The Maine Developmental Disabilities Council is a partnership of people with developmental disabilities, family members, and state and local agencies and organizations. We work together to bring about the necessary changes to achieve self-determination and independence for persons with developmental disabilities, and full inclusion in their communities of choice.
The purpose of the Council is to assure that individuals with disabilities and their families participate in the design of, and have access to needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, integration, and inclusion in all facets of family and community life.
The Council has a vision that all people are included, supported, and valued in communities that provide opportunities to participate and succeed as they choose.
Developmental Disability Definition
All Developmental Disabilities Councils across the country use the federal definition of “developmental disability” that is included in federal law. It is part of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, which is the latest reauthorization of the law first passed in 1969. This is a “functional” definition, focusing on the types of limitations a person may have, rather than a particular diagnosis or medical label.
A "developmental disability" is a severe chronic disability of an individual that:
- Is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments
- Is manifested before the individual attains age 22
- Is likely to continue indefinitely
- Results in substantial functional limitations in 3 or more of the following areas of major life activity: self-care; receptive and expressive language; learning; mobility; self-direction; capacity for independent living; economic self-sufficiency
- Reflects the individual's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services, individualized supports, or other forms of assistance that are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated.
An individual from birth to age 9, who has a substantial developmental delay or specific congenital or acquired condition, may be considered to have a developmental disability without meeting 3 or more of the criteria described above if the individual, without services and supports, has a high probability of meeting those criteria later in life.
Scope of the Council’s work – concerns of the broader Disability Community
Developmental Disabilities Councils were originally established to focus on the needs and rights of people with developmental disabilities. However, over the past 30+ years, it has become clear that issues that affect people with developmental disabilities and their families also impact people across the broader disability community, and the same is true in reverse for issues that are the focus of other disability groups and organizations. The Maine DD Council understands that its work can benefit ALL people with disabilities, and that collaborative work on a wide array of issues important to the broader disability community is key to achieving the goals of full inclusion and equal opportunities for all.