Improving Cross-System Collaborations for People with Developmental Disabilities (DD)

Project Background: People with developmental disabilities (DD) often depend on a range of public and community systems, including developmental disability services, health care, mental health services, education, employment, housing, transportation, and aging services, among others. Although these systems are intended to support people across their lives, advocates have shared that there is not always effective coordination between systems or a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of various systems. Gaps in communication, unclear responsibilities, and limited information-sharing can leave people with DD and families navigating complex supports and interruptions in needed services. These challenges can be particularly challenging when a person’s needs involve more than one system. Poor coordination may delay access to supports, create duplication or gaps in care, place additional burdens on family caregivers, and, in the most serious cases, contribute to preventable crises. Improving collaboration across systems is therefore an important opportunity to strengthen the responsiveness and quality of services available to New Yorkers with DD and their families. The CDD identified cross-system collaboration as a high-priority based on public input, research and feedback from Council members, during development of the CDD’s 2027–2031 State Plan. This small-grant initiative creates a new mechanism for CDD to identify and support innovative ideas originating directly from eligible organizations working alongside people with DD and their families. Approach: CDD is releasing this grant opportunity to solicit and award proposals for innovative, actionable projects addressing a priority issue area. Proposed projects should develop, test, or expand practical approaches that improve communication, coordination, and shared problem-solving among service systems focused on improving cross-system collaboration. Projects may focus on strengthening relationships among DD service providers, health care providers, schools, mental health providers, employers, housing agencies, transportation systems, aging-service providers, and other relevant partners. Strong proposals should be grounded in the lived experiences of people with DD and family members, identify a specific coordination challenge, engage relevant cross-system partners, and describe how the proposed work will lead to more seamless, person-centered support. Projects should emphasize innovative strategies that can generate lessons, tools, models, or practices useful beyond the immediate grant period. Expected Key Deliverables: A clearly defined project plan describing the cross-system challenge to be addressed, project activities, participating partners, timeline, and intended results. Meaningful engagement of people with DD, family members, and other key stakeholders in project design, implementation, and evaluation. Partnerships among relevant service systems, agencies, providers, and community organizations. Development and implementation of an innovative coordination strategy, such as cross-agency communication protocols, collaborative planning models, training resources, navigation supports, or other tools that reduce fragmentation. Documentation of project activities, barriers encountered, lessons learned, and promising practices for strengthening cross-system coordination. Measurable data or participant feedback demonstrating the project’s reach, effectiveness, and impact on diminishing systemic barriers and improving outcomes for people with DD and their families. Desired Project Outcomes: The intended outcomes of this grant opportunity may include: Improved communication and information-sharing among agencies, providers, and systems serving people with DD. Stronger relationships and clearer roles among cross-system partners. Fewer gaps, delays, duplicative processes, or disruptions in services and supports. Increased ability of people with DD and families to navigate multiple service systems. Improved continuity of support during periods of changing need, service transition, or crisis. Greater inclusion of the perspectives of people with DD and families in cross-system planning and decision-making. Identification of replicable practices that CDD, state agencies, providers, and community organizations can use to improve service coordination statewide. Business enterprises awarded an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years: None