social and Health Services’ Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) is hosting the annual Community Summit June 13-15, 2017.
Nearly 1,000 people are registered to attend – about 200 more than attended the first summit in 2013. The theme this year, Impact Our Futures, is strongly woven throughout the presentations and speeches that aim to connect persons who receive DDA services, their families and providers with community members and leaders.
“I’m pleased with the expertise we’ve been able to tap into with our partners locally and far away,” said Evelyn Perez, assistant secretary. “We invest to support individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities to thrive in the towns they live in, and we can tell by the growing number of attendees that it’s paying off.”
The conference features two renowned keynote speakers, Rev. Dr. Michael Oleksa, – a leader in cross-cultural education in Alaska; and Steven Fulmer – author of Leadership Just Got Personal. Dozens of other presenters will also be on hand for a variety of sessions, including Alex Knoll, a 12-year-old inventor who developed the ‘Ability App’ and was featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show two weeks ago.
Find out more about DSHS services for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities online.
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The Developmental Disabilities Administration provides residential services, day services and support services for clients with developmental and intellectual disabilities. DDA offers a continuum of care to clients by providing a safe, high-quality array of home, community and facility-based residential and employment services. Their team of 3400 staff serves over 28,000 individuals each year on a $1.08 billion annual budget.