National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2025

**Alt text:** Blue and gold awareness ribbon forming a flowing loop beside the text “National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month” on a light background.

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM), a time to recognize the leadership, contributions, and everyday lives of people with developmental disabilities. Established in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and now led nationally by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), this year’s theme is We’re Here All Year. 

The message is simple. Inclusion and opportunity should not be limited to one month. People with developmental disabilities live, work, learn, and participate in their communities every day. 

DDAM is about more than awareness. It is about visibility, participation, and systems change. These values reflect the Independent Living philosophy that guides the work of the Indiana Statewide Independent Living Council (INSILC). At its core, Independent Living affirms that people with disabilities must lead decisions that affect their lives. 

For much of history, people with disabilities were segregated into institutions, and services were shaped by the Medical Model, which focused on fixing individuals rather than removing barriers. 

Disability advocates advanced a different approach known as the Social Model of disability. This perspective recognizes that many challenges people face are created by inaccessible environments, policies, and attitudes. Instead of focusing on fixing individuals, the goal is to remove barriers and expand access so that everyone can participate fully in community life. 

The phrase “Nothing About Us Without Us” reflects this shift. It means that policies and programs must include meaningful leadership from people with lived experience. This principle continues to guide Independent Living and disability advocacy nationwide. 

The Independent Living Movement is a civil rights movement led by people with disabilities. It promotes self-determination, consumer control, equal access, and community integration. 

In the early 1960s, disability rights activist Ed Roberts helped spark the movement while attending the University of California, Berkeley. Roberts had contracted polio as a teenager and used a wheelchair and respirator. When he applied to UC Berkeley in 1962, administrators initially questioned whether someone with his level of disability could attend college. Roberts insisted on his right to pursue higher education and ultimately enrolled. Because campus housing was inaccessible, he lived in the university hospital while completing his degree. 

While at Berkeley, Roberts and other disabled students formed a group called the Rolling Quads. Together they advocated for accessible housing, transportation, and disability-controlled services. Their organizing laid the groundwork for a new approach to disability services led by people with disabilities themselves. 

In 1972, Roberts and fellow activists helped establish the first Center for Independent Living in Berkeley, California. The center was operated by people with disabilities and provided peer support, advocacy, housing assistance, and attendant referrals. This model spread nationwide and transformed how services were delivered, placing people with disabilities at the center of decision-making about their own lives. 

Disability activism throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond led to major civil rights protections that support community living and equal opportunity, including: 

  • 1973 Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) – The first federal civil rights protection for people with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in federally funded programs. 
  • 1978 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act – Established funding and federal recognition for Centers for Independent Living. 
  • 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – Expanded civil rights protections in employment, transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunications. 
  • Olmstead v. L.C. (1999) – A Supreme Court decision affirming the right of people with disabilities to receive services in the most integrated community setting possible. 

Today, more than 400 Centers for Independent Living operate across the United States. These centers work alongside Statewide Independent Living Councils like INSILC to advance community-based solutions, strengthen systems change, and ensure that people with disabilities are represented in statewide planning. 

The We’re Here All Year campaign highlights everyday community life. People with developmental disabilities are working, learning, raising families, volunteering, and contributing to their communities every day. 

You can participate in Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by visiting the NACDD DDAM page, sharing the campaign theme, supporting your local Center for Independent Living, or engaging in disability policy and public meetings. 

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is a reminder that inclusion requires action. At INSILC, we remain committed to strengthening Independent Living in Indiana.