Each year, during March – Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month – United Rehabilitation Services (URS) focuses on peoples’ abilities and similarities rather than differences, and encourages everyone to welcome people with developmental disabilities into their communities. Many new opportunities are emerging in this spirit throughout the state, including community-based employment options and residential opportunities that more fully integrate people with disabilities. The 2015 theme for DD Awareness Month reflects this spirit — “Can Do, Like You!”
Clients from our Adult Services program had the privilege of being able to attend DD Awareness and Advocacy Day at the Ohio Statehouse on March 3, 2015. This day is for people with disabilities and their families, service providers, and other advocates for Ohio’s developmental disabilities community to gather to raise awareness about issues that are important to them. Event participants also receive updates on pending legislative issues before meeting with legislators to share their viewpoints.
“Once we focus on abilities, we all can be more productive and comfortable with each other,” said Lon Mitchell, executive director of Ohio Public Images (OPI), an information and advocacy organization promoting positive images of people with disabilities, and developer of the annual Awareness theme. “By welcoming people with disabilities as equal partners in the workforce, in schools, and in neighborhoods, we all benefit.”
URS is also celebrating DD Awareness with a Client Art Show all month and is also participating in a carnival on March 14th with the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds from 5 pm – 8 pm. We will end the month with our annual VIP Bowling event with local media personalities on March 31st at Poelking Marian Lanes.
If an effort to create more awareness about people with disabilities, we would like to share with you our “Person First Language Card.” Click here to download this card to share with your friends and colleagues.
