About Us

Our History

The Metropolitan Council on Developmental Disabilities is a not for profit organization that has been in existence since 1970. We serve as a "grassroots" advocacy organization for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families residing within the following Missouri counties: Bates, Cass, Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte, and Ray.

We also serve as the Region IV Advisory Council, established in RSMO 633.045, to the Division of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, Kansas City Regional Center.

Our Mission

"Working Together for a Quality Lifestyle for Persons with Developmental Disabilities"

The Metropolitan Council on Developmental Disabilities believes that all people with developmental disabilities have fundamental rights to an opportunity for them or their families to choose and to participate in lifestyles that enable them to live, work and play in their own communities, to receive an appropriate academic and functional education and the opportunity to be participating members of their community. Our advocacy and service efforts will be towards supporting the individual and his or her family as they nurture and support each other in fulfilling their goals and dreams.

Our Guiding Principles

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The Metropolitan Council on Developmental Disabilities will:

• Be guided by the philosophy that persons with developmental disabilities have the right and the desire to shape their own destinies and, therefore, they or their families have the right and responsibility to be active decision makers in both the services they receive and the decisions of organizations that directly affect their lives.

• Advocate for the development of family support options that provide families choices for obtaining the resources and services that can enable them to maintain a functioning family system and that can nurture and provide for the needs of all family members including the family member with a disability.

• Work for the assurance that every child and adult with a disability has the opportunity to live in a family or their own home in the community. The Metropolitan Council on Developmental Disabilities will work to change attitudes and policies that permit the placement of persons with disabilities in unnecessarily restrictive facilities and programs.

• Advocate for public policy changes and effective passage of public and private resource allocations that would enable all people with developmental disabilities to receive services, supports and other opportunities necessary to enable them to become as interdependent, productive, integrated and included into community life as they choose.

• Promote the inclusion of all persons with developmental disabilities in community life and recognize the contributions of people with developmental disabilities as they share their talents at home, school, work and in recreation/leisure time.

• Provide public awareness and education to achieve positive portrayal through language and attitude that improves understanding and acceptance of persons with developmental disabilities.

• The Metropolitan Council on Developmental Disabilities will actively work to remove the physical and architectural barriers that exclude people with disabilities from full community participation. Council will decline to participate in any meeting, conference or professional gathering where the physical facility, because of its barriers, excludes persons with disabilities from attending and participating.

• Support personal health, home and public safety as to prevent or reduce the occurrence, frequency and impact of disabling injuries, accidents, abuse and illness for the benefit of all people.

• Support medical and applied research into the causes, prevention, treatment and amelioration of developmental disabilities.

The Metropolitan Council on Developmental Disabilities will:

Be guided by the philosophy that persons with developmental disabilities have the right and the desire to shape their own destinies and, therefore, they or their families have the right and responsibility to be active decision makers in both the services they receive and the decisions of organizations that directly affect their lives.

Advocate for the development of family support options that provide families choices for obtaining the resources and services that can enable them to maintain a functioning family system and that can nurture and provide for the needs of all family members including the family member with a disability.

Work for the assurance that every child and adult with a disability has the opportunity to live in a family or their own home in the community. The Metropolitan Council on Developmental Disabilities will work to change attitudes and policies that permit the placement of persons with disabilities in unnecessarily restrictive facilities and programs.

Advocate for public policy changes and effective passage of public and private resource allocations that would enable all people with developmental disabilities to receive services, supports and other opportunities necessary to enable them to become as interdependent, productive, integrated and included into community life as they choose.

Promote the inclusion of all persons with developmental disabilities in community life and recognize the contributions of people with developmental disabilities as they share their talents at home, school, work and in recreation/leisure time.

Provide public awareness and education to achieve positive portrayal through language and attitude that improves understanding and acceptance of persons with developmental disabilities.

The Metropolitan Council on Developmental Disabilities will actively work to remove the physical and architectural barriers that exclude people with disabilities from full community participation. Council will decline to participate in any meeting, conference or professional gathering where the physical facility, because of its barriers, excludes persons with disabilities from attending and participating.

Support personal health, home and public safety as to prevent or reduce the occurrence, frequency and impact of disabling injuries, accidents, abuse and illness for the benefit of all people.

Support medical and applied research into the causes, prevention, treatment and amelioration of developmental disabilities.

Our Members

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Tracy Simmons, Chairperson, Parent, Jackson County

Barry Buchanan, Vice Chairperson, Parent, Clay County

Sarah Mudd, Secretary/Treasurer, Program Director, Center for Developmentally Disabled, Jackson County

Kari Wiss, Adult Day Services, Developing Potential, Jackson County

Jo Hodges, Parent, Jackson County

Gayla Boyd, Sibling, Bates County

Tom Welliver, Member at Large, Self/Peer Advocate, Platte County

Sat Inder Khalsa, Department of Health/Bureau of Special Health Care Needs Representative, Jackson County

Chris Rounds, Sunshine Center, Jackson County

Belle Harris, Director, Warrensburg Independent Living Services, Johnson County

Andrea Tarry, Parent, Cass County

Gloria Hudson, Self/Peer Advocate, Jackson County

Beverly Mosnick, Member at Large, Assistant Regional Manager, Department of Health, Division of Senior Services, Jackson County

Rand Hodgson, Parent, Jackson Count

Sue Hines, Department of Social Services, Platte County

Judy Green, Parent, Jackson County

Doris Weber, Parent, Jackson County

Lorie Perdieu, Self/Peer Advocate, Jackson County

Connie Royal, SB 40 Representative, Platte County

James Landrum, Executive Director, TNC Community, Jackson County

Rebecca Maynard, Vocational Rehabilitation, Clay County

Tricia Miller, Education, Jackson County