As March wraps up, we want to remind the citizens of Oklahoma that it is national Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the month as a way to move forward with the deinstitutionalization movement. The month looks to raise awareness for people who suffer from developmental disabilities.
Some of the activities planned nationally include events helping those who are developmentally disabled look for employment or apply for federal benefits. According to The Arc, those who suffer from developmental disabilities have functional limitations and may experience issues with self-care, expressive language, learning, mobility and economic sufficiency.
“The DD definition requires substantial functional limitations in three or more areas of major life activity,” The Arc reported. “The intellectual disability definition requires significant limitations in one area of adaptive behavior.”
People with developmental disabilities may include those with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, developmental delay, autism and autism spectrum disorders, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (or FASD), or those with other significant neurological conditions.
My Family Member Has a Developmental Disability. Can He or She Collect Benefits?
Sadly, it should be noted that some people with developmental or intellectual disabilities are unable to hold employment because of their condition. Because of the lack of work or resources available in many areas, people with developmental disabilities may qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
For more information about applying for SSDI benefits, you can visit our Social Security FAQ page. You can visit our Facebook page, our LinkedIn page and our Twitter page if you have questions about the disability process.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security disability lawyers
Source: http://www.thearc.org/what-we-do/resources/toolkits/dd-awareness
