Women’s History Month & Developmental Disabilities Month – There’s a reason it’s called MARCH!
Get out your sneakers. Grab your picket signs. Sturdy your convictions. It’s time to MARCH! Or is it the month of March? Maybe both?
In a day and age where every day is a celebration of something (I personally like “talk like a pirate day” and “national pizza day”), we stop to pay homage in March to two populations that have long histories of oppression, mistreatment, misrepresentation, and much resilience.
March marks the month that is recognized as both Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and National Women’s History Month. And in this blog – we honor both! Let’s merge the two and pay a little special attention to the amazing women who have led the way, not only in the women’s suffrage movement, but also in the plight for equality for people with developmental disabilities.
At the forefront for the inclusion of people with disabilities was a very special woman, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The relationship between Eunice and the eldest Kennedy sibling, Rosemary, was what started the Special Olympics, and forged the way for a world in which inclusion is possible.
In 1962, Eunice opened up her family home to host a camp for people with intellectual disabilities. They called it Camp Shriver. A hundred volunteers and a hundred people with intellectual disabilities ran races, swam in the pool, and played and competed together in athletic competition. In 1968, the first Special Olympics was held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. This one simple idea had been implanted in her head, “include your sister Rosemary.” And so she did. She proceeded to pave a path of inclusion that said people with disabilities have a place in our homes, in our hearts, and in our communities.
This 5 minute video featured on the Special Olympics page celebrating Women’s History Month is both powerful and enlightening. It is good to remember our history, to take time to remember those who came before, and those who are out there now – getting it done.
https://www.jointherevolution.org/50-game-changers/eunice-and-rosemary
Also highlighted on this website are 50 game changers in women’s developmental disability history. Women like Kayla McKeon who is the first registered lobbyist with Down Syndrome. Jamie Brewer, an actress on shows such as “American Horror Story” and the first person with Down Syndrome to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week. There is also a feature on Rosa’s Law – the Law which changed “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability”. These 5 minute power videos show how lives are being empowered and the world is being changed.
https://www.specialolympics.org/tag/womens-history-month
“In ancient Rome, the gladiators went into the arena, with these words on their lips, ‘Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me brave in the attempt.’ “
Eunice Kennedy Shriver
“Rosemary Kennedy was born in a time when people with intellectual disabilities were hidden away. But a sister’s love showed us what an extraordinary world this can be, when we choose to include.” – Eunice and Rosemary Special Olympics video narrated by Vanessa Williams.
