March DD Awareness: Celebrating Community, Creating Opportunity

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed March “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.” With the deinstitutionalization movement of the 70s and early 80s, the proclamation called upon Americans to provide the “encouragement and opportunities” necessary for people with developmental disabilities to reach the­ir potential. Today, approximately 4.6 million Americans live with developmental disabilities nationwide. Much has changed since then, but much remains to be done.

At Trinity, we strive to create opportunities for citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to experience a full life in the community and reach their highest potential. During March, we will share via social media and other online platforms, information to help raise your awareness about developmental disabilities and the programs offered by Trinity Services. We will celebrate the achievements of people with I/DD, as well as encourage dialogue on the key issues surrounding this topic.

Key points of interest and awareness opportunities:

• Spread the Word to End the Word (R-word) Campaign. This is a national campaign to eradicate the use of the word retard(ed) as it hurtful to those living with I/DD. Take the pledge: www.r-word.org.
• March 21: Down Syndrome International invites everyone across the world to wear LOTS OF SOCKS to raise awareness on World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD). We want to get people talking about WDSD on March 21, and we can do this if we all wear socks...BUT NOT JUST ANY SOCKS...brightly colored socks, mismatched socks,  long socks, printed socks, 1 sock...maybe even 3 socks for 3 chromosomes (representing trisomy which causes Down syndrome). Help us celebrate differences and bring awareness to the need for inclusion.
• Support the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF) initiative to increase the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) for adults with developmental disabilities. PNA is the amount of income residents with Medicaid coverage for Intermediate Care Facility for persons with Developmental Disabilities (ICFDD) and Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) are allowed to keep for their personal use. Illinois has maintained a PNA of $30 per month for residents of ICFDD since 1987 and $50 per month for CILA residents since 1994. With such little personal spending money, residents’ purchasing power and ability to add to the local economy is very limited. A trip to a local restaurant or store, a night at the movies, a stop for ice cream—those stipends don’t go very far. Even more disturbing is the fact that, for the past 10 years the Social Security Administration has provided a cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) on SSI benefits, but none of that additional money has been passed on to PNA. Instead, the annual COLAs become revenue for the state at the expense of the quality of life for individuals residing in the community. Learn more at www.iarf.org.
• Join the Care Campaign: A statewide initiative to provide a living wage for direct support professionals (DSPs) who provide vital care for people with I/DD in a community setting. Many DSPs do not earn enough income to support their own families, yet they provide the day-to-day support needed in order for people with I/DD to live a full life in the community. Since wages are state regulated, the Care Campaign asks that you contact your legislators and let them know that you support a fair wage for DSPs. You can also sign the online petition at www.CareCampaignHQ.com.

Join the national conversation via social media:

Use official hashtags: #DDaware #IDDaware #TrinityServices #DDawareness

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