Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
March is Developmental Disability Awareness Month. Started in 1987, this month is meant to bring awareness to developmental disabilities, including but not limited to Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, some forms of hearing loss, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and Tourette’s syndrome.
The theme for this year’s Developmental Disability Awareness Month is “We’re Here: Then, Now, Always.” This theme is meant to remind people that while developmental disabilities are not always visible, the people who have them have been present throughout history.
We have included links to several resources about Developmental Disability Awareness Month and developmental disabilities as a whole on this page. This March, take some time to learn more about developmental disabilities, and remember that all disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
2026 DD Awareness Month: We’re Here: Then, Now, Always.
Then...
The history of disability rights is sometimes taken for granted. Accommodations like wheelchair accessible ramps or bumps on sidewalks were not always a requirement for public spaces. Linked below are a few videos that discuss the disability rights movement, which brought about much of the accommodations you may observe today.
Learn more about the way the ADA reshaped infrastructure
Learn more about the role disabled students played in the disability rights movement
Now...
Developmental disabilities are defined as disabilities that manifest in people before the age of 22, and stay with them for the rest of their lives. This includes disabilities that are observed before, at, and after birth. Research about developmental disabilities has come a long way, but that does not mean we know everything about them today. Take some time to learn more about developmental disabilities by watching the videos below.
Learn more about intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)
Learn more about invisible/hidden disabilities
Always.
People with developmental disabilities have the same rights to equal access as everyone else. Ensuring that they can engage with the world in a way equal to nondisabled people may sometimes require additional support and accommodations. As future professionals, it is worth considering how your field may accommodate the needs of people with developmental disabilities, and the needs of disabled people as a whole. Consider some of the points brought up in the videos below for specific spaces and how that may apply elsewhere.