Liz Lafferty, Superintendent of the Adams County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Broaden your circle
By Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
Let’s talk about awareness. Months, weeks, and days are often set aside to make people aware – to give people knowledge about a culture, a condition, or a problem. And in March, we learn more about individuals with developmental disabilities. Awareness is not about making a group of people exclusive. Quite the opposite – it’s an attempt to educate the public about the importance of inclusiveness and increase the size of your circle.
Superintendent of Adams County Board of DD, Liz Lafferty, explained, “It’s our month to highlight the people we serve and our program successes. We ramp up awareness to the community.”
We’re all different – that’s a fact. For a good reason, some of those differences mean to be celebrated. You may be a fantastic athlete, gifted on the stage, or a child protégé musician, and the world looks at you with awe and admiration. But if you are considered different, and it means you are sitting on the sidelines waiting to be invited into the community – being different isn’t a favorable label. And it’s not okay.
Some folks with developmental disabilities have great support systems and are well-connected in their communities. But it takes further awareness to make that happen for many. Humanity was designed for relationships – Loving our Neighbor 101. Beautiful things naturally occur when we consciously create partnerships with those like and unlike us. We establish inclusivity without exception.
Whether through work, a sporting event, a social outing, a learning environment, or a friendship, we begin to see that while we are all very different humans, we all add value to the community. Get to know someone with a developmental disability and broaden your circle.
