A task force meant to ensure the state better serves those with intellectual and developmental disabilities meets at the Statehouse Thursday.
It’s the panel’s first meeting since the General Assembly reauthorized it – with an updated mission.
The task force, first created in 2017, spent all of last year creating comprehensive recommendations the state should implement to better support those with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The list of 34 recommendations includes both short- and long-term goals.
For instance, the task force suggested the state invest more money in First Steps, an early intervention program for children up to age 3 that experience developmental issues. And lawmakers responded – they more than doubled the funding in the new state budget.
Other goals, like creating more workforce initiatives for those with disabilities, are ongoing. And the task force will now spend the next six years evaluating progress on the goals it laid out and exploring ways to further help the state meet those targets.
