(a) Findings

The Congress finds that -

(1)

in 1993 there are more than 3,000,000 individuals with developmental disabilities in the United States;

(2)

disability is a natural part of the human experience that does not diminish the right of individuals with developmental disabilities to enjoy the opportunity to live independently, enjoy self-determination, make choices, contribute to society, and experience full integration and inclusion in the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of American society;

(3)

individuals with developmental disabilities continually encounter various forms of discrimination in critical areas;

(4)

there is a lack of public awareness of the capabilities and competencies of individuals with developmental disabilities;

(5)

individuals whose disabilities occur during their developmental period frequently have severe disabilities that are likely to continue indefinitely;

(6)

individuals with developmental disabilities often require lifelong specialized services and assistance, provided in a coordinated and culturally competent manner by many agencies, professionals, advocates, community representatives, and others to eliminate barriers and to meet the needs of such individuals and their families;

(7)

a substantial portion of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families do not have access to appropriate support and services from generic and specialized service systems and remain unserved or underserved;

(8)

family members, friends, and members of the community can play an important role in enhancing the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities, especially when the family and community are provided with the necessary services and supports;

(9)

there is a need to ensure that services, supports, and other assistance are provided in a culturally competent manner, that individuals from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds are fully included in all activities under this chapter, and that greater efforts are made to recruit individuals from minority backgrounds into the field of developmental disabilities; and

(10)

the goals of the Nation properly include the goal of providing individuals with developmental disabilities with the opportunities and support to -

(A)

make informed choices and decisions;

(B)

live in homes and communities in which such individuals can exercise their full rights and responsibilities as citizens;

(C)

pursue meaningful and productive lives;

(D)

contribute to their family, community, State, and Nation;

(E)

have interdependent friendships and relationships with others; and

(F)

achieve full integration and inclusion in society, in an individualized manner, consistent with unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, and capabilities of each individual.

(b) Purpose

The purpose of this chapter is to assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to culturally competent services, supports, and other assistance and opportunities that promote independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion into the community, through -

(1)

support to State Developmental Disabilities Councils in each State to promote, through systemic change, capacity building, and advocacy activities that are consistent with the policy under subsection (c)(2) of this section, a consumer and family-centered, comprehensive system, and a coordinated array of services, supports, and other assistance for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families;

(2)

support to protection and advocacy systems in each State to protect the legal and human rights of individuals with developmental disabilities;

(3)

support to university affiliated programs to provide interdisciplinary preservice preparation of students and fellows, community service activities, and the dissemination of information and research findings; and

(4)

support to national initiatives to collect necessary data, provide technical assistance to State Developmental Disabilities Councils, protection and advocacy systems and university affiliated programs, and support other nationally significant activities.

(c) Policy

It is the policy of the United States that all programs, projects, and activities receiving assistance under this chapter shall be carried out in a manner consistent with the principles that -

(1)

individuals with developmental disabilities, including those with the most severe developmental disabilities, are capable of achieving independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion into the community, and often require the provision of services, supports and other assistance to achieve independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion;

(2)

individuals with developmental disabilities and their families have competencies, capabilities and personal goals that should be recognized, supported, and encouraged, and any assistance to such individuals should be provided in an individualized manner, consistent with the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, and capabilities of such individuals;

(3)

individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are the primary decisionmakers regarding the services and supports such individuals and their families receive and play decisionmaking roles in policies and programs that affect the lives of such individuals and their families;

(4)

services, supports, and other assistance are provided in a manner that demonstrates respect for individual dignity, personal preferences, and cultural differences;

(5)

specific efforts must be made to ensure that individuals from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds enjoy effective and meaningful opportunities for full participation in the developmental disabilities service system;

(6)

recruitment efforts within developmental disabilities at the level of preservice training, community training, practice, administration and policymaking must focus on bringing larger numbers of racial and ethnic minorities into the field in order to provide appropriate skills, knowledge, role models, and sufficient manpower to address the growing needs of an increasingly diverse population;

(7)

with education and support, communities can be responsive to the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families and are enriched by the full and active participation and the contributions by individuals with developmental disabilities and their families; and

(8)

individuals with developmental disabilities should have access to opportunities and the necessary support to be included in community life, have interdependent relationships, live in homes and communities, and make contributions to their families, community, State, and Nation