The Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities, headquartered in Washington DC, is the largest coalition of national organizations working together to advocate for federal public policy that ensures the self-determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society. Since 1973, CCD has advocated on behalf of people of all ages with physical and mental disabilities and their families. CCD has worked to achieve federal legislation and regulations that assure that the millions of children and adults with disabilities are fully integrated into the mainstream of society.

CCD does this by:

• Identifying and researching public policy issues, developing testimony and policy recommendations and encouraging innovative solutions to public policy concerns.
• Educating members of Congress in an effort to improve public policies and programs that foster independence, productivity, integration and inclusion of people with disabilities.
• Encouraging people with disabilities and their families to advocate for themselves and coordinating grass roots efforts to support these advocacy efforts.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In line with CCD's mission and values, CCD acknowledges that our headquarters in Washington, D.C. sits on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Nacotchtank (or Anacostans), and neighbors the ancestral lands of the Piscataway and Pamunkey peoples.

We gratefully acknowledge the Native Peoples on whose ancestral homelands we gather, as well as the Native communities who make their home here today. We are grateful for their past and continued stewardship of this land. We acknowledge the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and are committed to learning from and supporting Indigenous members of our community.

Learn more about Land Acknowledgements and honoring Original Indigenous Inhabitants.

VISION

The Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) envisions an American society in which all individuals have the freedom and opportunity to exercise individual decisions concerning their own lives, welfare and personal dignity.

CCD envisions a society in which communities are fully accessible to all individuals with disabilities and their families, where they are included and fully participate in all aspects of community life.

In CCD's vision of society, individuals with disabilities exercise their full rights and responsibilities free from racism, ableism, sexism, and xenophobia, as well as LGBTQ+ based discrimination and religious intolerance. 

Unanimously adopted on January 20, 1995; Revised January 11, 2021

MISSION

The mission of the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) is to engage in concerted advocacy for national public policy that ensures the self-determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society free from racism, ableism, sexism, and xenophobia, as well as LGBTQ+ based discrimination and religious intolerance; that enhances the civil rights and quality of life of all people with disabilities and their families; and that reflects the values of the Americans with Disabilities Act and all civil rights law. 

Unanimously adopted on January 20, 1995; Revised January 11, 2021

1. CCD positions are developed during announced CCD Task Force meetings, shall represent at least a majority of the organizations present during the discussion of the issue, and align with CCD's mission and values.

2. CCD member organizations, including their individual representative(s), must uphold CCD's mission and values when participating in CCD Task Force meetings and CCD activities or working with CCD member or partner organizations. Conduct must be free from racism, ableism, sexism, and xenophobia, as well as LGBTQ+ based discrimination and religious intolerance.

3. CCD organizations must participate in Task Force decisions in good faith. Non- public information concerning individuals or agency positions or strategies as well as information learned during these discussions leading to specific coalition policy is part of the CCD work-process and should be treated as privileged and confidential. Sharing information about policy discussions at meetings; non-final drafts of CCD letters, comments, other policy related documents, or forwarding CCD task force emails to: non-CCD member organizations; Hill staff; or staff of administrative agencies without the express consent of co-chairs of a Task Force is a violation of this code. Co-Chairs must inform invited guests that they are expected to respect the privacy of CCD deliberations.

4. If any member organization opposes the CCD position, they shall temporarily withdraw their participation from the specific task force activities regarding the issue while pursuing their own organization’s view, as appropriate, in other settings. In these situations, the organization withdrawing from Task Force activities must be clear their view/position is their own and never represent their own views as CCD’s. Specific Task Force activities include meetings, discussions, emails, phone calls, and other policy-related communications.

5. As soon as a member organization knows that they oppose the CCD position, the representative to CCD of that organization has an affirmative duty to inform the co- chairs of the relevant task force(s) that the organization is withdrawing from participation in task force activities regarding the issue. Failure to do so is in a timely manner is a violation of this code.

6. Public statements of disagreements in alerts, social media, newsletters, organizational letters, or speeches are acceptable and permissible. Agreeing to disagree shall not manifest itself in personal attacks by an individual or the member organization on an individual member, organization, chair of a particular Task Force, or the coalition as a whole, even if those attacks are only indirectly related to CCD business but affect CCD’s reputation.

7. Violation of this Code of Participation shall be referred to the membership committee for appropriate actions pursuant to the CCD disciplinary policy. The membership committee shall submit its recommendation regarding code violations to the Board of Directors for action.

Revised by Board of Directors, January 2021

Resources 

• CCD Bylaws

1.    CCD member organizations, including their individual representative(s), must uphold CCD's mission and values when participating in CCD Task Force meetings and CCD activities or working with CCD member or partner organizations. Conduct must be free from racism, ableism, sexism, and xenophobia, as well as LGBTQ+ based discrimination and religious intolerance.