The agency provides a variety of services, including center-based day treatment and community-based waiver services. Our services support persons who have developmental disabilities and/or intellectual disability in remaining in
their homes and communities. Community-based services are provided on a one-to-one ratio, giving
the consumer the greatest opportunity to become truly involved in his or her community.

The service goals developed in light of this philosophy are:

• Advocating for adequate funding, staffing, and services to address the needs of persons with developmental disabilities.
• Encouraging an interdisciplinary service system to be utilized in the delivery of appropriate individualized and quality services.
• Protecting the constitutional rights of individuals with disabilities and their rights to personal dignity, respect, and freedom from harm.
• To help the individual with a developmental disability/delay become or remain self-sufficient by seeking to develop personal, social, academic, and problem solving skills necessary to function independently in society.
• To protect children and adults who cannot protect themselves from abuse, neglect and exploitation and to help families stay together by providing an array of services for the individual with a developmental disability/delay.
• To prevent and reduce inappropriate institutional care as much as possible by making home and community based services available.
• To arrange for appropriate placement and services that provides the least restrictive environment, and is in the individual’s best interest.
• Assuring that individuals with developmental disabilities who receive services from DDS are provided uninterrupted essential services until such time a person no longer needs to depend on these services.
• Encouraging family, parent\guardian, individual, and public\community involvement in program development, delivery, and evaluation.
• Engaging in statewide planning that ensures optimal and innovative growth of the Arkansas service system to meet the needs of persons with developmental disabilities and to assist such persons to achieve independence, productivity, and integration into the community.

The Board of Directors shall delegate to the Executive Director and the designated program managers the responsibility to prepare a Strategic Plan that will address the long range goals by evaluating community needs and target
populations.  The Board of Directors will review the plan annually for progress.