About The Council
The mission of the Developmental Disabilities Council of Oklahoma is to advance communities where everyone has the opportunity to live, learn, work, and play where they choose. The Council builds partnerships to change systems to improve services, resources, and supports for Oklahomans with developmental disabilities and their families.
Who is DDCO?
The Developmental Disabilities Council of Oklahoma (DDCO) was created by Executive Order of Governor David Hall in 1973. The Council has been reauthorized by every governor since. We are federally authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000. The Council is administratively located within Oklahoma Human Services, its designated state agency (DSA).
DDCO promotes quality services and programs that enable persons with developmental disabilities to realize increased independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in the community. Though not a provider of direct services, the Council has assisted thousands of Oklahomans to live, learn, work, and play in the community they choose.
What does DDCO do?
Provide information and technical assistance to legislators, policymakers, and state agencies, private organizations, and advocates.
Provide assistance to individuals and organizations to support individuals with developmental disabilities and family members to participate on advocacy boards and attend conferences.
Participate in work groups, task forces, and coalitions that affect policy making at the state and federal levels.
Fund leadership and advocacy training for advocates and field professionals.
Fund work performed by council staff or other entities that will:
- Identify individuals and their families who may need services or supports,
- Foster inter-agency collaboration and coordination resulting in improved service or support,
- Reduce or eliminate barriers to services; or redesign systems of support to better meet individual needs,
- Inform policymakers on the results of its work, policy design, best and promising practices, or other findings that may inform future policy decisions, or
- Create model projects or programs demonstrating new approaches to serving Oklahoman's with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
DDCO can fund up to 75% of the total project cost that provides training or an innovative demonstration of new approaches, but will not fund direct services to people as a primary goal of a project.
What are developmental disabilities?
The term "developmental disability" means a severe, chronic disability of an individual five years of age or older that:
- Is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of physical and mental impairments;
- Is manifested before the person attains the age of 22;
- Is likely to continue indefinitely;
- Results in substantial functional limitations in three 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; and
- Reflects the individual's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services, supports, or other assistance that is of lifelong or extended duration and is individually planned and coordinated; except that, such term, when applied to infants and young children means individuals from birth to age five, inclusive, who have substantial developmental delay or specific congenital or acquired conditions with a high probability of resulting in developmental disabilities if services are not provided.
This definition is both the federal definition included in the Council's authorizing legislation, as well as the State of Oklahoma definition. Note that this is a "functional" and not a "categorical" term.
