Letter from Leadership: A Season of Change

Every election is a big deal. This one brought so much change; it’s an extra big deal.

I feel like I’ve been a broken record in my Letters from Leadership this year, talking so much about the importance of learning about candidates as our state prepared for a change in leadership. Now that the dust is settling, some of yesterday’s candidates will be our state’s leaders in a few short months. Which means our work as advocates shifts into a new season.

While our values at GCDD haven’t changed, the results of this election have changed the environment we will be working in. The national environment has changed, with the federal House and Senate shifting from Republican to Democratic leadership. Starting in January, we will have new leaders in every single constitutional office in Georgia – including Governor-Elect Bottoms, Lieutenant Governor-Elect McLaurin, Attorney General-Elect Miller, State School Superintendent-Elect Powell and Labor Commissioner-Elect Porcher. All of them participated in GCDD’s fall candidate forum, and I encourage you to give it a watch to learn about their plans for Georgia’s disability community.

As you probably know, all of our new constitutional officers are members of the Democratic party, in contrast to the current constitutional officers, who are all members of the Republican party. Another big change is that our state legislature will now have divided leadership, with the House having a Democratic majority and the Senate a Republican majority. At the time this article was written, there are 13 new members of the House and 14 new members of the Senate. With so much change, things will feel different at the state capitol this year, as people come into their new roles and evolve as a community.

This season of change is a fantastic opportunity for you as advocates to get to know your state leaders. We’ve tried to make that easier to do this year, with our very first Hometown Advocacy event. The goal of Hometown Advocacy is for us to give you the tools you need to feel comfortable meeting with your local legislators in your home area. You can do this on a day and at a time that works for you both. And we’ll be hosting disability advocates once again at the Gold Dome this year, with our annual Advocacy Days February 10th and 24th. Disability is not a partisan issue – it’s a human experience. I hope this year, you can use GCDD’s advocacy opportunities to bring your experience and your knowledge to our state’s leaders.

Speaking of change, our new five-year plan at GCDD is officially underway, and we’re seeking applicants for new projects! Please keep your eye out for funding opportunities on our website. Throughout the coming months, we will be posting Notices of Funds Available (NOFAs) for projects that benefit Georgia’s disability community. These are projects that were informed by you during our planning process. Please share these opportunities with your networks, and if they look like the right fit for you or your organization, we would love for you to apply.

For now, a plentiful season is here, with upcoming holidays, the end of the year, and the dawning of 2027. No matter how you mark these milestones, we at GCDD wish you and your loved ones peace and happiness and hope you have time to do what gives you joy as the year winds down. We found some joy and more than a few laughs at our fall Council meeting. Our Council members took on the age-old debate: Is Die Hard a holiday movie? We as a Council will not be taking a position on this topic, but as you can see, our members haven’t let that stop them.

I hope you enjoy this year-end edition of Making a Difference!

D’Arcy Robb
GCDD Executive Director