President Ronald Reagan in 1987, declared March as National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and since then we have celebrated the abundant contributions citizens with disabilities bring to the community. 2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Presidential Proclamation that designated March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. This movement was created to call on Americans to encourage and give opportunities were necessary for those in society with developmental disabilities to attend greater heights in life.   

The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) are proud to present Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2017 with a social media campaign launching the side-by-side DD Awareness Month.

• For the entire month of March follow #DDAwareness17 on Twitter and Facebook
• As your Facebook cover image,.upload an orange, blue or black and white Side-by-Side graphic theme.
• Use ##DDAwareness17 to share pictures, videos, and stories on social media that reflect people with and without developmental disabilities living, learning, and earning side-by-side in the community.

More than 6 million Americans and nearly 10,000 residents of the District of Columbia have developmental disabilities. Our goal for this month is to create awareness about developmental disabilities, tell stories of people who live with a disability and show their lives.  Below, we have provided resources to help plan activities and for you to share across social media.