Governor Roy Cooper has appointed State Senator Mujtaba A. Mohammed (D-Mecklenburg) to the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD).The senator will serve his first term on the Council working collaboratively across the State to assure that people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families participate in the design of and have access to needed community services, individualized supports and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity and inclusion in all areas of community life.
“I have always been proud to be familiar with the work and renowned national reputation of the Council for its advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities. I am pleased to hear about the progress the Council is already making to promote less restrictive alternatives to guardianship and respecting the rights of individuals in guardianship and those facing guardianship,” Sen. Mohammed says.
“As a member of the North Carolina Senate, I represent the citizens of North Carolina and I am committed to raising awareness and support for individuals with developmental disabilities at the state level.”
In addition to his duties as a state senator, Mohammed is a trial attorney in the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office. “I provide holistic legal representation to indigent clients throughout the criminal court settings. In addition, I strive to connect underprivileged clients and their families to community-based services,” explains Mohammed. “The position often requires me to collaborate with social workers, treatment providers andagencies to achieve positive outcomes for the clients I represent.”
Mohammed holds a Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
He, along with the 39 other Governor-appointed Council members, will work to identify problems facing the community through its five-year planning process and fund innovative projects and initiatives that promote the goals of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) for all North Carolinians.
The Council work is guided by their Five-Year State Plan and focuses on three main goals for the state’s I/DD community:
- Increasing financial security through asset development
- Increasing community living
- Increasing advocacy development
He serves on the Council’s Community Living Committee where he sees work that is needed.
“Due to the lack of appropriate funding at this time to address transportation and housing challenges for individuals with developmental disabilities, the Council should work to develop programming to address social isolation and create natural supports outside of the family,” explains Sen. Mohammed.
Currently living in Charlotte, NC with his wife and their two young sons, Senator Mohammed is on the board of directors for the Council for Children’s Rights, the Larry King Clubhouse Children’s Care Center and Mecklenburg Ministries.