Developmental Services, Department of

Agency Website

Statutory Authority

Connecticut General Statutes, Sec. 17a-210

Agency History 

1959, Public Act 59-148

New Office of Mental Retardation established within the State Health Department; takes over administrative responsibilities of the Mansfield Training School and Hospital and Southbury Training School. The following Regional Centers were established under the Office of Mental Retardation : 

Bridgeport Regional Center

10/1/1965

Central Connecticut Regional Center (Meriden)

1967

Danbury Regional Center

1967

John N. Dempsey Regional Center (Putnam)

11/9/1964

Lower Fairfield County Regional Center

1965

Hartford Regional Center

1965

New Haven Regional Center

1961

North Central Regional Center (Bloomfield)

1967

Northwest Regional Center (Torrington)

1965

Seaside Regional Center (Waterford)

1961

Waterbury Regional Center

1967

 

1975, Public Act 75-638

New Department of Mental Retardation established; administers the Training Schools, all other regional centers, and state operated community and residential facilities for the diagnosis, care and training of mentally-challenged individuals

2007, October 1, Public Act 07-73

Name changed to Department of Developmental Services

Published Histories/Articles

Who We Are, Where We Are, Where We Are Going. (Office of Mental Retardation). [Hartford, Conn.] : Mental Retardation Planning Project, 1967.

            [CSL Call Number ConnDoc H342men who]

Archived Department of Developmental Services website as harvested by the Connecticut State Library, Connecticut Digital Archives.

Agency Documents

Check the State Library catalog for availability of publications by the agency:

Connecticut. Office of Mental Retardation.
Connecticut. Dept. of Mental Retardation.

Also, check under the names of individual facilities.

Annual Reports are located in:

1971-1974 [CSL Call Number ConnDoc H342men req]
1975-1983, 1998 [CSL Call Number ConnDoc M75 rep] also [CSL Call Number ConnDoc M75 plan]

Digest of Administrative Reports to the Governor [CSL Call Number ConnDoc F40 d]
2002-, online version

State Archives Record Group: RG 170

List of Commissioners

Name

Years of Service

Gareth D. Thorne

1975-1984

Brian R. Lensink

1985-1989

Toni Richardson

1990-1994

Linda Goldfarb (Acting)

1995

Peter H. O’Meara

1996-2011
Terrence W. Macy 2011-present

Links: 
http://www.ct.gov/dds/site/default.asp