EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a series of outreach columns from the Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

By Leigh Anne Wenning

You may have seen our activities this month celebrating March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. At the Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD), we strive to remind our community that we are all better when we include everyone.

This month we celebrated with a variety of activities, including a trips to our local libraries to participate in themed activities and to share our mission. We also played a game of cards with the Champaign County Young Professionals organization. We also made our annual trip to the Ohio Statehouse to share our stories and thoughts with our representatives. Before going to the statehouse, we made custom awareness ribbons that say “All means All”, “All means All” was the theme of Advocacy Day at the Statehouse. We were able to hand these ribbons out locally and proudly wear them at the event.

National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month began in 1987 with a proclamation from President Reagan to bring awareness and acceptance for people of all abilities. One of our goals at CCBDD is to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all aspects of community life.

Developmental disabilities are defined as lifelong disabilities with an onset before the age of 22, resulting in functional limitations. That’s the definition of developmental disability, but the people we serve are so much more than a disability or a diagnosis.

The people we serve have rich, complex lives just like everyone else. They have dreams like living on their own, having a job they love, or owning a pet they have always wanted. And generally, they want the same things that everyone else wants. They want to be treated like valued members of the community. They want to be involved. Or they just want their neighbors to say hello. They want to be seen as an individual and not their disability.

March is almost over, but this can be a reminder for every day of the year. Including everyone makes our communities better.

If you’d like to know more about what the Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities does or be involved, please go to our website at www.champaigncbdd.org. Also make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If you’d like to know more about working in the DD field, please call our office at 937-653-5217 and ask for Kirby Keller.

Leigh Anne Wenning is the superintendent of Champaign County Board of DD.

Leigh Anne Wenning is the superintendent of Champaign County Board of DD.