PRIDES Learning Series Session 8:

Championing Change: Building Inclusive Policies and Cultures for LGBTQ Voices in IDD Services

This training helps you learn practical ways to make your organization more inclusive and welcoming for everyone. You’ll explore real examples and personal stories about creating a sense of belonging, building fair policies, and providing better services for LGBTQ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

We’ll share simple steps to set up diversity committees, engage in inclusive community activities, create fair hiring practices, and write policies that reflect and respect all identities. You’ll also gain tools and ideas to make positive changes in your organization and in larger systems.

By the end of this training, you’ll feel ready to take action and make sure LGBTQ people with IDD are heard, supported, and treated fairly. Join us to help create a world where everyone feels they belong!

My name is Nick Burton, I am the CEO at N. Burton Consulting LLC. I have over 25 years working in the field of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) focusing on programmatic design, implementation, and evaluation. I believe in the value of person-centered planning to ensure all people with disabilities can build a life that is important to them. I am committed to equity, equality, social justice, and ensuring that people have what they need to be their most successful.

 I have graciously been welcomed into the disability community first by family and then as a career path. I started my journey as a direct support professional working with adults and children in the community. I have been a case manager, agency leader, and most recently a senior executive in Maryland state government overseeing the programmatic support and services to people with developmental disabilities. 

My life has been focused on ensuring underrepresented communities have a seat at the table and voice in the fight. I grew up in Montana and have had the opportunity to live in other states such as Illinois, Oregon, and Maryland which has given me a unique perspective on Long Term Supports and Services (LTSS) across the county and how states implement Home and Community Based Supports (HCBS).

 My educational background is a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana and a master’s degree in public administration from Portland State University. I live in the great city of Baltimore, Maryland with my husband Thomas and our two cats Gary and Lois.