March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (NDDAM). Here at Search, we are excited to celebrate NDDAM 2021 with our profile series NeurodiVOICED, which is a platform to share stories, artwork, experiences, and celebrate the things that make those who are neurodiverse unique.
We’ll be culminating our DDAM activities with a Virtual Showcase Thursday, March 25 from 7-8pm on Facebook. The show will feature artwork by our very own Visibility Arts participants, and will be great opportunity for those who tune in to learn about the artists and to purchase their artwork.
What is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month?
Since 1987, the month of March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. This campaign focuses on the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life and to the barriers that people with disabilities still face in communities. Developmental disabilities include disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, muscular dystrophy, learning or intellectual disabilities or Down syndrome.
During Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Spread the Word occurs on the first Wednesday: March 3. This year’s theme is connection, which is at the very root of inclusion. This is important for individuals to feel seen, heard and valued in their communities.
There are many ways to get involved, including starting with spreading the word and awareness campaign with friends and family. By simply sharing the message, we can get a lot more people involved in this important campaign.
Here are a few others ways you can get involved:
- Take the pledge on March 3rd and commit to spreading inclusion in your community.
- Challenge those around you to make their pledges, get involved and take action.
- Continue supporting those in the I/DD community, i.e. by sharing their talents, supporting their work and sharing their stories.
- Be an advocate for years to come!
We encourage our community to come together and celebrate this important awareness month. Follow along on our social media channels for more information and celebration this month.
