WHEREAS: Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is an opportunity to recognize the importance of inclusive environments with equal access to communication, education, employment, housing, transportation, and public accommodation; and

WHEREAS: The contributions of people with developmental disabilities have been traditionally and systematically undervalued; and

WHEREAS: People with developmental disabilities have many skills, and talents, and Minnesota recognizes the potential of all people, including those with developmental disabilities, to live, learn, work, and thrive; and

WHEREAS: Individuals with developmental disabilities deserve opportunities to make informed decisions about their own lives, including resources, education, and a reliable framework of community members to offer support; and

WHEREAS: Individuals with developmental disabilities can make choices to live in homes and communities where they can exercise their full rights, pursue meaningful and productive lives, have independent relationships, and contribute to their families, communities, state, and nation; and

WHEREAS: It is crucial that individuals with developmental disabilities can live free of abuse, neglect, and violations of their legal and human rights; and

WHEREAS: Our communities should be inclusive spaces that support and achieve full integration in an individualized manner, consistent with the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, and capabilities of everyone; and

WHEREAS: Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month highlights efforts to reduce prejudice and misconceptions in society, increase awareness and understanding throughout our communities, and foster connections that allow individuals and families to share their experiences with others.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, TIM WALZ, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim March 2026 as:

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH
in the State of Minnesota.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Minnesota to be affixed at the State Capitol this 20th day of February.

Ed Roberts was born on January 23, 1939. He died on March 14, 1995. We salute Ed's contributions to the civil rights of people with disabilities by adding two interviews to our website.

In 1993, Ed gave a first-person account of his college days at the University of California, Berkeley, to Lucy Gwin at Mouth Magazine. This interview, entitled "Our Man on the Moon," has been lightly edited and posted at the Council's website section about Ed.

"Whenever we start by believing people can't do it, we set up systems to do it for them. Charities do that. At the University of California, Berkeley, in the beginning, people's attitude was that I would get my PhD and then go live in a nursing home. Society's expectations of us—very low expectations—have tremendous power over us. We were very clear philosophically. We were beginning to talk about disability issues as civil rights issues."

"Our Man on the Moon" >>

Ed also provided a first-person account of how Independent Living was born on the University of California, Berkeley campus and then moved off-campus. That 1993 interview was lightly edited and is entitled, "Independent Living: Born on Campus."

"What would I do differently if we were starting Independent Living today (1993)? First, I would do a lot more training, getting people in touch with the history and philosophy. Today, we are not grounded in our own ideology.

Second, I would build more leadership as we go along. Give people the same basic activist training we got at UC Berkeley [in the anti-war movement, the women's movement, the free speech movement, the civil rights movement] in the Sixties.

Third, the leadership would be around political advocacy and political change, rather than one advocate working to get services for one person. We discovered that over and over. All things change when you get political power. Politics changes lives."

Independent Living: Born on Campus >>

Disclaimer: Please note that we did not update the term "cripple" because that is what Ed was called, and he wanted to repeat the terminology that college officials used to describe him.

Exhibit of educational banners focused on disability rights in Minnesota:

On March 19, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and its Public Outreach Committee, the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the Minnesota Disability Bar Association, and MSS hosted a public outreach effort that debuted a series of 21 educational banners focused on disability rights in Minnesota.

View all Unfinished Journey banners »

View the PDF of all Unfinished Journey Banners »