Thank you for the great ideas Wanda, and to those who have offered to help with funding etc., it is nice to know how important this work is to you.
The board has begun conversations with the NACDD staff to look at the variety of communications that will be needed throughout our anniversary year. Donna has drafted a Strategic Communications Plan for the board to discuss.
There are a lot of moving parts and we want to be sure the board has a solid plan moving forward and that the national organization has the resources to carry out the plan.
Following the NACDD By-laws, items can be placed on the board agenda by the NACCD CEO or the NACCD Board President. I highly encourage you to submit good ideas such as the one started in a listserv exchange to be considered for future meetings.
From: xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com [mailto:xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com] On Behalf Of Wanda Willis
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2019 9:26 AM
To: Donna Meltzer <xxxxxx@nacdd.org>; 'xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com' <xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com>
Cc: Robin Troutman <xxxxxx@nacdd.org>; Robert McWilliams <xxxxxx@nacdd.org>
Subject: DD Councils RE: It's (Almost) Our 50th Anniversary - Help Us Celebrate!
Colleagues,
I missed seeing everyone in Little Rock! I tore my ACL in June –it’s been a tedious recovery!
Given the message we heard from Jennifer at the EDLS meeting, I wanted to pitch an idea for our 50th anniversary. Given the lack of understanding about the purpose and impact of DD Councils by ACL and others, this may be a good time for us to produce a compelling data-based document about Councils. This could be teamed with other PR tools to push out information about the impact of DD Councils over the decades - the NACDD idea of recorded stories would fit nicely within a PR initiative around the 50th anniversary.
TN would be willing to commit funds to a special PR initiative overseen by a workgroup comprised of NACDD board members and staff, and additional state Council staff. The workgroup would choose a professional PR consulting firm to develop the project. Would other state Councils be interesting in investing in this? This is an opportunity to create the product that answers the question ‘what is the impact of DD councils, why do they exist and how are they different from other advisory councils.’
Thanks for listening and considering.
Wanda
Wanda Willis | Executive Director
Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities
Davy Crockett Tower, First Floor
500 James Robertson Pkwy, Nashville, TN 37243
p. 615-253-5369
www.facebook.com/TNCouncilonDD
Twitter: @TNCouncilDD
From: xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com [mailto:xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com] On Behalf Of Donna Meltzer
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 3:16 PM
To: 'xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com'
Cc: Robin Troutman; Robert McWilliams
Subject: [EXTERNAL] DD Councils It's (Almost) Our 50th Anniversary - Help Us Celebrate!
*** This is an EXTERNAL email. Please exercise caution. DO NOT open attachments or click links from unknown senders or unexpected email - STS-Security. ***
Dear Council Friends:
As impossible as it seems, we will soon be entering the calendar year 2020. For NACDD, and its member Councils, the year 2020 is a milestone as it marks 50 years since the network of Councils became part of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act). Additionally in 2020, we will also be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the 45th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
As part of the celebration of our 50th year, NACDD will be conducting an Oral History Project designed to collect a diverse and nation-spanning range of perspectives and thoughts on the impact that DD Councils have had over the last 50 years. We will be collecting stories and impressions in order to create a snapshot of our network for posterity, but the collection will also serve as an opportunity to put a national spotlight on a few of your stories throughout the year.
Whether you are a Council Executive Director, Council member, chair, advocate, staff person, family member, or DD partner we know that you have a unique story about the role a DD Councils played in your life and we are excited to hear from you! Everyone with experience working with a DD Council has a perspective to share.
If you’re interested in participating, sign up by clicking this link and entering your contact information. That’s it! We’ll take it from there.
Please help us by sharing this email with your Council and network so that everyone has a chance to participate if they want to. We are hoping to put a spotlight on at least a dozen Councils throughout the year, and to hear from many more.
And if you can share via social media, please do! Feel free to use this sample language: “2020 will be the 50th Anniversary of DD Councils, and we want to hear from YOU about your role in our shared history. Sign up here to participate in NACDD’s Oral History Project: https://bit.ly/2N7nBNW”
Best,
Donna
Donna A. Meltzer, CEO
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
1825 K Street, NW Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
202-506-5813 extension 103
Follow NACDD online at: 
