Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council

06/09/2026

Disability Rights Arizona CEO and ADDPC Vice-Chair J.J. Rico spoke with news outlets this weekend about how provider protections for the individuals under their care is important in light of the death of Mesa resident Lorenzo Lopez:

Disability Rights Arizona is emphasizing the critical need for proper staff training after a man with developmental disabilities was found dead inside a van outside a Mesa care facility. DETAILS ⬇️

06/09/2026

“Every provider organization is required to have basically a set of checks and balances, a series of protocols that they go through to ensure that every member is accounted for" - ADDPC Director Jon Meyers, in an interview for KJZZ Phoenix

The Mesa Police Department confirmed 36-year-old Lorenzo Lopez was found inside a vehicle on Thursday at ITC Personal In-Home Care facility, which also goes by the name Pathways for Life.

05/22/2026

KJZZ Phoenix did a great job showcasing several important advocates this week, sharing stories about how important HCBS services are - our -advocacy coalition Arizona Achieve member Tricia Huber and her family, as well as other advocates. Executive director Jon Meyers also shares analysis of the service system in the piece.

Full Story here:

Arizona’s Home and Community-Based Services for people with disabilities could be on the chopping block this year because of federally driven Medicaid cuts. One reason is that Medicaid isn’t required to cover the services.

05/20/2026

But right now, this workforce and the home and community-based care system that supports them is in crisis. Administration and congressional actions purportedly aimed at targeting waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid — goals we fully support — have been so broadly construed that the integrity of all home and community-based care is being called into question.

This workforce and the home and community-based care system that supports them is in crisis.

05/14/2026

Please keep sharing this with families and individuals in need of help paying their power bills - it's a new pot of funding so please apply while you can!

Stay ahead of the heat! ☀️ Power AZ helps more Arizona households qualify for energy assistance by expanding income eligibility beyond traditional LIHEAP limits.

Interested in applying? Learn more about available assistance programs at: https://des.az.gov/liheap

05/14/2026

Grupo de apoyo esta noche en Yuma!

05/07/2026

Many people are looking into benefit programs for folks with disabilities - this training is a valuable resource to check out if you are exploring what to sign up for and how!

Join us next week on May 13th for a Circle of Indigenous Empowerment Webinar! This virtual workshop will be presented by Reverend Nicholas, a punk, Buddhist Reverend who is a national expert on disability employment and Social Security work incentives. This presentation will help participants understand how working may affect your disability benefits and explore tools and resources that can help you make informed decisions about employment while maintaining the supports you need.

The webinar will be held on zoom from 11am-12pm AZ (MST).
Register today at: bit.ly/EmploymentSupportsDB101

05/01/2026

L,O.P.E.S Academy at Grand Canyon University is a best-practice program aligned with and - check out more about the program directly from students at the West Phoenix college!

14 likes. "GCU L.O.P.E.S. Academy: Empowering Students, Building Futures"

05/01/2026

ThinkCollege is a movement dedicated to encouraging students with disabilities to seek out higher education opportunities through programs catered to them - did you know AZ provides several of these programs?

Learn more at our resource page: https://addpc.az.gov/inclusive-college-programs-arizona

👀 Sneak preview, anyone?! is THIS Friday, May 1st - and we are so excited to celebrate inclusive postsecondary education and show the world what's possible for students with intellectual disability. How will you be celebrating? Let us know in the comments -- Friday can't come soon enough! 🥳

05/01/2026

Today, we're celebrating 🎓

Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) Day is an international day of awareness dedicated to spotlighting college opportunities for students with intellectual disability—and we hope aiming to make this year our biggest yet.

In , we call this initiative - a collective of universities and community colleges that have programs for students with cognitive disabilities.

First up:
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Project FOCUS, in collaboration with the College of Education and Pima County public school districts, provides a unique post-high school transition opportunity for students (ages 18-21) with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in southern Arizona.
This project gives access to University of Arizona academic courses, community-based internships and campus life social events to increase students' independence, communication and employability.

Find out more here: https://projectfocus.education.arizona.edu/

Image Project FOCUS (Focusing Opportunities with Community and University Support), in collaboration with the College of Education and Pima County public school districts or private/charter schools, provides a unique post-high school transition opportunity for students (ages 18-21) with intellec...