CT DDS FAMILIES FIRST INC

What CT DDS FAMILIES FIRST INC does

CT DDS Families First Inc is a Connecticut-based, family-led non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in West Hartford. It represents approximately 17,000-20,000 Connecticut families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) served by the state Department of Developmental Services (DDS), engaging legislators through in-district meetings, weekly Capitol presence during legislative sessions, public testimony at hearings, and community forums across Connecticut communities.

Its core offering is grassroots advocacy rather than technology or paid services: the organization pushes for annual residential waiting list census requirements, defends DDS funding against budget cuts (over $50 million in cuts since 2012), and has led a multi-year legislative effort around the Level of Need (LON) Assessment methodology (SB 463, SB 393, SB 372). Documented advocacy outcomes include unanimous bipartisan passage of SB 246 (Public Act No. 17-61) and SB 294, as well as helping secure residential placements for approximately 100 individuals on the DDS waiting list.

The business model is donation-based: the organization does not charge for services and operates with approximately 12 staff, no disclosed funding rounds, no parent organization, and no commercial products or proprietary technology. Its reach is delivered through a Facebook Group, email signup via the website, and an Action page directing families to identify and engage their state legislators. Operating geography is restricted to Connecticut, and there is no AI, software, or data product component to the business.

Name

CT DDS FAMILIES FIRST INC

Legal name

CT DDS Families First Inc

Website

https://ctddsfamiliesfirst.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Connecticut non-profit advocacy organization representing approximately 17,000-20,000 families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, lobbying the state General Assembly on DDS funding, residential waiting lists, and Level of Need assessment policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Advocacy Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Down Syndrome & Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Childcare (HSAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Disability advocacy services
• Family support services
• Legislative advocacy
• Developmental disabilities
• Community advocacy

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CT DDS Families First Inc is a Connecticut-based non-profit organization that advocates for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families. The organization represents approximately 17,000-20,000 DDS families and coordinates legislative outreach and advocacy at the Connecticut General Assembly on DDS budget, funding, and policy outcomes. Core activities include advocacy for increased DDS funding, residential waiting list support, LON Assessment navigation, and community forum coordination for affected families.

Product overview

CT DDS Families First is a non-profit family advocacy organization, not a technology product company. The organization provides advocacy services, legislative action coordination, and community organizing for families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Connecticut. Their services include legislative outreach, DDS budget advocacy, residential waiting list support, Level of Need (LON) Assessment advocacy, and community forum coordination. No commercial software products, platforms, or modules are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legislative Advocacy Coordination Coordinates advocacy at the Connecticut General Assembly on behalf of families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, focused on DDS budget, funding, and policy outcomes.
• Residential Waiting List Support Provides support and advocacy for families navigating Connecticut's DDS residential services waiting list and pursuing residential placement options.
• LON Assessment Advocacy Assists families with the Level of Need (LON) Assessment process to help individuals with developmental disabilities access appropriate DDS-funded services and supports.
• Community Forum Coordination Organizes community forums that bring together families of individuals with I/DD to share information, build peer community, and coordinate advocacy efforts in Connecticut.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully passed SB 246 requiring annual census of DDS residential waiting list
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• The Arc of the United States: The national umbrella advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Comparable to CT DDS Families First because both advocate for I/DD families and individuals on legislative and policy issues, though The Arc operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Easterseals: National nonprofit providing disability services and advocacy. Comparable in serving I/DD populations and engaging in advocacy, but Easterseals is primarily a direct service provider rather than a legislative advocacy organization like Families First.
• National Disability Rights Network (NDRN): National network of disability rights advocacy organizations. Comparable because it coordinates advocacy for disability populations (including I/DD) at federal and state levels, but operates at significantly greater scale and with a more legal/enforcement orientation than Family First's grassroots model.
• American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD): National professional association focused on I/DD policy, research, and practice standards. Comparable to CT DDS Families First in advocating for I/DD populations, though it operates at the national level and from a professional/research lens rather than grassroots family advocacy.

Direct peers

• The Arc Connecticut: The Connecticut state chapter of The Arc, providing advocacy and services for people with I/DD in the same state as CT DDS Families First. Most directly comparable peer because it competes for the same family constituency, legislators, and policy agenda at the Connecticut General Assembly.
• Disability Rights Connecticut: Connecticut's federally funded protection and advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Comparable because it engages in legal and policy advocacy for I/DD populations in the same Connecticut legislature and DDS system, though it focuses more on legal rights enforcement.
• Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities: State-level developmental disability advocacy council that influences Connecticut DDS policy and funding. Directly comparable because it operates in the same Connecticut I/DD policy ecosystem and engages with the same legislators and families.

Emerging players

• Autism Society of America: National advocacy organization for individuals with autism and their families. Partial overlap with CT DDS Families First because many DDS families have autistic members, and both advocate for services and policy reform, though Autism Society's scope is autism-specific versus Families First's broader I/DD focus.

Regional players

• National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS): Association representing state I/DD agencies (including Connecticut DDS) on policy and funding. Comparable because it shapes the same state-level I/DD policy and budget environment that CT DDS Families First seeks to influence, though it represents the state agency side rather than the family side.

Others

• Special Olympics International: Global organization serving people with intellectual disabilities through sports and advocacy. Tangentially comparable given the I/DD population overlap, but operates a fundamentally different service model (sports programming) rather than legislative advocacy for DDS services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ctddsfamiliesfirst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ct-dds-families-first-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CT DDS FAMILIES FIRST INC