March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
This month, we celebrate not only the welcome arrival of spring, but also Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM). This is a special time of year, as it gives us space to reflect on how far we’ve come. Indeed, we as a society have made tremendous strides over the last two hundred years in ensuring individuals with developmental disabilities are treated with love, compassion, and equality. Today, the more than six million Americans who live with developmental disabilities have access to specialized care, resources, employment opportunities, and recreational pursuits that just a century ago were far beyond reach.
Developmental Disabilities Throughout Recent History
Before the 19th century, those with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down syndrome, and other impairments were treated terribly. Cast off from society, individuals with developmental disabilities were frequently abandoned to the streets or locked away in filthy, poorly staffed facilities. Dorothea Dix was a famous social reformer who advocated for an end to these terrible conditions in the mid-1800s. Others, such as Dr. Edouard Seguin, Maria Montessori, and Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe were among those who developed “training schools,” where they employed a variety of teaching and training methods to improve the motor, sensory, social, and academic skills of those with disabilities. The ultimate goal was to allow individuals with individuals to participate more fully in their communities.
Unintended Developments
While the focus on education was a welcome change, it actually led to a marked increase in the practice of institutionalization, as more and more families opted to send their loved ones with developmental disabilities to these facilities. As enrollment increased and the 19th century came to a close, the commitment to education was largely abandoned, and the facilities ultimately became custodial institutions. There was less and less focus on community interaction as patients became seen as “inmates.” The goals to assimilate or reassimilate individuals back into their communities were cast aside. To offset the cost of custodial care, the institutions began using the so-called inmates as sources of free labor.
The Arc is Born
Institutional overcrowding and individual exploitation continued well into the 20th century and conditions continued to worsen. The Great Depression and WWII only exacerbated the problems even further. Finally, in the middle of the 20th century, parents of children with disabilities began to form their own support and advocacy groups. They began to organize and demand services for their children, and because of the economic boom following the war, there were ample resources to begin making positive changes. It was in 1953 that the organization now known as The Arc of the United States was established. The years that followed marked dramatic changes for individuals with developmental disabilities and their loved ones as The Arc and other organizations like it (including SCARC!) propelled the developmental disabilities rights movement forward.
From funding research on disabilities to developing resources and educational materials to advocating for a wide variety of life-changing legislation, the Arc and its local chapters have been instrumental in creating the resources, supports, and opportunities available to individuals with developmental disabilities today. Just a few of these recent milestones include the establishment of March as National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in 1987, the enactment of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, and the signing of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in 2014.
How to Recognize DDAM
While there is still much to be done, this month, we celebrate the progress that we’ve made. To commemorate this important month now and throughout the year, there are several things you can do:
- Go Orange: the official color of DDAM, orange is a fun, bright spring hue that you can wear to show your support!
- Share Your Story: Do you have a personal connection to someone with developmental disability? This is a great time of year to share your story on social media. No special story to share? You can still raise awareness online by sharing facts, resources, and other information about developmental disabilities.
- Attend an Event: Around the country and right here in New Jersey, events are taking place to raise funds and aware
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
This month, we celebrate not only the welcome arrival of spring, but also Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM). This is a special time of year, as it gives us space to reflect on how far we’ve come. Indeed, we as a society have made tremendous strides over the last two hundred years in ensuring individuals with developmental disabilities are treated with love, compassion, and equality. Today, the more than six million Americans who live with developmental disabilities have access to specialized care, resources, employment opportunities, and recreational pursuits that just a century ago were far beyond reach.
Developmental Disabilities Throughout Recent History
Before the 19th century, those with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down syndrome, and other impairments were treated terribly. Cast off from society, individuals with developmental disabilities were frequently abandoned to the streets or locked away in filthy, poorly staffed facilities. Dorothea Dix was a famous social reformer who advocated for an end to these terrible conditions in the mid-1800s. Others, such as Dr. Edouard Seguin, Maria Montessori, and Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe were among those who developed “training schools,” where they employed a variety of teaching and training methods to improve the motor, sensory, social, and academic skills of those with disabilities. The ultimate goal was to allow individuals with individuals to participate more fully in their communities.
Unintended Developments
While the focus on education was a welcome change, it actually led to a marked increase in the practice of institutionalization, as more and more families opted to send their loved ones with developmental disabilities to these facilities. As enrollment increased and the 19th century came to a close, the commitment to education was largely abandoned, and the facilities ultimately became custodial institutions. There was less and less focus on community interaction as patients became seen as “inmates.” The goals to assimilate or reassimilate individuals back into their communities were cast aside. To offset the cost of custodial care, the institutions began using the so-called inmates as sources of free labor.
The Arc is Born
Institutional overcrowding and individual exploitation continued well into the 20th century and conditions continued to worsen. The Great Depression and WWII only exacerbated the problems even further. Finally, in the middle of the 20th century, parents of children with disabilities began to form their own support and advocacy groups. They began to organize and demand services for their children, and because of the economic boom following the war, there were ample resources to begin making positive changes. It was in 1953 that the organization now known as The Arc of the United States was established. The years that followed marked dramatic changes for individuals with developmental disabilities and their loved ones as The Arc and other organizations like it (including SCARC!) propelled the developmental disabilities rights movement forward.
From funding research on disabilities to developing resources and educational materials to advocating for a wide variety of life-changing legislation, the Arc and its local chapters have been instrumental in creating the resources, supports, and opportunities available to individuals with developmental disabilities today. Just a few of these recent milestones include the establishment of March as National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in 1987, the enactment of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, and the signing of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in 2014.
How to Recognize DDAM
While there is still much to be done, this month, we celebrate the progress that we’ve made. To commemorate this important month now and throughout the year, there are several things you can do:
- Go Orange: the official color of DDAM, orange is a fun, bright spring hue that you can wear to show your support!
- Share Your Story: Do you have a personal connection to someone with developmental disability? This is a great time of year to share your story on social media. No special story to share? You can still raise awareness online by sharing facts, resources, and other information about developmental disabilities.
- Attend an Event: Around the country and right here in New Jersey, events are taking place to raise funds and awareness for organizations that support individuals with developmental disabilities. Get out there and participate!
- Donate: You can also offer your financial support! Donate funds, shop for a cause, or donate groceries to our community food pantry.
- Volunteer: Do you have a special talent or skill? You might consider lending your time to teach individuals with developmental disabilities how to read, knit a blanket, bake bread, catch a fish, tune up a bicycle, and so much more. You can also assist with fundraisers and other events!
We’d love for you to celebrate this special month by getting involved with SCARC! Contact us today to learn more about all the ways you can help us as we work to empower and support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
and given all possible opportunities to enjoy healthy, happy lives.
ness for organizations that support individuals with developmental disabilities. Get out there and participate!
- Donate: You can also offer your financial support! Donate funds, shop for a cause, or donate groceries to our community food pantry.
- Volunteer: Do you have a special talent or skill? You might consider lending your time to teach individuals with developmental disabilities how to read, knit a blanket, bake bread, catch a fish, tune up a bicycle, and so much more. You can also assist with fundraisers and other events!
We’d love for you to celebrate this special month by getting involved with SCARC! Contact us today to learn more about all the ways you can help us as we work to empower and support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
and given all possible opportunities to enjoy healthy, happy lives.
