Governor Eric Holcomb, together with the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, has proclaimed the month of March as Disability Awareness Month.
Disability Awareness Month aims to bring attention to the positive impact people with disabilities make in our communities and promotes a message of inclusion and acceptance for everyone in our communities. The 2017 campaign theme emphasizes that people with disabilities want to be treated just like anyone else.
“Too often, people with disabilities are called inspirational for simply living their daily lives, like going to work, playing sports, or taking care of their yard.” said Christine Dalhberg, executive director of the Governor’s Council. “People with disabilities don’t want to be objectified, like when the undefeated high school wrestler lets a competitor with Down Syndrome win or when classmates elect two students with severe Autism as Homecoming King and Queen. They don’t want to be the subject of someone’s college application essay or featured in an inspirational Facebook meme. They are people with complex lives, hopes and dreams, and want to be treated just like anyone else.”
For more than two decades, the Governor’s Council has spearheaded Disability Awareness Month through a unique statewide grassroots campaign that includes creating theme-specific educational materials, distributed free of charge. The Council asks all people to participate in the side-by-side social media campaign by using the hashtags #SideBySide and #NotYourInspiration.
To learn more about Disability Awareness Month, visit www.indianadisabilityawareness.org. For more information about the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, go to www.in.gov/gpcpd.