Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families

Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals
with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families

Panoramic collage of five different photos each featuring a different scene: On the left, a group of 2 elderly men and a woman with disabilities in a kitchen setting sitting around a table engaged in food preparation. The white woman is on the left of the picture, she is a power wheelchair user, has brown hair, and a red shirt. To the right of the woman is a white elderly man, he is wearing a black and white checkered shirt, he has white hair, and glasses. To that man’s right is another elderly man with a burgundy and dark blue stripped shirt brown hair that is balding, and glasses. There are cooking tools and ingredients visible on the table. This picture fades into the second picture which is another kitchen scene showing two women working together at a stove the younger woman is an individual with an intellectual disability, she has a black hair, a blue shirt, and glasses. She is standing with a taller African American woman who is wearing a white shirt, black vest, glasses, and a white headwrap. This photos blends into the center photo which is the New Jersey State flag a gold flag with wavy fabric and the State coat of arms in the center. This image of the New Jersey State flag blends in the next photo which is a mother and daughter standing hand in hand outdoors in a grassy area with tall plants and buildings in the background. The mother has blonde hair and is wearing jeans, a white shirt with multicolor designs, and a black jacket. The daughter is an individual with an intellectual disability, has brown hair , and is wearing a white shirt with blue and black designs. This photo blends into the last photo on the far right, which is of three people outside take a selfie in front of a tall building. The group is one woman and two men. The woman has blonde hair and is wearing a red shirt, the man in the center is an individual with an intellectual disability and is wearing a white shirt. The man to the right is wearing a green shirt, has a full brown bear, glasses and a baseball hat.

Welcome to the website of the New Jersey Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families. Our team is eager to support you. The top priority for Lisa and her team is to create trusting, collaborative and mission driven relationships with families, providers, agencies, and all other stakeholders. We will work together to identify where the issues or cracks lie and develop good working partnerships to accomplish what matters most for the people of New Jersey.

We also aim to provide you and your family with the information to help you get the supports you need and deserve. New Jersey's system of care has several departments and can seem overwhelming. This list of resources serves as an inclusive guide for accurate information and was assembled with care by our staff.

Each resource page is organized by topic and age range. Visit the homepage slider and our social media platforms to learn about important news, events, and current topics of interest to the disability community. We update the list of resources when our office is made aware of any changes or a new community partner.

In partnership,
Lisa Montalbano