Advancing the opportunities for individuals with disabilities — and advocating aggressively for those advancements — is a responsibility we take seriously at the Munroe-Meyer Institute.
Beginning in 1987, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed March as a critical time to increase public awareness of the potential of individuals with developmental disabilities by declaring it Disability Awareness Month, stressing the importance of inclusion and our role in living together.
This year, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) have partnered to identify the 2018 theme “See Me for Me!” This year’s campaign reminds us to look beyond someone’s disability and respect and recognize them as a person — not just a person with a disability.
This month, they encourage us to engage in the conversation to encourage a dialogue involving the themes of “See Me As your Classmate” (education), “See Me As Your Coworker” (employment), “See Me As Your Neighbor” (community living), and “See Me As Your Friend” (general).
The real victory, obviously, will be when these dialogues happen organically, as a matter of course. But we can make strides toward that goal by taking part in this Disability Awareness Month initiative. There still is work to do. But we are not working alone.