Disability Book Week, held every year from April 23-29, invites people to become more inclusive with what they read by reading books that feature main characters with disabilities. You can find a recommended book list, literacy resources, and ways to get involved on the Disability Book Week website.

Mary Mecham created Disability Book Week in 2021 as part of her capstone project for Texas Partners in Policymaking. Partners graduates develop capstone projects to cultivate inclusion in their communities across the state. For her project, Mecham expanded understanding and inclusion through the power of reading.

Emergency preparedness refers to the things you do to make sure you’re safe before, during, and after an emergency or natural disaster. Emergency situations, including winter storms and other natural disasters, can happen at any time. During an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. To stay safe and healthy, preparing ahead of time is crucial.

TCDD compiled emergency preparedness resources to help people with disabilities and their families prepare for emergency situations. The resource webpage also includes strategies to advocate for Texans with disabilities to have access to emergency information and preparation that is responsive to their needs.

Additionally, Disability Rights Texas has a Disaster Resilience webpage full of resources, including handouts, presentations, videos, and links to additional information. 

Your advocacy efforts are an essential factor in helping shape public policy. Meeting with legislators in person is the most effective way to get your message across. Letters, phone calls, and emails can also be useful when contacting your legislators — especially if they are made at the right time with a sincere message.

To support your efforts, TCDD developed a Legislative Advocacy Resources webpage that includes information and resources on meeting with legislators and giving public testimony. The webpage also features the animated video, “Voices for Change: Legislative Advocacy in Action.” The video, produced by Paso del Norte Children’s Development Center through a TCDD-funded DD policy fellowship, explains the legislative advocacy process through the story of a father and daughter seeking new legislation to fund accessible and inclusive parks and playgrounds. 

Texas Parent to Parent created an online transition center with resources, videos, and other information to help families and youth with DD with the transition into adulthood. The Pathways to Adulthood Transition Center was developed as part of a TCDD-funded project that also provided training to 800 Texas families to develop personal networks, understand their rights and options with Medicaid waiver services and other support, and help their children plan for the future. 

Everyone deserves dignity and respect. Yet historically, our words have contributed to negative attitudes and misrepresentations about the value of people with disabilities in our society. To end discrimination — at work, at school, and in our communities — it’s important to stop using language that denies a person’s value, identity, individuality, and capability.

With this in mind, TCDD developed A Quick Guide to Disability Language (PDF). When describing disabilities, many people use either People-First Language or Identity-First Language. This guide offers information and tips on using language that promotes dignity and respect for everyone. 

Developed through a TCDD-funded project by the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and Strategic Education Solutions, Self-Advocate Central includes resources and information for people with DD on topics such as participatory action research, peer support, mental health, and sexual assault prevention. Self-Advocate Central also created a series of videos that feature peer-support specialists talking about their experiences with living on their own, accessing reliable transportation, and finding meaningful employment in their communities.