March Activities for Virtual DD Awareness Month
Every year, March is designated as Development Disability Awareness Month, which focuses on people’s diverse abilities and celebrates their contributions to our communities. For those of us at the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities (ACBDD), we do this every day, all year round. But, for the month of March, we take a little extra time to promote who we are and what we do to a wider audience.
This year’s theme is “Healthy you. Healthy me. Healthy community.” We chose this theme because we wanted to highlight the hard work that has been done to keep everyone (individuals with developmental disabilities and the staff that support them) safe during these challenging times.
In the past, our events for celebrating this month have involved large in-person gatherings, like the march on Court Street or the Disability Awareness Fest at the Athens Community Center. Since we cannot do those this year, we have arranged for all-virtual celebrations all month long. See the items listed below for more information about how we are celebrating safely this year.
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Virtual March on Court Street
Our friends and colleagues helped us create a virtual march on Court Street video. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped us keep this tradition going in a safe way.
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Athens County and City declares March 2021 DD Awareness Month
On Feb. 23rd, the Athens County Commissioners officially declared March 2021 DD Awareness Month for the county. Athens Mayor Steve Patterson will do the same on March 3rd at 3 p.m. A few of our friends will be joining the Mayor during his press conference, so be sure to tune in. The Mayor’s press conference can be viewed on the Government Channel or live streamed on the City’s Facebook page.
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Virtual Lunch & Learn
Each Tuesday in March at noon, the Advocacy Ambassadors (part of the ACBDD’s Office of Integrate Athens) will share a presentation or lead a discussion on different topics related to advocacy, rights and inclusion. Join us! The Zoom link, which is here, will be the same every week.
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The Athens NEWS ACBDD Special Edition publishes on March 17th
The A-NEWS ACBDD Special Edition, now in its 11th year, will be published on March 17th. This is an excellent way for us to educate the community about the various DD services and providers available in the county. Be sure to pick up a copy on this day to learn about the ACBDD, our community partners, and about the work being done to keep people healthy and safe during the pandemic.
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Virtual Lecture Series with Noah Trembly
Noah Trembly of Noah Trembly Enterprises will provide two virtual presentations, both at 6:30 p.m. Lecture One, on March 10th, will be about inclusion. Lecture Two, on March 24th, will be about barriers he personally has faced. He is hopeful the lectures will inspire others to get involved with inclusion efforts in their own communities. The Zoom link, which is here, will be the same for both lectures.
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To stay up-to-date on all the Virtual DD Awareness Month activities, email Autumn Brown at abrown@athenscbdd.org or follow the ACBDD on Facebook at www.facebook.com/athenscbdd.