Each March, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month focuses on increasing awareness of those with developmental disabilities and celebrating their potential.

A developmental disability is a condition that is usually discovered before adulthood when a child is delayed or fails to accomplish a milestone.
The disability may impair several areas of development such as physical, learning, language, or behavior.

At Flatrock, our residents all have one or more developmental disabilities, and our staff works with them using tools and programs to help them reach their highest potential.

Our staff members know very well the deep joy they, and our residents, feel when a goal has been achieved! Whether the goal is to walk unassisted, feed themselves, budget their money or display self-control when anxious, we celebrate our residents' triumphs.

It is important that we spread awareness to others so they may better understand those with developmental disabilities. There are many books written by people with disabilities that share first-hand experiences. Here are some suggestions:

• Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century by Alice Wong
• Look Me In the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s by John Elder Robinson
• How Can I Talk If My Lips Don’t Move: Inside My Autistic Mind by Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay
• The Year My Son and I Were Born: A Story of Down Syndrome, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery by Kathryn Lynard Soper