Providing information, education, and training to build knowledge, develop skills, and change attitudes that will lead to increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion (IPSII) for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Council-Sponsored Grant Activities:

2023 – 2024 Ambassadors for Respect

Ambassadors for Respect (A4R) program mid-year update

Purpose: to strengthen self-advocacy in Minnesota and bullying prevention efforts in schools.

PeaceMaker Minnesota's CHOICE, Inc Partner Program in Maple Grove hit the ground running in September and worked hard contacting schools. The Ambassador Coaches there (Robin, Mikayla and Andie) have already delivered four trainings, with four more scheduled in November. Their team has been working hard and their survey results indicate high levels of understanding in the classrooms they have trained.

Ambassadors from Focus Beyond Transition Program (St. Paul) and CHOICE, Inc (Maple Grove) came together at the PeaceMaker Minnesota office to participate in the creation of an Ambassadors for Respect video. Ambassadors showed their certificates and checks that they receive upon training fourth grade classrooms in bullying prevention.

Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect

Volunteer filmographer Josiah McClelland sets up Ambassadors with microphones as he prepares the set for the Ambassadors for Respect interviews. Ambassadors and their coaches spent the afternoon sharing about their experiences with the A4R program and training fourth graders about bullying prevention.

Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect
Ambassadors for Respect

The A4R team from the Focus House Transition Program in Willmar, Minnesota, were "credentialed" as Ambassadors for Respect. They have been preparing and practicing for their first bullying prevention trainings of the year, and are ready to teach skills to local fourth graders.

Ambassadors for Respect

Grant Activities Archive »

©2025 The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities
Administration Building   50 Sherburne Avenue   Room G10
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
Phone: 651-296-4018   Toll-free number: 877-348-0505   MN Relay Service: 800-627-3529 OR 711
Email: admin.dd.info@state.mn.us    View Privacy Policy    An Equal Opportunity Employer 

The GCDD is funded under the provisions of P.L. 106-402. The federal law also provides funding to the Minnesota Disability Law Center, the state Protection and Advocacy System, and to the Institute on Community Integration, the state University Center for Excellence. The Minnesota network of programs works to increase the IPSII of people with developmental disabilities and families into community life.

This project was supported, in part by grant number 2401MNSCDD, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

This website is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,152,808.00 funded by ACL/HHS and $222,000.00 funded by non-federal-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.