FYI on DD
March is Developmental Disability (DD) Awareness Month. It's a time for all of us to focus on including people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life.
The National Institute for Health defines DD as a severe, long term disability that can affect cognitive ability, physical functioning, or both. These disabilities appear before age 22 and are likely to be life-long.
It includes intellectual and/or physical disability. Some developmental disabilities may be solely physical, such as spina bifida. Others involve both physical and intellectual disabilities, such as Down syndrome.
But what is also means...People with developmental disabilities are not different from anyone else. They have dreams, abillities, desires, and needs. They have the same rights and should be afforded the same opportunities that all of us have.
So during this awareness month, let's break down barriers that people with disabilities still face in connecting to our communities. And let's celebrate people of all abilities and remember every person has value.
Learn more about practical things you can do to promote inclusion in
our latest staff blog
.
