2025-2027
Strategic Plan

Five people in a roller skating rink, standing and sitting together, with colorful lights in the background. One person is in a wheelchair.

Our Mission

Promote and support opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to live, work, learn, and fully participate in their communities

Our Vision

Community integration for all people with developmental disabilities

Two women in matching shirts stand at a booth labeled "Developmental Disability Services." They smile at the camera. A table with informational materials is in front of them.
Two people pose in front of a mobile restroom unit. One person is standing, the other is in a wheelchair. They both wear similar red and white patterned shirts.
A woman, Leia Snyder, in a yellow blazer smiles against a gray background.

Our Process

Our Strategic Plan is anchored in our agency’s core values: innovation, stewardship, collaboration, respect, and equity. These values are the driving force behind our planning and our goals, and they guide the work we do every day. Informed by extensive data and feedback, we’ve crafted a proactive, forward-looking blueprint that will allow Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS) to respond to a fast-changing world while continuing to fulfill our mission to provide high-quality support people want and need.

The 2025-2027 Strategic Plan is grounded in the voices of people with DD and their families, HCDDS staff and Board Members, provider partners, and community leaders. We listened broadly using individualized online surveys, advocate focus groups, staff strategy cafés, and interviews with key community leaders. Their ideas helped us develop a practical plan responsive to identified gaps and promising new opportunities.

We considered current trends in developmental disabilities work and beyond. Our thriving community outreach has resulted in growing numbers of people served and increased allocation of funds to support waiver services. We are supporting more people with complex medical and behavior support needs. With our community partners, we continue to wrestle with a direct support professional shortage, gaps in affordable, accessible housing, and limited transportation options. As we address these challenges, we can also celebrate increased community awareness of universal accessibility and look forward to building on this trend.

Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services is dedicated to the people we serve, people who help us serve others, and people who make our community strong. Our 2025-2027 Strategic Plan is organized into four key focus areas that affirm our commitment to keeping people at the forefront of our work. As you explore our focus areas and goals, we hope you’ll see how you fit into this plan as an integral partner invested in our collective impact.

I invite you to join us on this journey in support of our mission.

Sincerely,

Leia

Our Focus Areas

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Connecting and Thriving

A woman pushes a smiling boy in a wheelchair outside, surrounded by people.

Connecting and Thriving

Empowering People with DD and Their Families

We’ll empower people with developmental disabilities and their families to make informed decisions about their lives and the services they receive. We’re committed to:

Ensuring each person has a voice in planning

Providing families and people with DD with accurate, timely, and easy-to-understand information about their support options​

Growing advocacy leadership, including investment in the next generation, so people exercise choice and impact change​

Fostering social opportunities for children and adults with disabilities to develop friendships and connections in their communities​

Building family connections with each other to promote strong support systems​

Your Voice

As we created this Strategic Plan, we listened extensively to our stakeholders through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and more.

I need someone to guide me, to help me step-by-step. If they show me how to do it, then I can try it on my own.

Advocate

All disabilities vary. One size does not fit every individual.

Family Member

Communicate with families in their own language. Meet people where they are at, knowing that each person has different needs. Assist individuals in living the life that they want.

HCDDS Employee
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Championing Community

Three women stand in front of a playground structure. They are smiling and casually dressed. Two are holding papers and wearing lanyards with ID badges.

Championing Community

Building an Equitable and Inclusive Hamilton County

We’ll forge strategic partnerships and collaborate with others to influence key accessibility discussions. This will transform Hamilton County into a welcoming, universally accessible community for people with developmental disabilities. We’re committed to:

Promoting targeted efforts toward addressing transportation and affordable housing​

Advancing universal access to essential resources like healthcare and childcare

Expanding pre-employment options and strengthening connections with local employers to help people find and succeed in good jobs​

Improving support options for youth who receive support from multiple systems, enriching relationships with local school districts, and enhancing connections with other child-focused organizations

Including advocates with lived experience of disability to have a say in important community decisions

Your Voice

As we created this Strategic Plan, we listened extensively to our stakeholders through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and more.

The waiver doesn't pay for everything that I need. We need better housing for people with disabilities.

Advocate

I want to be able to go places, particularly restaurants and old buildings, that are accessible. There is a need for accessible changing tables, portable ramps, and accessible doors.

Advocate

There is a need for more employment opportunities for people with severe physical disabilities. Also, more accessible housing that can accommodate wheelchairs and equipment in locations all around the county.

Advocate
Five people stand together, two holding certificates, in front of a banner with "Development Disabilities Services." Blue and yellow balloons are on the left.

Advancing Health, Safety, and Quality

Two people stand outdoors holding boxes of PPE, surrounded by more boxes.

Advancing Health, Safety, and Quality

Equipping HCDDS Staff and Providers to Promote the Well-Being of People with DD

We’ll equip HCDDS staff, providers and partner organizations with the knowledge, resources, and support they need to deliver exceptional services that promote health, safety, independence, and quality of life. We’re committed to:

Providing customized training and consultation to support agency and independent providers

Enhancing relationships with local emergency support networks, including hospitals, police, and first responders​

Investing in technology and tools that improve safety and communication​

Expanding access to specialized medical care and increasing capacity to support people with more complex needs​

Focusing on monitoring and oversight to identify concerns early and allow for proactive interventions​

Your Voice

As we created this Strategic Plan, we listened extensively to our stakeholders through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and more.

Medical professionals need to understand how to work with people with disabilities. They need to listen and respect their patients when they are people with disabilities.

Advocate

Direct support professionals are critical for helping people with DD live fulfilling lives.

Provider

It's important that we equip the police with the knowledge and tools to de-escalate the situation when responding to children in crisis.

Partner Agency
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Strengthening Our Foundation

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Strengthening Our Foundation

Investing in Our Operations to Advance a Healthy, Thriving Organization

We’ll prioritize strengthening our organizational health, leveraging technology, and promoting a thriving future for both our workforce and the people we serve. We’re committed to:

Redesigning our spaces to better support our work and foster collaboration​

Analyzing data and customer feedback to provide insight and inform decision making

Strategically managing funds and resources to meet current and future needs​

Ensuring staff have the time, resources, training, and equipment they need to excel

Fostering employee wellbeing, equipping staff with cross-cultural communication expertise, and offering ongoing professional development opportunities​

Your Voice

As we created this Strategic Plan, we listened extensively to our stakeholders through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and more.

Start in our own building! Facilitate connectivity initiatives within the agency. With the new building, make sure we’re connecting with other partners to educate them about how we refer and support.

HCDDS Employee

It's essential to have well trained staff at HCDDS who know how to support individuals' needs.

Advocate

We should create more ways of explaining eligibility across cultures, including brochures and different media formats.

HCDDS Employee