Publications
Educational resources addressing topics of interest to individuals with developmental disabilities and their caregivers.
Educational resources from the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council are available on a variety of topics to provide individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities information and insight.
FDDC Disability Resources
Listed below are the Council’s newest or most requested products.
Planning Ahead
A handbook for parents, family members and guardians of adults with developmental disabilities. Provides information that will help identify and plan the direction and future regarding the quality of life family members’ desire. Personal information summary included to ensure the safety and happiness of a surviving family member with a disability.
Click here to download the Planning Ahead PDF (English version)
Click here to download the Planning Ahead PDF (Spanish version)
Advocacy and Leadership Opportunities Guide
A guide for Floridians with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to empower strong advocacy and leadership across the state of Florida.
Click here to download the Advocacy and Leadership Opportunities Guide PDF (English version)
Click here to download the Advocacy and Leadership Opportunities Guide PDF (Spanish version)
First Steps Guide: A Guide to Your Child’s Development
Revised in 2017, this is an easy-to-read guide that explains intellectual and developmental disabilities at all stages of life for persons with these disabilities, their families, and other stakeholders. It gives critical information and resources to help these children reach their fullest potential.
Click here to download First Steps Guide PDF (English)
Click here to download First Steps Guide PDF (Spanish)
Connections: Tools and Resources for Adult Life
Connections provides information that connects individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to tools and resources that will support their transition into adult life.
Click here to download – Connections: Tools and Resources for Adult Life – Illustrated Guide [English] (PDF)
Click here to download – Connections: Tools and Resources for Adult Life – Text Only [English] (PDF)
Click here to download – Connections: Tools and Resources for Adult Life [Spanish] (PDF)
Easing Your Stress: Information for Caregivers of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
A publication about stress and stress management for caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In its 24 pages, caregivers learn; How the mind-body connect affects their response to stress; How stress affects children; How other caregivers have learned to ease their stress; What resources are available; How to identify approaches that will work for them.
Click here to download the Easing Your Stress (English) PDF
Click here to download the Easing Your Stress (Spanish) PDF
Stress and What You Can Do About It
A full color book that takes individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a colorful, graphically attractive and easy-to-read lesson in the basics of stress and stress management. Please note that some products have limited print availability.
Click here to download the Stress and What You Can Do About It (English) PDF
Click here to download the Stress and What You Can Do About It (Spanish) PDF
Lighting the Way to Guardianship and Other Decision-Making Alternatives
This manual provides accurate and timely information regarding guardianship and alternatives to guardian-ship for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, please seek the service of competent professional.
Click here to download Lighting the Way to Guardianship (English) PDF
Click here to download Lighting the Way to Guardianship (Spanish) PDF
Lighting the Way to Your Choices, Your Decision, and Your Life
Every person who is age eighteen or older has certain legal rights. As an adult, you can exercise these rights by making your own decisions or asking someone to help you make decisions.
Click here to download Lighting the Way to Your Choices (PDF)
Lighting the Way to Guardianship Online Training
Designed to assist individuals and families of persons with developmental disabilities understand the range of decision-making options, from an individual making his or her own decisions to guardianship or guardianship advocacy.
Click here for the Guardianship Online Training Course website (opens in new window)
Guardianship
Guardianship is the most restrictive decision-making option available and should only be used as a last resort. Florida law provides a continuing right to review the appropriateness of a guardianship and favors restoration of rights whenever possible. The resources below are provided to assist individuals with developmental disabilities who wish to build their skills and work towards more independent lives. In response to the need for increased awareness of the continuing right to review existing guardianship and the need for increased knowledge of the rights restoration process, the Council partnered with the Office of the Public Guardian, Inc. to provide education for individuals under guardianship, their families, legal professionals and other stakeholders. The goal of the project is to increase awareness of guardianship and guardianship restoration; provide an accompanying website with downloadable resources; and to initiate of advocacy efforts to address the lack of data on guardianship and guardianship restoration within the judicial system. Through the project’s advocacy efforts, key stakeholders became engaged in examining the issue of data collection within Florida’s judicial system and data collection among persons receiving services from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and their families.
Click here to download the Workbook for Persons with Disabilities (PDF)
Click here to download the 2016 Guide for Supporting Persons with Disabilities (PDF)
Click here to download the Manual for Legal Professionals (PDF)
