Public Law 106–402, 106th Congress
Download the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (PDF, 356KB)
About the DD Act
The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) is built on a simple idea: disability is a normal part of life. Having a disability doesn't take away a person's right to live independently, make their own choices, and be part of their community.
The DD Act turns that idea into action. Its goal is to make sure people with developmental disabilities and their families help design — and can access — the services and supports they need to live independently, work, and be fully included in their communities.
The law is also built on this belief: people with developmental disabilities, even those with the most significant support needs, can live with independence, work, and fully take part in their communities. But they often need the right support to get there. Every program funded under the DD Act has to operate in a way that reflects this belief.
In every state and territory, DD Act programs put this into practice. They help people with developmental disabilities and their families shape the policies that affect them. They study what works and test new ways of delivering services. They share what they learn with the people who can use it most — individuals with developmental disabilities, families, service providers, and policymakers. DD Act programs also investigate abuse and advocate for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
The Administration on Disabilities (AoD) oversees four programs authorized under the DD Act:
- State Councils on Developmental Disabilities (Councils) work in every state and territory to expand access to employment, healthcare, housing, and education for people with I/DD, and to strengthen their voices in shaping their own lives. Because 60% or more of each Council's members must be people with I/DD or their close family members, first-hand experience drives every priority. Councils helped fuel a 26% rise in integrated employment between 2011 and 2023 and continue to invest in job-training initiatives like Project SEARCH and Employment First.
- State Protection & Advocacy Systems (P&As) protect the safety, dignity, and legal rights of people with disabilities. There is a P&A in every state and territory and a Native American consortium that operate independently from state service agencies. P&As have the legal authority to investigate abuse, neglect, and rights violations wherever a person lives, works, studies, or plays. In 2024 alone, P&As conducted more than 1,700 investigations and drove 80 systems and policy changes to improve safety.
- University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research & Service (UCEDDs) are embedded in universities and communities, engaging people with I/DD through research, education, and service in ways no one else can. Based in every state and territory, UCEDDs translate research into practical training and services — preparing the next generation of professionals, running diagnostic and other health-related clinics, and testing new models that spread nationwide. The investment pays off well beyond the classroom: UCEDD-trained professionals have directly served 50% of people with I/DD in the past five years alone.
- Projects of National Significance (PNS) are short-term grants with long-term impact — the only discretionary federal funding source dedicated to tackling critical, emerging issues affecting people with I/DD, from direct care workforce shortages to health care access to financial independence to aging and long-term planning. Rather than working state-by-state, PNS mobilizes the right people — people with I/DD, families, DD Councils, UCEDDs, P&As, and other partners — to design, test, and scale innovative solutions built to last well beyond the life of the grant. In Wisconsin, for example, a PNS grant helped triple the number of youth with disabilities in paid jobs across nine school pilot sites — work that's now part of a statewide effort to improve how students transition from school to employment.
Together, DD Councils, P&As, UCEDDs, and PNS form a national network built to turn good ideas into lasting change — expanding opportunity and improving outcomes for people with I/DD in every state and territory.
Find a DD Act program near you: https://dial.acl.gov/home