IDD, also known as Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities, are disorders that impact a person’s language development, behavior, sensory experiences, and learning aptitude. This article is for you if you have a loved one with a disability or want to know how you can financially support the Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities community. With proper backing, persons with developmental disabilities can maximize their independence and start living a happy and fulfilling life. Keep reading for more information on how to support the IDD community financially.
Forms of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
IDD disorders can present at birth or manifest anytime before a child turns 18. Intellectual and developmental disabilities are characterized by problems with intelligence and specific adaptive behavior. Intelligence issues include an inability to learn, problem-solve, judge, and reason, while adaptive behavioral problems entail a lack of everyday social and overall life skills.
Down syndrome, autism, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, and fetal alcohol syndrome are the most common types of IDDs. These disorders impact multiple body parts or systems, effectively affecting an individual’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development. A person is deemed intellectually disabled if they meet the following criteria;
- They have an Intelligent Quotient (IQ) below 70-75
- Their intellectual disability manifests before the age of 18
- They present significant limitations in two or more intellectual functioning and adaptive areas—meaning they lack the skills needed to live, work, communicate, or care for themselves
IDD disorders are linked to a genetic syndrome like Down syndrome. Intellectual or developmental disabilities can emerge following an illness, such as whooping cough, meningitis, or measles. They may result from exposure to toxins like lead, mercury, alcohol, and drugs.
Other factors that can potentially contribute to IDD include brain malformation, pregnancy infections, insufficient oxygen at birth, and more. Today, more than 7 million people live with one form of intellectual or developmental disability in the United States. Here’s how you can help them.
3 Ways to Financially Support the IDD Community
Achieving financial independence for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities can prove challenging. Individuals with IDD might not access banking services or may have difficulty establishing a credit history. Additionally, some lack the intellectual understanding of various financial products and, therefore, don’t have checking or savings accounts.
Because they don’t have the resources to warrant a bank account, people with IDD face numerous barriers to economic inclusion. Learning everything you can about intellectual or developmental disabilities is a great start. Read books and subscribe to specialist websites or magazines to know which areas your financial assistance is most applicable.
If you’re a parent or guardian to someone living with IDD, teach them financial literacy. Complex financial lessons are unrealistic; still, you can teach them some financial planning basics or how to write a check and review the balance on a credit card report. If you’re a contributor, here are three ways to do so;
1. Donate to Local Charitable Causes
People with disabilities tend to receive lower-quality care and pay more out-of-pocket for healthcare. They are also more likely than those without disabilities to live below the federal poverty level.
It’s costly to live with a disability due to a lack of employment opportunities for people in the IDD community. It requires spending much on medication, frequent hospital visits, in-home personal assistance, adaptive devices, and more.
Your donations to local charitable events can help raise medical funds for individuals who can’t work due to their disabilities. Contributing money toward housing or various living expenses for people in the IDD communities is also a great way to show your support.
2. Sponsor High-Profile Events
Sponsoring high-profile events is a great way to fundraise and educate people about the IDD community. Fundraising events such as galas and tournaments attract donors to help raise money and spread awareness for their causes. ‘A-thons,’ such as walkathons and marathons, are becoming increasingly popular among nonprofits and charitable organizations due to their effectiveness in promoting awareness and financial support.
When done right, high-profile events can generate significant revenue for the IDD community. The Venture Foundation provides numerous sponsorship opportunities for corporate entities, institutions, and individuals interested in having their names associated with one of their many high-profile events.
3. Contribute to Non-Profit Foundations
Nonprofit organizations rely on donations to achieve their objectives. You can help your preferred charity by making monetary donations to ensure that much-needed programs are expanded. Fortunately, there are numerous charities available to help vulnerable people find the aid they need.
You can advocate for the rights of the disabled, improve community accessibility, or offer services that promote independent functioning with your donations. Venture Foundation welcomes all forms of charitable contributions to raise funds for programs that care for people with IDDs. Other ways to donate include ;
- Donating via planned giving vehicles such as Wills and bequests, life insurance, life income gifts or trusts, and qualified gifts to the Venture Endowment Fund.
- Giving appreciated securities to the Venture Foundation, like stocks, bonds, IRAs, or mutual funds.
- If your company has a Matching Gift Program, employers can match employee donations to nonprofit organizations. When you donate, request a matching gift from your employer, who then donates of their own.
Conclusion
If you have a charity you would like to donate to in the New York City area but wasn’t mentioned in this article:
- Check their website. Charities worthy of your donations will be transparent in their mission, goal, and financial figures.
- Find out the charity’s mission. It should have quantifiable goals and demonstrate how your donation will help persons living with disabilities.
- Assess the successes a charitable organization has achieved including its financial statistics if they publicly publish their annual reports.
- Identify who benefits from the charity to ensure your donation accomplishes its intended purpose.
You can make a huge difference by contributing to the Venture Foundation. Our goal is to enhance the lives of people with IDD through charitable donations obtained from private foundations, corporations, charities, and people like you that help us reach our objectives. Contact us today to learn how your contributions can enable us to raise funds to assist programs that care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
