Hello! We would like to welcome you to the Cross Disability Website. The Coalition started in September of 2009 with assistance from the Council’s Systems Advocacy Committee. The Coalition is for individuals with all disabilities to connect and talk about what is important in our lives and what we can do together to improve quality for all people! It is also an opportunity to become familiar with different services available from agencies in Rhode Island and learn what these agencies can do to support and meet the needs of individuals.
Please take a moment to browse our website and check out some of the helpful links we have provided. Come join us at one of our next meetings where you can meet new people, share your ideas, opinions, and concerns.
Thank you, and we look forward to meeting you!
THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION
An Overview
For a short description of every bill that was tracked and the status of each, you may review the document here.
Our News and Events
DATING 101
Essential Relationship Ingredients
Strong Relationships are built upon shared values, beliefs and goals
Presented by: RI Cross Disability Coalition – Speakers Bureau
Monday, March 2, 2026| 1:00 pm – 3:00pm
Warwick Public Library – 600 Sandy Lane, Warwick, RI 02889
IDEA STUDIO
(401)739-5440
Please RSVP to 737-1238 or email rsvp@riddc.org. Let us know if you need any special accommodations.
Gallivan’s Short Stint in RI Brings Plenty of Change, Starting with Plans for Better DD Assessment
In just the few months she has served as interim director of Rhode Island’s Division of Developmental Disabilities, Jane Gallivan has been instrumental in changing the state’s approach to providing services for individuals with intellectual challenges. On the most concrete level, she has set plans in motion to adopt an improved version of a controversial assessment […]
Cross Disability Coalition Has Developed A Speakers Bureau
The Cross Disability Coalition has been working on the development of a Speakers Bureau to provide education/training on various topics to different audiences including people with disabilities, families, advocates, agency administrators and support staff, employers and the public. “Public Education” and “Leadership Development” are two of the Priority Areas of the Coalition. The other two […]
Montanaro Says Rhode Island DD Services Have a Long Way to Go; She Won’t Miss the Politics
By Gina Macris When she became director of Rhode Island’s developmental disability agency in February, 2015, Maria Montanaro inherited a budget with no relation to actual costs that was destined to run a deficit. She had to work with a state-run system of group homes resistant to change, which she said exists to preserve jobs and not […]