( March 1, 2013 – Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Advisory Board on Disability Services will be celebrating the start of “Indiana Disability Awareness Month†at the Board’s regular meeting on March 1, 2013 in the Kevin Winternheimer Chambers, Civic Center room 301. The event will begin at 11:00 A.M. with Mayor Winnecke reading a proclamation declaring March as “Disability Awareness Month†in Evansville. This will be the 23rd year since March was selected by The Governor’s Council on People with Disabilities (GCPD). This is month to give special awareness in Indiana about discriminations and inequalities faced by nearly 20% of all Hoosiers.
Evansville Police Chief, Billy Bolin; Sherriff Eric Williams and Evansville Fire Department Representative, Ken Huber: will be making remarks about the 911 Registry. This form is to be filled out by people with disabilities and recorded by the Evansville/Vanderburgh County Dispatch to notify emergency personnel about people with disabilities at addresses where an emergency has occurred. Sherriff Williams and Michelle Kirk, Director of Sycamore Services and Recording Secretary of the Advisory Board, will talk about the “Deaf Driver: cards. The Advisory Board will, also, summarize the Icemen event and have copies of their “Resource Guide†available. The guide has information for people with disabilities and their friends and families to find help for specialized and general needs.
The Advisory Board on Disability Services was created to improve services and relations with City-County government and the disability community. The Advisory Board meets the first Friday of the month at 11:00 a.m. in the Kevin Winternheimer Chambers, Room 301 in the Civic Center Complex. For more information regarding the Advisory Board on Disability Services, contact Don Counts.
The following was taken from the “Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities†web site and refers to “Indiana Disability Awareness Monthâ€:
“Each March, Disability Awareness Month is celebrated throughout Indiana.
And given that adults and children with disabilities represent slightly more than 19 percent of Indiana’s population, disability awareness is important for all of us. Led by the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, the goal of Disability Awareness Month is to increase awareness and promote independence, integration and inclusion of all people with disabilities. The Council develops a unique theme for this annual event and produces campaign materials that are available free of charge to Hoosiers who want to help make a difference.
The 2013 campaign theme is “Community Connections.†The poster artwork features a fully connected, livable community with appropriate housing, supportive and accessible community services, and physical and environmental features that allow everyone to live independently. The text, “Access, engagement and relationships.” reminds us of the vital links that make a connected, livable community. If our communities are to grow and prosper, we must develop “Community Connections†through access, civic engagement and by encouraging neighbors to support one another. This year’s Disability Awareness Month campaign materials are sponsored by Duke Energy.
This is the 23rd year for Disability Awareness Month. Won’t you join thousands of advocates and people with disabilities across the state by conducting community-based activities? Activities include events such as mayoral proclamations; art contests; and awareness campaigns in schools, businesses and government agencies. Please visit our Materials Library to view and/or download materials that can help you plan and conduct an event in your area.
