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.
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 […]
General Assembly Approves $15.4 Million Increase For DD; Worker Raises Are Assured
By Gina Macris Rhode Island’s developmental disability budget for the next fiscal year includes assurances that a total of $9.1 million in Medicaid money will be spent to raise pay for direct support workers and to begin transforming the state’s system of services for those with intellectual challenges. Shortly after 1:30 am on Saturday, June […]
RI Monthly Magazine Features Story About People With Disabilities Working In Jobs In RI…”The Tyranny of Low Expectations”
The October Issue of RI Monthly has a featured article entitled “The Tyranny of Low Expectations” written by Associate Editor Casey Nilsson. “For decades, local agencies segregated people with disabilities and kept them from pursuing real work in the community. The federal government stepped in and last year, the state agreed to make big changes. […]