Georgia’s Children’s Freedom Initiative (CFI) was created in 2005. CFI works to end all forms of institutionalization for children and youth with disabilities. Given the negative impact on the child’s overall development as well as heightened risk of abuse and neglect, to include death, ensuring access to appropriate community-based services is a high priority. Decades of research show that children and young adults with disabilities residing in facility settings experience increased delays in cognitive, social / emotional, and physical development due to isolation experienced when segregated from family and peers without disabilities.
The CFI continues to educate families and professionals about Home and Community-Based Services that support children with disabilities to remain in a loving, permanent home even when their home of origin is no longer an option. The CFI also continues to advocate for children to transition from facilities into loving, permanent homes in the community with the appropriate support available so children and youth with disabilities can pursue relationships, educational opportunities, and employment options that are of interest to them.
The CFI is supported by the Georgia Developmental Disability Network: Georgia Advocacy Office, Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, Georgia State University’s Center for Leadership in Disability, University of Georgia’s Institute on Human Development and Disability, and Georgia’s Statewide Independent Living Centers.
