Idelio Award 2026

2026 Idelio Valdes Self-Advocate Award

About the Idelio Valdes Award

Idelio Valdes was a self-advocate who had a tremendous impact on the people around him and the community in which he lived and worked. His life’s journey included many ups and downs, but he always stayed the course to self-realization, commitment to service and a belief that he and others with intellectual and developmental disabilities can be included in the community. His demonstrated advocacy activities, his belief in building partnerships, his initiative in challenging the status quo and his enthusiasm for life and its possibilities endeared him to all who were fortunate enough to know him. This award is dedicated to his memory.

Award timeline:

Call for Nominations – 11/10/2025
Deadline for Submissions – 12/15/2025 at 5 pm EST
Presentation of Award – 2/10/2026

For additional information, contact fddc@fddc.org

2026 Idelio Award Application

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Nominee Name:(Required)

First Last

Nominee Address:(Required)

Street Address City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Nominee Email:(Required)

Nominee Phone Number:(Required)

Person Nominating:(Required)

First Last

Person Nominating Address:(Required)

Street Address City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Person Nominating Email:(Required)

Person Nominating Phone Number:(Required)

Nomination Questions:

Please be as specific as possible when answering the following questions. Please limit your responses to actions that occurred during the past two years.

Is the nominee over 18 years of age?(Required)

Yes

Is the nominee a resident of the State of Florida?(Required)

Yes

Is the nominee an individual with an intellectual/developmental disability*?(Required)

*An individual with an intellectual/developmental disability is defined by Florida Statute Section 393.063, which occurred prior to age 18 and constitutes a substantial handicap that can be reasonably expected to continue indefinitely: Intellectual disabilities (Full Scale IQ of 70 or below), Severe forms of autism, Spina bifida cystica or myelomeningocele, Cerebral palsy, Prader-Willi syndrome, Down syndrome, or Phelan-McDermid syndrome)

Yes

What disability group(s) is the nominee involved in? List the role(s) (officer, committees) they held.(Required)

What other civic/charity groups is the nominee involved with? List the role(s) (officer, committees) they held.(Required)

Where has the nominee acted as an advocate for themself? List the result/impact of their advocacy.(Required)

Where has the nominee acted as an advocate for others? List the result/impact of their advocacy.(Required)

Have their activities resulted in wide scale change? Please describe.(Required)

Please add additional information you feel is unique about the nominee and their enthusiasm in keeping with the spirit of Idelio Valdes.(Required)

(Please limit your responses to a maximum of six pages, including the Nomination Form. )

Additional supporting documents: (Optional)

Examples: samples of work, newspaper articles, copies of certificates or awards.

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: doc, pdf, docx, Max. file size: 25 MB.

2026 Idelio Valdes Self-Advocate Award

2026 Idelio Award Application

Nomination Questions:

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Disclaimer

Helpful Links

2026 Idelio Valdes Self-Advocate Award

2026 Idelio Award Application

Nomination Questions:

Stay Connected

Disclaimer

Helpful Links

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