In 1987 President Regan declared March Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. It was the start of encouragement and opportunities for people with disabilities.

Including You is brought to you by the Tuscarawas County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

To bring awareness to Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, we are sharing information from the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL). Let’s break down three common myths and shed some light on the facts:

MYTH: A person’s disability is always visible.
FACT: While some people’s disabilities are observable, many are not. For example, autism, dyslexia, and diabetes are all invisible disabilities.

MYTH: The loss of one sense automatically causes other sense to compensate and become sharper.
FACT: The body’s other senses do not become sharper, but the person with a disability may learn to become more aware of information received through other senses.

MYTH: A disability is an unusual or uncommon occurrence.
FACT: Regardless of race, age, or economic status and as part of the human experience, people with disabilities make up over 18% of the U.S. population!

You can celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by educating yourself and others about developmental disabilities and the accomplishments of people living with those disabilities. For more information, check out the Tuscarawas Board of Developmental Disabilities.