Living The Life
You Want
Welcome To Our Official Website
SDAN VISION STATEMENT
We envision people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living self-directed, fulfilling lives with access to all the long-term services and supports they need.
SDAN MISSION STATEMENT
SDAN-Maryland’s mission is to advocate for participant choice, control, flexibility, and the sustainability of self-directed services and supports. We do this through education, training, legislative advocacy, maintaining partnerships with state agencies and divisions, and collaborating with organizations committed to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Your Life, Your Choice
Recent Information
News
SDAN Membership Meeting – Current Laws and Policies Affecting SD
Our June SDAN Zoom Membership Meeting was held on Wednesday June 15th at 12:00pm. We discussed updates to laws and policies that affect Self-directing participants and their families, and listened to YOU to hear your concerns and issues. The PowerPoint...
SDAN Membership Meeting – Supporting Participants Through the Budget Process
Our SDAN Memebership meeting was held on Wednesday May 18th at noon. We discussed ways to support participants through the Budget process. We briefly explored how the budget is derived from the Person-centered plan and reviewed the annual budget process in...
SDAN Membership Meeting: Nursing Support Services in Self-Directed Services
Our SDAN Zoom meeting was on Wednesday April 27th at noon. Patti Saylor, RN, discussed what you’ll want to know about Nursing Support Services and the Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST) if you self-direct your services. Much confusion exists regarding Nursing Support...
SDAN MEMBERSHIP MEETING – The PCP Process
Our SDAN Zoom Membership meeting was on Wednesday April 6th at noon. We discussed ways to support participants through the Person Centered Planning process. We explored how to prepare for the participant's annual meeting and reviewed the timeline of the...
SDAN MEMBERSHIP MEETING – Future Planning
Wednesday March 16th at noon. We heard from Liz Mahar from the Arc’s Center for Future Planning about the process of future planning including all of the free resources provided by the Arc. You can watch the meeting recording HERE. You can download the meeting...
DSP RECRUITMENT PORTAL SURVEY
MEMBERSHIP MEETING – SELF DIRECTION LEGISLATION
Our membership meeting was on Wednesday February 16th at noon. We discussed the self-direction legislation that has been filed for this session, and discussed how we can help ensure that we have the legislative framework to ensure continued choice and control of...
Virtual Self-Direction Legislative Workgroup Meeting
The final meeting of the self-direction legislative workgroup is being held this Wednesday, December 29 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. Here is the link to the zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87481919915 Meeting ID: 874 8191 9915 This is the final meeting for this...
SDAN MEETING – New DDA Family as Staff Form and Participant Agreement
Dec 2, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time SDAN ZOOM meeting on Thursday December 2, 2021 at 12pm. We updated our members on recent advocacy efforts and the legislative workgroup. Then Rhonda Workman joined us to answer any remaining questions you had regarding the DDA...
SDAN Meeting – Staff Recruitment
Thursday October 7 at 3:00pm Hiring dedicated staff members is more important– and more challenging– than ever. So…… on Thursday October 7, we premiered Why Work in Self-Direction? a staff recruitment and training video produced by SDAN volunteers. This new video,...
More Lives, More Choices!
Urgent Action Required to Protect Maryland Self-Direction
The proposed $150 million in cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) services are not just numbers on a budget sheet — they represent real people, real families, and real lives that will be directly affected. These reductions would destabilize...
Supported with Dignity: Desi’s Story
For Desi, self-direction means living a life shaped by his choices and being understood on his own terms. At 46 years old, Desi self-directs his services with a team designed around his preferences, communication style, and daily routines. Desi does not use spoken...