Approximately 6.5 million people in the U.S. have an intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD) that affects their day-to-day functioning.  Many laws and policies at the federal, state, and local levels are designed to help individuals with I/DD access the same core rights and protections that other individuals enjoy. Yet translating these goals into effective public policy is often difficult, and the gap between the civil rights ideals enshrined in U.S. law and the lived experiences of individuals with I/DD can be substantial. A new project aimed at addressing these challenges launched this year at Stanford Law School: the Stanford Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law and Policy Project (SIDDLAPP).

“The I/DD system is very opaque. It is hard for outsiders to understand how it works, let alone to identify its shortcomings or suggest promising reforms. One of SIDDLAPP’s strengths is that many of us have firsthand experience as advocates, clinicians, or family members of people with I/DD,” says Alison Morantz, founding director of SIDDLAPP and the James and Nancy Kelso Professor of Law, whose son has autism and mental illness.

Morantz also taught the SLS Law and Policy Lab practicum Protecting the Rights of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities in a Precarious Funding Climate, which produced three reports looking at various aspects of care and funding in California. She plans to continue working with students and faculty across campus through the project, engaging in policy analysis and academic research, and also spearheading legal advocacy on issues that pertain to the rights and welfare of individuals with I/DD. To learn more, go to https://law.stanford.edu/siddlapp/.