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Devika Rao
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Governor McCrory Appoints New Members to North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities

Raleigh, NC (April 9, 2015) – Governor Pat McCrory has appointed several new members to the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD). Beginning their terms of service in 2015 are Cheryl Powell, Wilmington, NC; Nessie Pruden Siler, Manteo, NC; and Dr. Joshua Gettinger, Asheville, NC.

Born with cerebral palsy, Cheryl Powell says her family "did not treat me like I was born with a disability." Growing up like everyone else meant she never allowed her disability to stop her. Using her degree in social work from UNC Wilmington, Powell worked for Easter Seals UCP NC/VA as a Community Resource Trainer (CRT) for seven years supporting individuals with disabilities on their jobs.

Considered a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP) and a Qualified Developmental Disabilities Professional (QDDP), Powell serves on several boards including SAIL of Coastal Carolina, First in Families of Southeastern NC Management Team Co-Chair, First in Families NC Management Team Liaison to the Board of Directors, Disability Resource Center, and Cape Fear Disability Commission.

Powell would like to see NCCDD lead the way in making a significant increase in people with disabilities that are employed in careers rather than low paying jobs. "I hope that others will learn from my time on the Council that when you speak up for yourself and others, you become a part of the positive changes and outcomes," Powell says. Powell has been married for nearly three years to her husband Billy. They have a dog, Gaia, who they admit is like their daughter.

Nessie Pruden Siler says she applied for a position on the Council because she feels she has something of worth to contribute to disability policy discussions. "Being a person with a disability, the disability policy choices the state makes affect me and my family every day of the year," Siler adds.

"I have had Cerebral Palsy since birth, as have my sister and my husband. I have found that most of the barriers I have faced as a person with a disability have been social. Access is still very much an afterthought to the largely able- bodied society of which we are a part. And I don't mean just physical access," Siler explains. "The ADA has been law for over two decades, and yet we still don't see very many teachers, lawyers, etc. with disabilities. I want to help increase our profile. If people see more of us, the familiarity factor among the non-disabled will rise. Through my participation on the Council, I would like others to learn that disability is a difference, not a disaster."

Siler holds an Individualized Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Disability Studies from Goddard College in Plainfield, VT. She owns her own business, Writers Best Editing Services, offering her freelance editing expertise. Siler is a member of the NCCDD's Stakeholders Engagement Group and a Transportation Committee member of the NC Emergency Preparedness Initiative for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

She would like to see the Council help the State achieve better outcomes in transportation and employment issues for their constituents. "If we can't get to where we need to be when we need to be there, it hinders whatever other progress we make in other areas," Siler explains.

Joshua Gettinger, MD is a board certified family physician. He received his education and training at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine and the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is now teaching at the MAHEC Family Medicine Residency in Asheville, North Carolina. Prior to joining MAHEC in 2012, Dr. Gettinger spent 33 years practicing full spectrum family medicine in Madisonville, TN. While in Madisonville, Dr. Gettinger and his wife, Barbara Levin, also a family doctor, raised their four children together.

Dr. Gettinger fills a position on the Council representing a family member with a disability. His second child, Becky, has Down's syndrome. She lives independently in Madisonville, works at McDonald's, and is avid about exercise and reading. Dr. Gettinger reflects that he has learned much from watching Becky grow up and deal with life's challenges.

"Thirty-three years of small town medicine have left me with some firm convictions. I can't imagine a more satisfying life than primary care and I believe integrated and holistic care is the best care. We have to do more as a society to look after all our members. America needs to be a healthier place for our kids to grow up; they are all our kids," says Dr. Gettinger. He is currently involved in the effort to make primary care accessible to young adults with special health care needs in Western North Carolina. His sense is that caring for patients with I/DD should be within the scope of practice of primary care physicians.

"We welcome these new Council members with their extensive knowledge of community needs for those with disabilities," said NCCDD chair Ron Reeve. "Their experience will provide valuable guidance as the Council addresses the funding of future initiatives."

Also appointed to the Council by the Governor are:

Mary Edwards, Division of Aging and Adult Services
Jim Swain, DHHS Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Courtney Cantrell, Division of MH/DD/SAS
Karen Armstrong, Public at Large

Based in Raleigh, the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities has 40 members, and 60 percent of the members are people with developmental disabilities or family members of people with disabilities. The Council awards grants for effective and innovative initiatives that promote community inclusion, independence, productivity, self-determination and integration for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Grants are awarded to grass roots advocacy groups, government agencies, disability nonprofits and other community organizations.

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