March was first declared Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in 1987. Explore this blog post to learn more and for links to external resources.
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is organized every March by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) and others. The month-long awareness campaign works to raise awareness about the need for greater inclusion while also addressing the barriers that people with disabilities continue to face in the communities in which they live, work, and learn. NACDD has designed this year's theme as "Beyond the Conversation." Some of the topics being highlighted as a part of this year's campaign include: innovations in employment, intersectionality, financial stability, entrepreneurship, and sexuality training.
Below is a TED Talk by Temple Grandin. In this talk, she makes the case that the world needs people who think differently. This is a great video to watch and share with others as a part of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
March is a great time to learn more about the importance of self-advocacy and self-determination. QSAC has put together a few resources that may be of interest to people with developmental disabilities, families, educators, and others:
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD) has a workbook on disability disclosure for youth with disabilities. Click here to access The 411 on Disability Disclosure.
Visit Self-Advocacy Online to learn more about a variety of self-advocacy skills. The website provides informational videos and materials.
For families help to support their child's involvement in the IEP and transition planning process, the Zarrow Institute on Transition at the University of Oklahoma offers a free learning resource that helps promote self-determination skills.
If you are interested in learning more about employment supports for people with developmental disabilities, Disability Rights North Dakota has developed a short and accessible video discussing vocational rehabilitation services. If you live in New York State, you can apply for and learn more about vocational rehabilitation services available through ACCES-VR by visiting their website.
For parents and educators, here's a link to an article and teaching materials on "The Fight for Disability Rights" from Scholastic. The article and related materials are written at an accessible reading level and may be of interest to various audiences.