Lessons Learned Over Four Decades of Fighting for Disability Rights

What does it take to build a care-driven movement out of $362 and a conviction that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) deserve better in life?

In this episode of the CareThreads Podcast, Robert Stack, President and CEO of Community Options, Inc., sits down with Kevin Mallot, SVP and Managing Director, Human Services, Netsmart to share the story behind an organization that started as an idea and now supports thousands of individuals across 12 states. Stack traces his path from opening some of the first group homes in New York to founding Community Options in 1989, offering candid stories about the shift away from institutional care and toward community-based living, employment and family support.

He also digs into the workforce challenges facing direct support professionals, the four factors that keep them motivated beyond a paycheck and how technologies such as AI are starting to ease the documentation burden so caregivers can spend more time with the people they support. Our conversation closes with Stack's reflections on his USA Today bestseller "Silent No Longer" and why he believes a country is judged by how well it cares for its most vulnerable citizens.

To learn more about Community Options, the largest national nonprofit organization focused exclusively on supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, visit their website here.