Catherine and Barbara attended the National Launch of this amazing report, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on January 10, 2019. This tool ranks each state and the District of Columbia and tells us how they are doing with implementation of Medicaid programs that serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

The Case for Inclusion is a tool that gives us glimpses at how well each individual state is performing overall, how each state matches up against other states regarding key data measures and, most importantly, the policies and practices of top-performing states that may be considered as best practices.

The 2019 report includes sobering data about the magnitude of the Direct Support Professional workforce crisis. In the absence of a stable, qualified direct support workforce, states will struggle to reduce waiting lists, and to support people to experience community integration-to be included, supported and empowered.

In addition to providing useful data, the Case for Inclusion report includes a roadmap for legislative action to facilitate successful advocacy efforts that promote inclusion.

Find out more at The Case for Inclusion.