The Paulding County Commissioners recently issued a proclamation announcing March 2017 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Shown with the proclamation are, first row, from left; Anna Rickels and Becky LaBounty, self-advocates; second row, Crystal Feeney and Deb Guilford of the Paulding County Board of Dvelopmental Disabilities; and Commissioners Tony Zartman, Mark Holtsberry and Roy Klopfenstein.
On Wednesday, March 1, the Paulding County Commissioners issued a proclamation acknowledging March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in the county.
While all involved acknowledged the importance of recognizing people with developmental disabilities, it has only been in fairly recent years that they have been able to take unprecedented steps in making their own voices known when the need arises to let others know what they want.
“They have a self-advocacy group,” said superintendent Deb Guilford of the Paulding County Board of Developmental Disabilities. “It means being able to speak for themselves in meetings.”
One such advocate is Anna Rickels, who said that this position allows her to “express myself on things that are going on. I tell them what needs to be changed.”
The proclamation was issued by commissioners Mark Holtsberry, Roy Klopfenstein and Tony Zartman, with Rickels and fellow self-advocate Becky LaBounty and board representatives Guilford and Crystal Feeney.
