The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities has a history of trying to make a difference, to shape the future, rather than simply be shaped by it. The documents in this section chronicle planning and reform efforts over three decades.

Section 1.1 State Plans presents the State Plans required by Federal Law for the 22 year period 1975 to 1997. The bulk of these plans simply document the status of services and the activities of State agencies. The State Plan also describes where funds for developmental disabilities services were allocated at a particular point in time.

Section 1.2 The Big Picture contains a series of documents intended to change the way policymakers see issues facing people with developmental disabilities and the ways that the system can respond to them. These documents are about paradigm shifts and major systemwide changes in public policy.

Section 1.3 and Section 1.4 The Policy Analysis Series relates to the Welsch Consent Decree and to Minnesota's State Hospitals. These documents were developed over a decade, but particularly in the first half of the 1980s. They address the major issues of deinstitutionalization and the future of Minnesota’s State Hospitals.

Sections 1.5 to Section 1.11 Documents that address reform in specific areas — the Minnesota Academies for the Deaf and the Blind, technology, case management, family support, employment, training and staff development, and public information. Many of these documents were part of successful efforts to change policy and practice in Minnesota; other documents had nationwide impact.