DD Awareness Month 2024
DD Awareness Month 2024

Table of Contents

Every March, TCDD and disability advocates across the country recognize Developmental Disabilities (DD) Awareness Month. For this occasion, we ask all Texans to take a moment to learn a bit more about their friends, neighbors, and coworkers with DD. Unite with us in creating more inclusive communities across our state.

On the national level, TCDD joins the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) and other state DD councils in a monthlong campaign to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with DD in all aspects of community life. Each year, NACDD selects a theme for DD Awareness Month. For 2024, the theme is “A World of Opportunities.”

In Texas, TCDD and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (AgriLife) partner to highlight some of the ways people with and without DD come together to create strong and diverse communities. We also bring attention to the barriers many people with DD continue to face that make it difficult to be meaningfully connected and involved in the places where they live, work, and go to school.

We invite you to join us during DD Awareness Month to help build communities where everyone has opportunities to challenge themselves, succeed, and thrive.

What’s Happening

All month long, we’ll share information and resources on our website and on social media on DD-related topics. We’ll also highlight some of the important work done by our grantees and partners to improve the lives of people with DD across Texas. Stay connected with us throughout the month by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.

Through our partnership with AgriLife, our regional coordinators will share information about DD awareness events happening around the state. They’ll also promote some of their recent initiatives, including DD-inclusive workplace preparation and food handler training; South Texas “platicas” meetings; and inclusive day camps. To find a regional coordinator in your part of Texas and sign up for their email list, go to our Connect With Your Regional Coordinator webpage.

DD Awareness Resources

Use and share these resources during DD Awareness Month and throughout the year. This non-comprehensive list includes TCDD-led initiatives and information from other organizations. If you have created or if you know of other resources that would be good to add to this list, please email us and let us know!  

Advocacy and Training Opportunities 

TCDD and AgriLife will host two online workshops on making summer camps inclusive and accessible for youth with disabilities. Through the free workshops, camp coordinators and others interested in accessible youth camps can learn about inclusion fundamentals, strategies, and best practices.

Dr. Amanda Kloo, the director of inclusive recreation at the National Inclusion Project, will lead the workshops. Kloo is an educator, interventionist, and developmental specialist with decades of experience teaching children of all ages and abilities. She is also a coach and athlete with cerebral palsy who is passionate about inclusive play. If you attend both webinars, you can enter a raffle to win a copy of the new e-book, “Best Practices for Inclusive Camps,” co-authored by Kloo.

To register for one or both of the following workshops, go to bit.ly/CampTraining2024.

An Introduction to Inclusion at Camp: From Intake to Implementation
Monday, March 25
11 AM to Noon Central time (CT)

Take the first steps in creating a welcoming, supportive camp culture of inclusion for all, moving from ideal to action by building understanding and embracing everyday inclusive practices.

Inclusive Camp 101: Foundations and Fundamentals of Inclusive Practice
Monday, April 22
11 AM to Noon CT

Explore practical foundations of inclusive camp practices across diverse needs, discussing program designs, participation considerations, and engagement strategies to meet the physical, social-emotional, intellectual, and wellness needs of every camper. 

Texas Partners in Policymaking is accepting applications for its 2024-25 class. The program, coordinated by TCDD, teaches leadership and advocacy skills to people with DD and their family members. Graduates advocate for policy change; foster partnerships with decision-makers; and gain knowledge and confidence to join boards, councils, task forces, and advisory committees. The program includes virtual training sessions, interactive group activities, capstone advocacy projects, and more. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 22. To learn more and apply, visit the Texas Partners in Policymaking website

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is looking for new members to join the Texas Respite Advisory Committee. This is an advocacy opportunity for anyone interested in respite care and informal caregiving. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. CT on Friday, March 29.

To apply:

  1. Review the Texas Respite Advisory Committee Application for Membership letter (PDF), and verify that you meet the qualifications for at least one category of committee members.
  2. Use the HHSC Advisory Committee Application website to apply to be a committee member.
      

Committee members must regularly take part in committee meetings, which are held about once every three months in Austin or at the call of the presiding officer. Members may also have to take part in subcommittee meetings or other related activities. HHSC prefers that you submit your application electronically, but you may submit the application by email, postal mail, or fax to the following addresses:

Email:
HHS_Appointments@hhs.texas.gov
Subject: TRAC

Postal Mail:
Texas Health and Human Services Commission
701 W. 51st St.
Mail Code 0223
Austin, TX 78751
Attn: ACCO

Fax:
512-206-3984
Attn: TRAC

For more information about the committee, visit the committee website or email Kaiya Washington.

For more information about the application process, email the Advisory Committee Coordination Office.

Websites and Online Resources

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.  

Videos and Webinar Recordings

Imagine Art and Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) created a series of videos that explain important things to know about Medicaid benefits. Video topics include person-centered planning, Medicaid waiver programs, the Office of the Ombudsman, the DRTx intake process, and Medicaid denials and appeals. The videos were created as part of a TCDD-funded project called Channels 4 Self-Advocacy to increase awareness of present-day disability advocacy topics for Texans with DD. 

TCDD’s regional coordinators regularly develop webinars on important disability topics, including multi-part programs on family future planning and inclusive employment. On our website, you can find webinar recordings from these multi-part programs. You can also download webinar handouts and presentation slides. 

In collaboration with partners in the disability community, TCDD developed this video, titled “People With Disabilities Vote: Here’s What Poll Workers Should Know,” to share essential information on topics such as voting accommodations and how poll workers can support voters with disabilities. To spread awareness, we invite you to share this video and other TCDD voting resources with your community and personal network. Together, we can ensure all people with disabilities have their voices heard in our local, state, and federal elections. You can find more voting information on our website. 

The New York Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC), in partnership with the New York State Digital and Media Services Center, produced a documentary in 2023, titled “The Path Forward: Remembering Willowbrook,” that highlights the importance of lessons learned, positive change that resulted, and the legacy of the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. 

The documentary’s release recognizes the 50th anniversary of an investigative exposé produced by Geraldo Rivera about the abuse of residents at Willowbrook, which at that time was the largest institution in the world for people with disabilities. Rivera’s investigation shocked the nation and led to widespread changes in the treatment of people with disabilities living in institutions. The exposé also created a lifelong bond between Rivera and Bernard Carabello, a former Willowbrook resident who later founded the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State.

“The Path Forward: Remembering Willowbrook” is a celebration of inclusion in all aspects of community life. To view the documentary and find more information, visit the New York DDPC website.

TCDD Public Policy Director Scott Daigle created a series of short videos to help you learn how to use the Texas Legislature Online website to track legislation during the session. The videos cover a variety of topics, including how to search and track bills online, provide legislative testimony, and submit comments to Texas House committees. 

Get Involved

While raising DD awareness is a year-round activity, this month provides a special opportunity to highlight stories about people with DD, their families, disability organizations, and service providers. Whether you’re an organization or an individual, your participation is key.

On social media, you can find stories and DD information while sharing your own and connecting with disability advocates across the country. To do so, use these hashtags:

  • #DDAwareness2024
  • #DDAM
  • #DDAM2024
  • #NewOpportunities
      

You can connect online with national, statewide, and local disability organizations to learn more about what they do. Here are a few to get started:

You can also get involved by using TCDD’s library of resources to educate yourself and others on important disability topics, including legislative advocacy tools to help you contact your elected representatives and advocate on public policy issues that matter to you.

TCDD strives to create opportunities for all Texans with disabilities to be fully included in their communities. We’re grateful for the dedication of self-advocates, family members, disability organizations, and communities across our state who share a common mission to support people with DD to make their own decisions and lead their own lives in whatever way they choose. Thank you for joining us this month to raise DD awareness!

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