The Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services offers a variety of opportunities for advocacy within its program structure for individuals served and their families.
Board-sponsored advocacy groups
Our Parents & Advocates Advisory Council (PAAC) offers people with developmental disabilities who receive services, their family members and guardians the opportunity to meet and discuss issues of interest with MCBDDS leadership on a regular basis.
Meetings are currently held via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of most months, and require registration. For meeting dates, please visit the listings in the Community Events Calendar tab on the MCBDDS website homepage. To request a Zoom link for a meeting, please email our Community Relations team.
Voices Matter is a community-based self-advocacy group sponsored by the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services. Its goal is to empower people with developmental disabilities, and is open to adults 18 and older that are served by the Board. The group is made up of people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities who empower and support each other. Participants can choose to be as involved as their comfort level allows. The goals of the group include:
- Teaching people with developmental disabilities to speak up and advocate for themselves, and help others do the same
- Promoting equal rights for everyone
- Providing disability awareness training to people and organizations in the community
- Raising public consciousness of issues that matter to people with disabilities
Voices Matter collaborates with other organizations on projects, and organizes a yearly Self-Advocacy Conference for people with developmental disabilities. Its members also speak to community groups, service providers, peers and members of the media on disability-related issues.
The group currently meets weekly at 4 p.m. via Zoom. For information about the group or its meetings, contact Chelsea Viets. For additional background about the group, check out our Self-Advocacy Brochure.
Community-based advocacy and service
Greenemont Optimists: Representatives of local Optimist International Clubs met with members of MCBDDS's self-advocacy group in 2018 to form the nation's first fully inclusive Optimist Club: the Greenemont Optimists. Optimist Clubs are made up of volunteers whose members undertake community service projects to make the future brighter by bringing out the best in children, their communities, and themselves.
Members of the Greenemont Club, which is part of the Optimist International organization, include people with and without developmental disabilities. Many Voices Matter members are also Optimists.
The Greenemont Optimist Club currently meets twice a month at 4:30 p.m. via Zoom. If you'd like more information about this group, please contact Chelsea Viets.