National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month: History, Facts & Insights

This is an in-depth look at all the must-know facts about National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (2024) 🗓️ that no one tells you about. National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is celebrated on March 1st.

Among the information you’ll find below: the history of National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, activities to do on and how to observe this holiday, as well as important facts you might want to know about National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

📅 What day is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2024?

In 2024, National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is on Wednesday, March 1st. It is the 1st Wednesday in March; in 2024, it is Friday. There are until the next observance. You also can learn all the fun details and facts about March 1, 2023, that you might not be aware of.

In the United States, March is recognized as National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. This observance aims to bring attention to various conditions that affect learning, behavior, and physical or intellectual functioning. These conditions include autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and Down syndrome. The main objective of the campaign is to promote inclusivity and encourage the integration of individuals with developmental disabilities into all aspects of community life. Additionally, it seeks to shed light on the ongoing challenges faced by people with disabilities when trying to assimilate into their communities.

📜 National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month History

Dorothy Dix, a social reformer, advocated passionately for the rights of individuals with disabilities. Due to societal norms, she enlisted Samuel Gridley Howe to present her case for rehabilitating people with impairments in Congress. The resolution received approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but President Pierce vetoed it. Romantic artists like Byron, Wordsworth, and Keats, who celebrated the simplicity of living close to nature, also influenced the government to establish asylums in rural areas.

Other reformers and educators, such as Edouard Seguin, believed in the power of sensory and physical training to stimulate the central nervous system, enabling children to accomplish tasks they couldn’t otherwise do. Maria Montessori, while working with children with disabilities and other young individuals, was influenced by Seguin’s methods. Throughout the century, the approach to training and institutions underwent changes, some of which were detrimental. By the end of the century, custodial institutions were constructed, effectively segregating students from the rest of society. In 1987, Ronald Reagan declared March as National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, following the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1970s and 1980s.

✅ National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month Facts

🔖 Feeble-minded’ was a descriptive term
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, individuals who had developmental or intellectual challenges were commonly labeled as “feeble-minded,” “idiots,” or “imbeciles.”

🔖 The cut-off age is 22
Nightingale managed a team of 38 volunteer nurses by herself in a field hospital located in Scutari during the Crimean War.

🔖 Eugenics was used as a counter
In the early 1900s, there was a belief among people that eugenics, which was later met with criticism, had the potential to eliminate diseases by implementing certain measures.

👍 Why Is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month Important

While there is much more positive awareness of impairments today, this has not always been the case. Doctors and educators who were successful in creating more compassionate environments had to give way eventually to more rigorous types of institutionalization. This was just raised around 40 to 50 years ago.

Even if we’re just doing office work, volunteering for a disability organization is a great way to improve our own social and interpersonal skills. It is an excellent method for discovering something new about ourselves as well as another individual with a different lifestyle and talents.

The month serves as a reminder that we are all part of a complex network of cognitive and physical functioning.It is an opportunity to be more sensitive and to remind us of the difficulties we experience in our own lives, regardless of our intelligence or diagnosis.

🙂 How To Observe National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

⚡ Raise funds

⚡ Learn about the rights of people with disabilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities. This important legislation safeguards the rights of disabled individuals and is overseen by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the United States. By familiarizing yourself with the provisions of the ADA, you can potentially assist a colleague or friend who may benefit from this Act’s protections.

⚡ Volunteer for an organization
Many of the organizations in the industry are non-profits that are aiming to collect cash in order to provide better and more services to their members. If you are talented in marketing, networking, or other similar fields, you should try organizing a fundraiser in March.

📅 When is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month?

Explore all 🔗 March holidays, including 🔗 Special Interest and other 🔗 Awareness holidays.

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