“Everyone benefits when we welcome people with disabilities as equals in our neighborhoods, at work and at social events ... we must learn to look past the differences we all have, and focus on the humanity that we share,” Bagnola said.
Clark DD will participate in and host several events in March, including:
- Ohio Developmental Disability Awareness & Advocacy Day: Wednesday, March 1 at the Ohio Statehouse. Self-advocates, family members and friends will meet with legislators to tell them personal stories and educate them on the issues most important to the DD community.
- Clark DD Rockin’ Ball: Friday, March 3 from 7 to 10 p.m. for ages 18 and up. It will features live music, dancing and food for a celebration of inclusion for the whole community. Everyone is invited. Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/RockinBall.
- Banners featuring local individuals in Springfield, New Carlisle and Enon for the month.
- Local governments will make proclamations acknowledging DD Awareness Month.
- Clark DD will donate books about the important of kindness, “Wolves Aren’t Welcome” by Cheryl Benner to all the second grade classes in Clark County schools.
- Clark DD’s social media pages will be filled with stories about individuals served and their accomplishments.
Clark DD is also sharing a few ways for communities to be more inclusive by:
- Watching movies such as “The Peanut Butter Falcon” or “The Fundamentals of Caring” or reading books such as “If At Birth You Don’t Succeed: My adventures with disaster and destiny” or “Criptionary: Disability Humor and Satire.”
- Volunteer for local groups that serve people with disabilities such as the Special Olympics.
- Use “People First Language” (PFL), which puts the person before the disability and describes what a person has and not who a person is. PFL uses phrases such as “person with a disability”, “individuals with disability”, and “children with disabilities” instead of phrases that identify people based on their disability such as “the disabled.”
- Parents and grandparents can teach their (grand)children that everyone is a little different but make it clear that just because they’re different doesn’t mean that person is bad, and show them how to talk about those differences in a respectful manner.
For more information, visit clarkdd.org or the Developmental Disabilities of Clark County Facebook page.
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