The Role of 988 in Supporting People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

Hosted by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center; the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); and The Arc of the United States 

The transition to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which began in July 2022, has prompted local and state criminal justice and behavioral health providers to engage in stronger collaborations to ensure that they provide an adequate response to each call for service. This cross-system collaboration often includes coordinating with various local and state behavioral health providers that can facilitate connections to care. However, many localities have not considered how they will respond to the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families when they contact 988 for behavioral health crisis support. During this webinar, participants will hear from The Arc of the United States on how to include and recognize people with IDD in need of crisis support when developing 988-related policies and the intersectionality of IDD and racial and ethnic disparities in connections to care. There will be a question-and-answer period. 

Speakers: 

• Felicia Lopez Wright, Senior Policy Analyst, Behavioral Health, CSG Justice Center (speaker) 
• Leigh Ann Davis, Senior Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives, The Arc of the United States (speaker) 
• Carlean Ponder, Director of Disability Rights and Housing Policy, The Arc of the United States (speaker) 

Download the transcript