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Initiative Aims to Improve and Expand Resources Available
Anew Florida Gulf Coast University initiative with a well-known name attached aims to help improve the quantity and quality of resources available to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
The Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disability Initiative (GIDDI) was established in FGCU’s Marieb College of Health & Human Services through funding by the Golisano Foundation. The foundation’s other philanthropy in the region includes Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples.
The Golisano initiative at FGCU positions the university as a regional conveyor of supports and services related to improving the lives of people with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) on campus and throughout Southwest Florida. It has already begun efforts to increase and amplify communication among the many regional agencies serving intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals of all ages.
The initiative also seeks to identify needs for supports and services for this population. The information gathering includes formal and informal conversations, “think tanks,” community visits and surveys with caregivers as well as those living with IDD.
Once needs are identified, FGCU will work with area organizations to assist in building programing, services and infrastructure to improve the quality and amount of services and supports offered to those in need. These regional partners include LARC, God’s Protected Harbor, STARability Foundation, Gigi’s Playhouse and Special Olympics, as well as on-campus supports and student organizations such as FGCU R.I.S.E., Adaptive Services, Career Services, All Ability Sports and Recreation and Best Buddies.
Marieb College continues to build on its strong relationships with colleagues at Lee Health, as well as the expansive medical community found in Rochester, New York, where the headquarters of the Golisano Foundation is located.
What are intellectual and developmental disabilities?
Intellectual and developmental disabilities are usually present at birth and can affect an individual’s physical, intellectual and/or emotional development. Many of these conditions affect multiple body systems, such as the nervous system, the senses and metabolism.
Developmental disabilities include diagnoses that result in impairments in physical, learning, language or behavior areas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recent estimates show that 1 in 6, or about 17%, of American children 3 to 17 years old have one or more developmental disabilities, such as autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The CDC reports the incidence of children with IDD rose from 7.4% to 8.5% in recent years. Those with IDD are living longer, with many living well into older adulthood.
In Southwest Florida, 24,000 to 27,000 individuals live with IDD, based on 2023 census data, according to Ellen K. Donald, PT Ph.D. She is program director of Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disability Initiative and assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in FGCU’s Marieb College.
Individuals with IDD and their families face many challenges, Donald says. Barriers to maximizing their independence and success can include affordable housing, appropriate healthcare, learning opportunities beyond K-12 programs, recreation, employment, transportation and, simply, acceptance from the communities in which they live, she says.
The most common reasons for unmet need in healthcare are cost, accessibility and lack of appropriate providers, according to Donald.
“There are excellent programs and services available. There are just not enough of these resources in our rapidly growing Southwest Florida region,” she says. “While these issues exist nationally, Southwest Florida is challenged by its relative ‘youth’ as well as the staggering costs and growth.”
Cultivating a welcoming culture
The purpose of FGCU’s Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disability is threefold, according to Donald.
The first is to create a campus community that welcomes and includes individuals with IDD. Existing supports for students with disabilities will be enhanced by offering additional training and support for faculty and staff, as well as developing a culture of inclusion in the student population through engagement activities.
Secondly, faculty within Marieb College and the broader university community will work toward improving students’ exposure and training so they graduate better equipped to work with, care for, educate and live alongside individuals with IDD. Students in many academic fields may interact with the IDD community as they pursue careers including social work, occupational therapy, special education, nursing, counseling and physical therapy.
Lastly, GIDDI will partner with on- and off-campus groups and agencies to provide continuing professional and community education related to IDD, as well as partner to develop new programs and services for those with IDD.
“We hope to contribute to a culture, both on and off campus, where those with disabilities and their families find FGCU and Southwest Florida a desirable place to live, play and learn.”
For more information about the Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disability Initiative or how to support it, visit fgcu.edu/mariebcollege/giddi.
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965
(239) 590-1000 | fgcu.edu
