How DDA services help Marylanders with disabilities

The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration provides services to support people with developmental disabilities.

Currently, DDA provides services for 20,500 individuals in Maryland.

It is important for attorneys and advocates, who assist eligible individuals and their families, to be aware of the services provided by the DDA.

The DDA designs services to meet the unique needs of each person eligible for assistance, including several residential options such as living at home or in other community settings.

The goal in DDA residences is to promote independence while ensuring safety and wellbeing.

DDA has access to group homes, which are community-based settings where individuals live together with appropriate support.

Staff in group homes assist with daily living activities, medication management, and personal care, tailored to each resident’s needs.

Beyond residential services, the DDA offers day programs focusing on skill development, socialization, and community involvement.

These programs provide structured activities that enhance life skills, offer vocational training, recreational opportunities, and may include medical day care services.

Employment services can include job coaches, follow-along supports, job discovery, and self-employment services.

Individual Support Services (ISS) are designed to be flexible, supporting individuals in various settings to achieve person goals, including improving life skills, engaging in community activities, or pursuing employment.

Assistive technologies, environmental assessments and modifications, and peer mentoring supports can also be provided to assist the individual and their family members.

The DDA offers specialized support to address behavioral issues and enhance quality of life, including Behavioral Support Services.

Behavioral specialists work with individuals with disabilities, staff, and families to develop individualized plans that promote positive behavior and reduce barriers to community participation.

Further, the DDA ensures access to necessary health and clinical services, including nursing care, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology.

Services are integral to maintaining health and well-being especially for residents in DDA group homes.

Some youth with disabilities in foster care are eligible for DDA services.

For transitioning youth ages twenty-one to twenty-two, the Governor’s Transitioning Youth Initiative offers special eligibility and priority, allowing collaboration between the DDA and the Division of Rehabilitative Services to provide employment and day services, bypassing typical waitlists.

To access DDA services, an individual must complete a DDA Application for Eligibility and have supporting documentation attached which could include psychological assessment, adaptive functioning test results, Autism spectrum assessment, medical documentation, or educational records such as an Individualized Education Plan.

The following example demonstrates how the transition services are implemented.

A male youth diagnosed as a quadriplegic with multiple other medical issues, was in foster care and nearing his 21st birthday.

He met eligibility criteria for DDA, which are primarily based on having a chronic developmental disability that severely impacts daily functioning that started before age twenty-two.

He remained in foster care most of his life as there were no family members who could manage his specialized needs.

For a youth with disabilities in foster care, the assigned Department of Social Services’ caseworker must complete the DDA application and attach the required medical and psychological documentation.

Failure to complete the forms properly can lead to a delay in services or placement or even a denial of services.

Thankfully, for this youth, his worker from the Department of Social Services completed the DDA application, he was accepted by DDA, and he aged out of foster care into a home for adults with disabilities within the same program that he had been in for foster care.

Once he was deemed eligible, he and a coordinator developed a Person-Centered Plan (PCP), which outlined the specific services and support required, including residential placement.

The youth was able to have contact with his former staff and was moved to a DDA licensed adult living unit with another youth, who he had lived with in foster care, and who was aging out at the same time.

In this living arrangement, this transitioning youth was able to obtain some independence while ensuring his safety, health, and wellbeing, and he maintained connections with people that he knew.

The Maryland DDA offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to support adults with disabilities.

By providing personalized care and fostering community integration, the DDA helps individuals lead meaningful and independent, safe, and healthy lives.

Advocates working with eligible clients should be well-versed in how to apply for DDA support and the available services to effectively advocate for a client’s needs.

Chris Ziemski is a Staff Attorney at Maryland Legal Aid.