Accessibility Settings
Language Translation
Governor Mike Braun
  Close Menu

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

We are joining the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) in celebrating A World of Opportunities this March, a campaign that seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

Learn more about NACDD's campaign here!

March 2024 Webinars

Feel free to save and share our MDDAM 2024 Webinar Flyer!

Tuesday, March 5

A World of Opportunities: March Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month Launch

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Join us for an overview of the history of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, the Developmental Disabilities Act, the work we're doing as Indiana's Developmental Disabilities Council, and then a follow-up to our Snack Chats from January and February, during which we'll share what life opportunities people with intellectual and developmental disabilities identified as most important to them.

  • Learn about the purpose of the DD Act and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month;
  • Learn about the work we do as Indiana's DD Council;
  • Gain insight into what life opportunities and experiences matter most to people with ID/DD.

ASL interpreting and live captioning will be provided.

Click here to register.

Speaker: GCPD Staff

Tuesday, March 12*

Community Inclusion and Belonging with Next Level TEAMS

Time: 11:45 AM - 1:45 PM

Led by the Office of the Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity Officer, this training will explore strategies for building more inclusive communities in Indiana. Participants will learn how to use tools like Civility, Constructive Disagreement, and Compassionate Learning to become active champions of diversity and be better prepared to share in conversations on inclusivity and acceptance, equity, and implicit bias. The session will conclude with a discussion on next steps for shifting Indiana's culture toward one of belonging for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD).

ASL interpreting and live captioning will be provided.

Click here to join.

Speaker: Anthony Phillips II

*The programs on March 12 will take place during the Council's quarterly meeting.

Anthony Phillips II

Office of the Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity Officer

He/Him/His

Anthony Phillips II received his Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University in 2011, majoring in English and minoring in African American Studies. Prior to joining Chief Officer Herring’s team as Deputy Chief and Executive Director of External Equity, Anthony worked for KIPP Indy as the Director of Data & Instruction. He was a facilitating member of the KIPP Indy Equity Working Group, leading small group discussions designed to uncover unconscious bias and center the role of KIPP Indy in combatting systemic inequities and discrimination for the sake of its students, most of whom are BIPOC. Anthony also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the same UIndy Evening MBA program from which he received his degree.

Tuesday, March 12*

Disrupting Attitudinal and Structural Barriers: Disability Rights and Etiquette

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

This presentation will challenge participants to rethink what they think they know about disability and will offer insight into the barriers that face people with disabilities. It will address disability beyond the common etiquette training and frame it as a civil rights issue affected by inequitable systems and institutions. Participants will gain deeper insight into the disability experience and be able to identify opportunities for change.

  • Learn challenge and reframe personal knowledge about people with disabilities;
  • Learn to identify common attitudinal (implicit biases) and structural barriers that negatively impact people with disabilities;
  • Learn to identify opportunities and actions that empower and safeguard the agency of people with disabilities.

ASL interpreting and live captioning will be provided.

Click here to join.

Speaker: Amy Sekhar, PhD

*The programs on March 12 will take place during the Council's quarterly meeting.

Amy Sekhar, PhD, CPCC, ACC

Point Blue Coaching and Consulting

She/Her/Hers

Amy Sekhar is a professional coach, consultant, facilitator, and public speaker with the roundtable institute. Prior to shifting to coaching and equity work, Amy spent ten years as faculty in higher education, where she was a passionate advocate for the value of co-creating learning spaces that introduce students to perspectives and lived experiences that challenged their own ways of being, thinking, and acting in the world.

She left her tenured academic position to engage in systems change advocacy, first by engaging in systems advocacy training and community education on issues facing the disability community and then more broadly at one of four regional equity assistance centers developing and facilitating professional learning experiences on educational equity for K-12 public school systems stakeholders. She brings with her experience leading courageous conversations at all levels with people from various lived experiences. Amy is an engaging and thoughtful facilitator and presenter who understands the necessity of balancing the nature of this work with joy and humor. She identifies as disabled and engages in systems change advocacy through the lens of Disability Justice.

Amy earned her Ph.D. from Boston University and is a trained Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) through the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) and has earned her International Coaching Federation (ICF) credential as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC). She is currently in the certification process as a Certified ADHD Life Coach (CALC) through the International ADHD Coach Training Center (iACTcenter).

Tuesday, March 19

An Opportunity for Community: Cross-Disability Solidarity

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

This is an open invitation to all people with disabilities to share in an honest conversation about disability community. The webinar will examine causes of division within the community, highlight personal and historical examples of cross-disability alliances, reflect on principles of the disability justice framework, and end with a discussion on how to foster kinship between disability groups and inspire a collective commitment to challenging ableism, embracing diverse and "dissimilar" disability experiences, and centering the most marginalized and impacted members of the community.

  • Interrogate some of the ways disabled people can mistreat and discriminate against each another;
  • Learn about examples of cross-disability solidarity and the importance of getting to know people whose disability is different from yours;
  • Explore principles of disability justice and consider ways of implementing them in your own life.

ASL interpreting and live captioning will be provided.

Click here to register.

Speakers: Hayden McGough, Courtney Clark

Hayden McGough

Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities

He/Him/His

Hayden serves the Governor's Council for People with Disabilities as its lead on Communications, Public Engagement, and Accessibility, and brings with him a devotion to equity and access. He studied English Literature and Critical Disability Studies at Purdue University and, upon graduating, supported the work of its Disability Resource Center, leading campus community programs that explored Deaf and disability experiences, identity, and history. Additionally, Hayden has managed many creative projects as a Deaf and LGBTQ advocate, was an English Language Arts teacher and tutor for several years, and worked for Indiana's Independent Living network before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hayden has been deaf since he was nine years old, which has shaped his sense of purpose and beliefs about community, care, and justice.

Tuesday, March 26

Moving Forward with Integrity: Developmental Disability in the DEI Framework

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

As Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month comes to an end, we recognize areas in which our advocacy efforts should continue. Engaging both disabled and non-disabled community members is needed to move the needle. This panel of state government partner organizations will build on the discussion to talk about initiatives, like including disability within the DEI framework. The panelists will share their ideas on how their agencies will move forward with integrity and use equitable practices.

ASL interpreting and live captioning will be provided.

Click here to register.

Panelists: Dr. Kory Carey, Zachery Cramer, Nicholas Stellema

Zachery Cramer

Indiana State Personnel Department

He/Him/His

Zach has a background in higher education and human resources and currently serves as the Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity for the Indiana State Personnel Department. While serving in this role for the last two and a half years, he has led efforts to center equity into policies, practices, and daily operations; inclusion into programming, employee engagement, and organizational decisions; and opportunity into the development of professionals, cross-functional trainings, and succession planning. He considers himself to be a catalyst for change and an advocate for historically underrepresented groups.

Dr. Kory Carey

Office of Healthy Opportunity | Indiana Family and Social Services Administration

She/Her/Hers

Dr. Kory Carey serves as Chief Health Equity and ADA Officer and Director of the Office for Healthy Opportunities for Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). In this role she provides leadership and advocacy for policies that advance health equity and that address social determinants of health while ensuring agency adherence to the Americans with Disabilities Act. She began her work with FSSA in February 2021, initially serving as the strategic lead on equity initiatives for the Division of Mental Health and Addiction. She was promoted to Chief Health Equity & ADA Officer in September 2023. Dr. Carey has been licensed as a psychologist and endorsed as a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP) in Indiana since 2013.

Nicholas Stellema

Indiana Department of Corrections

He/Him/His

Nicholas is the ADA Program Coordinator for the Indiana Department of Correction. He ensures that the department facilities are as accessible as possible and makes sure Indiana's incarcerated population receives the accommodations they need.