National Developmental Disabilities Awareness
Month
This month at Columbia Industries, we celebrated National
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. For those of you who
aren't aware, President Reagan designated March as Developmental
Disabilities Awareness Month in 1987 to bring awareness to the
needs and contributions of people living with disabilities.
It is estimated that 4 million Americans live with a developmental
disability. Developmental disabilities is an umbrella term
that includes blindness, Down Syndrome, ADHD, Muscular Dystrophy
and Intellectual Disabilities, among others. When someone is
labeled with the term, developmental disabilities, it means that
they have a long term condition that affect their everyday living
in some way.
People with developmental disabilities are our co-workers,
friends, neighbors and family. They have the ability to
learn, work and participate in their community, just like everyone
else. People with disabilities go to college, hold jobs, get
married and participate in community activities. At Columbia
Industries, we are proud of the achievements of our clients.
We teach the skills needed to find and hold a job in the
community. While doing this, we get to see our clients take
pride in their work, their activities and their independence.
National Developmental Disabilities Awareness month is an
opportunity to celebrate the contributions of people with
intellectual disabilities. There's still time to:
1. Check out Columbia
Industries on Facebook this month to see some of the great
things our members and clients do.
2. Read up on or listen to one of the many
disabilities writers and speakers who are inspiring others to
overcome challenges of all kinds.
3. Share what you learn with your Facebook
friends.
4. Support businesses that employ people with
disabilities. (For a list of CI partners: http://columbiaindustries.com/ci-staffing/)
5. Be a business that employs people with
disabilities.
6. Use our family of services in your
business.
7. If someone with a disability has inspired you,
tell them so!