March is Developmental Disabilities (DD) Awareness Month, a time to highlight and honor how people with and without disabilities come together to form strong communities. This year, TCDD was proud to join the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) and disability advocates across the country to recognize our neighbors, friends, and family members with DD. The 2025 theme, We're Here All Year, emphasizes that community, accessibility, and opportunities for people with DD should be championed throughout the year, not just in March. Although the month is over, we encourage you to continue raising awareness year-round.
Get Involved
Throughout March, TCDD connected with Texas communities, highlighted advocacy opportunities, and provided updates from the Texas legislative session. The month is coming to an end, but there are still many ways to get involved in disability advocacy! Here are a few resources to get started.
TCDD Listens: What do Texans with disabilities need? We are gathering input from people with DD, their family members, and disability professionals to develop our next strategic plan. Your input is important! There are many ways to participate, including online discussions, a survey, email communications, and more. Learn more about how to participate on the TCDD website.
Office Hours at the Capitol: Our policy team is hosting in-person meetings at the Capitol every other Wednesday throughout the legislative session. During these 30-minute meetings, TCDD staff can help you with your advocacy goals for the session. Sign up online today.
Legislative Advocacy: With the Texas legislative session now past its halfway point, TCDD has tools and tips to help disability advocates speak on public policy issues that impact the disability community.
Self-Advocate Central: 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.
Supported Decision-Making: In 2015, Texas became the first state to put supported decision-making into law. This alternative to legal guardianship supports people to make their own decisions while receiving any help they need to do so. You can learn more about supported decision-making and find additional resources and videos from Disability Rights Texas.
Connecting with Texas Communities
Texas communities are stronger when everyone has the access and opportunity to reach their goals. Throughout March, TCDD Disability Community Coordinators, in partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, connected with communities throughout the state in honor of DD Awareness Month. Our team was thrilled to see participation from all corners of Texas. DD awareness proclamations were updated and shared from many Texas communities, including:
- Lancaster
- Edinburg
- Brownsville
- Tyler
- Longview
- Marshall
- Harrison County
- Gregg County
- Katy
- Pearland
- Euless
- Dallas
- College Station
Above: Disability advocates and community leaders gather to recognize DD Awareness Month in Harrison County and Euless, Texas.
These Texas leaders were not alone in their recognition of people with DD. In an official proclamation of March as DD Awareness Month (PDF), Gov. Greg Abbott stated, “People with developmental disabilities share the same hopes and goals as their neighbors: to be self-reliant, to find meaningful work, and to practice their faith. The Lone Star State is proud of the many individuals with developmental disabilities and their families who shed light on the disability experience through their work and lives.”
Here All Year
DD Awareness Month has come to an end, but we celebrate Texans with DD year-round. Are you ready to take your disability advocacy to the next level this year? We invite you to join us in our mission to create change so that all people with disabilities are fully included in their communities and exercise control over their own lives.
