Opening Personal Statement:
This year will mark the third year I’m writing about National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Concerning and writing about this specific awareness since 2021, I have always included my personal experiences, and individual progress in the opening and closing statements, as I will do the same this year. Not much has progressed in my opinion with social acceptance, inclusion, accessibility, opportunities, with any disability, especially hidden/invisible disabilities (developmental). Various disability non-profit organizations, advocates, famous disability influencers, government officials, etc., come forward often with either talking or writing about people with disabilities, inclusion, accessibility, but it takes so long to get anything approved and more importantly, correctly changed to accomplish successful improvements.
As far as social acceptance, there will always be those certain types of people that are so high on their own instep, that they will never accept people with any kind of a disability. Why? Because they are uneducated concerning disabilities and the needs of the disability community. Generally, most people will not take the time out to become educated or at least familiar about various disabilities until unfortunately it will affect them personally with either themselves, having a child, grandchild, sibling, or a close friend that becomes disabled. In my case, my extended family to this day do not understand my challenges nor do they want to take the time out to become aware and understand my various day to day issues. They know me as just being very quiet, shy, and I don’t interact much. They also have said several times, that I look “Normal,” so I guess in their eyes there is nothing wrong with me, or I’m just unsociable. For the past several years, I have come to the harsh reality that I am the disappointment and annoyance in the family as well as the cousin and niece who is an inconvenience. Some family members have said to me and my parents that I just need to practice my math skills to learn money/currency, pay attention more, and I need to become more sociable.
For those of you that are new to reading my blog, I have a developmental disability from being born to extreme prematurity (11-weeks premature). I have several developmental disabilities that include, a processing disorder, learning disability, dyscalculia, and recently because of my corrective spinal fusion for Scoliosis, I am on the onset of Adjacent Segment Disease. I also suffer from depression, anxiety, and PTSD (also categorized as hidden/invisible disabilities). Not to pull the intent of the article away from discussing National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, I would like to redirect the article topic to focusing on what a developmental disability is, the history, and important facts.
What is a Developmental Disability:
· This specific class of a disability can include impairments in learning and behavior, such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and impairments in physical and/or intellectual functioning such as learning, processing, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and Down syndrome.
About The National Awareness:
· During the month of March, this specific campaign seeks to raise awareness about to include people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life. Additionally, it also creates awareness of the difficulties that people with disabilities still face in acceptance with fitting into the communities in which they live, as well as in the workforce.
History and Facts on Developmental Disabilities:
Before the 19th century, people with developmental disabilities were treated violently and lived in poor, unhygienic environments. Many were “passed on in life,” a practice of carting off people to be dropped off in other towns. More awareness about developmental disabilities spread in this century both in England and in the United States.
Back in the 1960s, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I.D.D.) were regarded as ‘mentally disabled,’ and often transferred to the back rooms of family homes or underfunded state-run institutions open to various neglect and abuse.
In the early 1960s, President Kennedy leveraged his family’s personal experience with his sister Rosemary’s disability and used the power of the Presidency to bring attention to the needs of people experiencing life with an intellectual and developmental disability (I.D.D.). He organized a Presidential Panel focused on the exclusion from education, employment, and community participation suffered by people with I.D.D.
The D.D. Act of 1984 set up much of the system we all experience today. The emphasis on goals for services for people with developmental disabilities is “to achieve their maximum through increased independence, productivity, and integration into the community.” State Developmental Disabilities Councils were implemented in all states and territories. These were intended to provide additional training to individuals, families, and service delivery systems. They were to develop a statewide strategic plan for services over the next five years to build on community needs.
In 1987, President Reagan proclaimed March as National Developmental Disability Awareness Month to focus awareness on the potential of citizens with I.D.D. to work, contribute, and enjoy typical lives.
The landmark year was in 1990, as President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The act was amended again to move from the goals of independence, integration, and productivity toward interdependence, inclusion, and recognition of individual contributions. Training opportunities were expanded to include professionals, paraprofessionals, family members, and individuals with developmental disabilities and advocate for innovative public policy and community acceptance.
Personal Closing Statement:
I have always stated in my previous articles and blogs that having a developmental disability as well as other disabilities is something that you “OWN for LIFE.” Having a disability should never let you feel that it is a “Life Sentence” of failure, or an obstacle for any career or social opportunities. The most important thing about having a disability is…gaining the courage to never let anyone beat you down and never accept negative comments from others saying… "NO YOU CAN’T DO THAT", because of your disability. Embracing your disability should be your first step, followed by finding ways you can do something that you like or even love, and work hard to do well enough to earn an income or additional income. If I can do it, so can you!
There were so many people that had negative comments when I was offered my job with Moceans Center for Independent Living, because of my disability. The truth is, it does take me a very long time to research topic information, and writing about the topics. My DSP (Direct Support Professional) & job coach help me immensely with making sure I stay on task, often provides redirection, explains certain things that I do not understand, ensures I reach my deadlines, and submit my work on time. Additionally, I rely heavily on various software e.g. spell check, speech to text, read aloud, and online grammar checks to write professionally and clearly. I find these various software tools very useful in my personal DM’s and text messages when communicating with friends on social media, LinkedIn, and on dating apps. As far as my landscape and nature photography work, several Ocean County Libraries feature my work for sometimes two months consecutively. I often participate in arts and crafts shows to sell my canvases, metal prints, acrylic photo blocks, and photo greeting cards. There are three Ocean County specialty stores that sell my photo note greeting cards. Am I earning a lot of money doing photography or as a part-time blogger? No, I am not, but I am contributing to society, the economy, trying my best to prove my value, and a purpose in life to make a difference. Currently, I am planning on organizing fundraisers using my original photography work to raise money for cancer and to non-profit organizations that help premature babies with families that are in need.
Because of my disabilities, I will never be able to work a full-time job. But, as the old saying goes…” Slow and Steady Wins the Race.” To me…winning the race means recognition in the workplace, contributions on making a difference within and out of the disability community, inclusion, and accessibility improvements for ALL!
As I have stated in previous blogs, “unfortunately, having a disability shows no discrimination and has no rules of race, gender, age, rich, poor, or if you are handsome or pretty. It is up to the individual to accept what they have, move forward, and help yourself because no one can do it for you…except help you with the services you need to succeed. It is also up to the individual to use the learning tools you were previously taught to have those skills work for you to make you successful.” As I have also previously stated in past articles, if you have a learning disability, “don’t worry about how long it takes you to learn to do something, or how you need to learn, how many times someone needs to explain something to you, or what type of a device you need to do your job and fulfil your job responsibilities.” For myself, I still need to learn by repetition, one on one personal training and assistance, YouTube videos, and I take various adult night school courses when time permits me to.
I also wanted to add that “All of Us Have Something” and that something can be a disability, or just a very rough and tough personality to work with, socialize, and to coexist with others. I personally call that “the unknown disability” …meaning never being diagnosed or diagnosed correctly. Lastly, I would like to say that people with disabilities should be paid equally as others who are not disabled given their experience in a specific field and education requirements. If you have time, please read my blog dated 1/29/2024 “Wage Disparities and the Disabled” as well as, other articles about disabilities, important awarenesses, health & wellness, and some fun and easy recipes that anyone can follow (including ME). Thank you so much for reading this article and your consideration to read other blogs I have written.
Source of Information: Personal Experiences and Various Google Searches
Until Next Week, Stay Safe and Well!
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