ACL Announces Technical Assistance Center Focused on Individuals with I/DD and Mental Health Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced it is launching a national technical assistance and resource center to improve support for people with co-occurring intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and mental health disabilities. The program recognizes individuals with co-occurring disabilities are more likely to be institutionalized than people with either disability alone and aims to provide assistance that will better enable individuals to live and participate in their communities.

The cooperative agreement, which is an estimated $3.25 million over five years, was awarded to the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) in partnership with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), and the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (NADD). Additional partners include the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Center for Systemic Therapeutic Assessment, Resources and Treatment Services at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability, CommunicationFIRST, Green Mountain Self-Advocates, the Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University, and the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of Arizona.