OUR COMMUNITY

Community Feature

The greater Eau Claire community is the heart and soul of our foundation. To highlight and promote the outstanding work of our nonprofit partners in our community, we feature significant progress and notable events in our community on a rotating basis. To read past community features, visit our archives.

March 2025: Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month: "We're Here All Year"

A quotation from the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) that reads, “March is 31 days. But having a disability? 24/7, 365.”

March is recognized each year as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) and its partners. Pablo Foundation is excited to join NACDD’s year-round disabilities awareness campaign that reminds everyone that “We’re Here All Year.“ The “We’re Here All Year” campaign emphasizes “emphasizing that community, accessibility, and opportunities for people with developmental disabilities should be recognized and championed every day—not just in March” (NACDD).

The “We’re Here All Year” campaign aims to highlight the presence and positive impact of people with developmental disabilities in their communities. People with developmental disabilities are our loved ones, coworkers, and neighbors⏤even the person making this infographic⏤and our Eau Claire community is stronger because they are in it.

The term “developmental disabilities” covers a broad range of conditions that are usually present at birth, according to the National Library of Medicine, including: Learning disabilities like ADHD and dyslexia, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Cerebral palsy (CP), Certain physical disabilities, which can include blindness or deafness, and Conditions that affect both physical and mental abilities like Down syndrome.

If you have lived experience with developmental disabilities, Pablo Foundation invites YOU to contribute to NACDD’s community photo gallery with a photo that highlights your unique journey and telling the story behind the photo. “Whether it’s a proud achievement, a moment of joy, or a snapshot of everyday life—every story counts.“

Submissions are being accepted until March 31, 2025, and they’ll appear an online photo gallery later this spring. Learn more and submit your photo at https://forms.office.com/r/FP6KbAV8MS. Happy Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month!

An Instagram post by Munroe Bergdorf that reads, “Advocating for disability rights is recognising that every single person experiencing any disability, at any time, deserves to live a life of equal access, dignity, connection and opportunity. It's understanding the fragility of the human experience, that any one of us, at any given moment could become disabled or become a carer for someone we love. The protection of disability rights should be a primary concern for us ALL because they exist to protect us ALL.” Munroe Bergdorf is an English model and activist.