OMRDD celebrates disABILITIES Awareness Month with March Exhibit

ALBANY, NY (02/27/2008)(readMedia)-- The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities will celebrate Disability Awareness Month in March with a month-long exhibit chronicling the history of disabilities in New York State, and celebrating the achievements of individuals with developmental disabilities.

“Stories of Success: A Celebration of disABILITIES Awareness Month,” will run throughout March in the Empire State Plaza’s South Concourse in Albany. It will feature historic exhibits from the Museum of disABILITY History near Buffalo, NY, and profiles of accomplished individuals with developmental disabilities.

“In this, our 30th anniversary year, our goal is to both highlight the accomplishments and abilities of the individuals we support, as well as take a look back at the history of disability care in New York State,” said OMRDD Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter. “As the saying goes, you don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.

“While we’re still working to fully integrate people with developmental disabilities into our communities, we have made great strides in terms of treatment, support and acceptance,” said Commissioner Ritter explaining that a key goal of her administration is to “put people first” by providing person-centered, individualized care for people with developmental disabilities. “Our goal is to help the community at-large see the merits and ability of the whole person – not simply a disability.”

OMRDD will host an exhibit opening on Wed., March 5 from noon till 2 p.m. featuring remarks by Commissioner Ritter, testimonials from individuals with developmental disabilities and music by the band Flame, a group composed entirely of individuals with disabilities.

Exhibits will include “Disabilities through the Ages,” a historical perspective on disabilities; and “Eugenics in America,” an overview of the past practice of “improving” the species through genetics. Several exhibits detailing the accomplishments of individuals with developmental disabilities will also be featured.

For more information, contact Kara Smith, OMRDD Director of Public Information at (518) 474-6601.

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