A Blueprint for Community Inclusion Strategies for Youth with Developmental Disabilities in Washington, DC

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Damian

A Blueprint for Community Inclusion Strategies for Youth with Developmental Disabilities in Washington, DC summarizes common themes and recommendations gathered from culturally and linguistically diverse youth with disabilities and their families. It highlights top priorities and practical policy and action steps, grounded in group listening sessions and conversations with residents across DC’s Wards 5-8. The document frames civic engagement barriers—legal, physical, attitudinal, and informational—and calls on policymakers and institutions to expand inclusion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Civic engagement and inclusion barriers

Definition and importance of civic engagement

Barriers preventing full participation

Listening process and document purpose

Fall 2020 engagement activities

Blueprint scope and intended outcomes

Call to action for policy and public practice

Top priorities for youth with I/DD in the District

A Blueprint for Community Inclusion Strategies for Youth with Developmental Disabilities in Washington, DC Prepared for the Washington, DC Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC) Prepared by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) SEPTEMBER 2021 [www.iel.org](www.iel.org) 4301 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 100 Washington, DC 20008 | Ac | k | n | o | w | le | d | g | m | e | nts | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The fund (DD Devadu this incl
Sug
Fahey, Incl D.C.: | Ins
ing C) elo lts, doudi
g
usion
In | titutesand pm
an
cu
ng
es
C.,
stit | up th
en
d f
me
Ma
ted
Kin
Str
ute | for
por
e l
tal
am
nt.
ry
C
gs
ate
fo | E
t fr
ea
Di
ily
IEL
Ki
it
ton
gie
r E | du
om
der
sa
m
a
ngs
ati
R
s f
du | cat the
sh bilitem
ppr
ton
on
oche, or
cat | ion
ip o
ies beeci
R
You ional | al Wa fA Cors who ate
oc
M., th | Leash lison
un
s the,
& wi Le | de
ing
cil.
s
he
Mi
Sh
th
ad | rsh
ton,
W
W
har
lea
a P
aew
De
ers | ip
Dhyt
e a
ed
de
err
itz
vel
hip | (IEL) C
e,
re thrshy,
, D
op
. | w
De
Exe
vereirip Dahlia
. (2 me | ould
vel cu
y g tim of
02 ntal | op
tivera e and
Carly Sh
1). AD | like
me
D
teful
ae
B
is | to
ntalire
to
v Fahey wit
lueabil | a
D
cto
t
alu
z,
pri
itie | ckn
isa
r of
he
abl
an
and
nt
s in | ow bil th youth, e id her
E
for W | leitie e DC
nsights mil
Co
as | dges C
young
te
y C
mhin | thou
to
am
he
mu
gt | e
nc
ng
nit
on, | il
.
y | 2 Adler and Goggin (2005) describe civic engagement as a mix of community involvement, political involvement, community service, and volunteering. Strong civic engagement in communities is vital to the economic health and quality of life within a democracy. Community civic engagement and partnerships can identify local challenges and create solutions that represent that community’s values and interests. Historically, barriers to civic engagement have prevented people with disabilities, especially people of color with disabilities, from engaging in the public conversation about policy, rights, and access, which leads to decreased influence on policy decisions that directly impact their lives (Ho, Eaton, and Mitra, 2020). These barriers may be legal, physical, attitudinal, and informational in nature that prevent full participation in politics and community service. In the fall of 2020, IEL set out to learn more about the civic engagement interests and barriers to engagement and policy influence among DC residents who reflect the community. IEL reached out to a cross-section of residents who represented culturally and linguistically diverse young people with disabilities and their families. Through group listening sessions and one-on-one conversations, IEL gathered the perspectives, priorities, areas of interest, and observations from representatives of the highest poverty wards of DC (Wards 5-8), to ensure that the voices of those from marginalized communities were reflected in this document in order to create meaningful recommendations. A Blueprint for Community Inclusion Strategies for Youth with Developmental Disabilities in Washington, DC provides a summary of comments and common themes among DC youth with disabilities and their families. This includes their top priorities, solutions to pressing issues, and ways that allies (individuals and organizations) can better support them. These priorities are foundations for a framework for policy

FAQs

What civic engagement factors does the blueprint emphasize as important?

It describes civic engagement as a combination of community involvement, political involvement, community service, and volunteering, emphasizing its value to democracy’s economic health and quality of life.

What kinds of barriers block civic engagement for people with disabilities?

Barriers may be legal, physical, attitudinal, and informational, reducing full participation in politics and community service.

What top priorities does the blueprint list for youth with I/DD in Washington, DC?

The blueprint lists learning about community issues through accessible nontraditional expression, in-home support systems, meaningful inclusion, resource networks, and support for youth employment opportunities.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Damian