October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and this year’s theme is America’s Recovery Powered by Inclusion!#NDEAM

Our community remains resilient, and we continue to witness the many contributions from the workforce we support.  Businesses have faced many setbacks since last year and one of significant magnitude is staff shortages across various sectors.  Our goal remains to strengthen our relationships with local businesses and connect them with the untapped workforce composed of individuals served by NBRC.  We continue to collaborate with our vendors and community partners to promote inclusive hiring practices by our local businesses to help them identify the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.

North Bay Regional Center Employment First Brochure

National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2021

Happy Development Disabilities Awareness Month!

Artwork by artist Eileen Schofield

In 1987, Ronald Reagan issued a public proclamation urging Americans to provide individuals with developmental disabilities “the encouragement and opportunities they need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.”

Each March, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), the Association for University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), the National Disabilities Rights Network (NDRN), and others work together in a campaign that seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life, as well as awareness to the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in the communities in which they live.

This is a great way to help change the way the world defines and views disability in order to:

• Raise awareness and encourage dialogue about what it means to have a disability
• Dispel stereotypes and help others understand disability
• Break down barriers and create opportunities for people with disabilities

NACDD is encouraging the public to share stories, photos, videos, and resources about topics such as education, employment and community living on social media throughout the month of March – using the hashtag #DDawareness2021. The NACDD wants to showcase the work being done to celebrate and improve the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities.

More about the featured artwork for this year’s #DDawareness2021 campaign: Art Enables is a nonprofit organization that helps artists with disabilities create and sell their artwork, such as the artwork pictured above. With only 20% of people with disabilities in the workforce, this program helps contribute to that by providing a studio for people with disabilities to make art, as well as career and vocational training to market and sell their artwork. These artists are able to socialize, express themselves creatively, and earn income to increase their independence and build careers.

Take a look at what the program provides for the IDD community!

https://art-enables.org/about/programs/

Hear some testimonies from artists and staff that work at Art Enables.

https://youtu.be/_vSvWRMzSz4

Meet the artists and check out their artwork!

https://art-enables.org/artists/

What is International Epilepsy Day?

Started in 2015 and organized by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), the day provides a platform for people with epilepsy to share their experiences and stories with a global audience. The day also calls for all people to advocate for appropriate legislation that will guarantee human rights of people with epilepsy and encourages people with epilepsy to live to their fullest potential.

https://www.epilepsy.com/make-difference/public-awareness/international-epilepsy-day

Did you know:

• 65 million people around the world live w/ epilepsy
• 3.4+ million people in the U.S. live w/ epilepsy
• 1 in 26 people in the U.S. will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime
• 4 to 10 out of 1,000 people on earth live w/ active seizures at any one time
• 150,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed in the U.S. each year
• One-third of people w/ epilepsy live w/ uncontrollable seizures because no available treatment works for the
• For 6 out of 10 people w/ epilepsy the cause is unknown
• 4 out of 10 people w/ epilepsy in the industrialized world do not receive appropriate treatment
• 8 out of 10 people w/ epilepsy in developing nations do not receive appropriate treatment

Please find attached flyers on Seizure First Aid in English, Spanish, and Tagalog.

Hello and Happy New Year NBRC Community,

We have scheduled the first of the 2021 Orientations to NBRC in English and Spanish, which are open to current and new clients, their loved ones, and community partners and vendors are always welcome.

We look forward to meeting you and answering any questions you may have as we go through the Eligibility and Intake Process, Early Start (0-3) and Lanterman (3+) Services, Role of the Service Coordinator, Regional Center Services and Providers, Transition Planning, What to Expect from NBRC, and more. You can find the flyer with the Zoom link here in English and Spanish.

See you there!