Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association

Incorporated in 1992, the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association (DDNA) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit nursing specialty organization that is committed to advocacy, education, and support for nurses who provide services to persons with developmental disabilities (DD). DDNA believes that DD nurses are the experts in this specialty area of nursing.

Our goal is to foster the growth of nursing knowledge and expertise about optimal care of persons with DD, thereby improving their care, services, and quality of life.

Our Mission

DDNA serves to educate, empower, and advocate for nurses practicing in the specialty of developmental disability nursing.

Thousands of DD nurses, student nurses, and supporters are united to promote high quality education, national recognition, and certification in this important, highly skilled area of nursing practice. DDNA’s members share a common purpose — to enhance developmental disabilities nursing practice through networking and education — effecting positive change for persons with developmental disabilities locally, nationally, and globally.

DDNA supports this common purpose by:

• Offering continuously updated news relevant to the care of persons with IDD, with numerous references on its website
• Providing high-quality education in the form of conferences and online IDD-specific learning
• Promoting and supporting opportunities for professional networking among members through our regional affiliates and online;
• Providing access to a peer-reviewed scholarly online journal in IDD nursing
• Offering certification in the specialty of IDD nursing to both RNs and LPN/LVNs via experience, examination, and continuing education.

Through its efforts, DDNA offers members the opportunity to network with other DD nurses and explore common issues, helping to identify practical solutions to some of today’s most challenging concerns.

DDNA works tirelessly to advocate for DD nursing at every opportunity, collaborating with other professional organizations relating to the field of DD and representing its members among the greater nursing and healthcare communities.