Governor Stein Proclaims Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

2026

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, Public Law 99-483, enacted by Congress in 1987, designates the month of March as National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month; and

Whereas, North Carolina is home to more than 200,000 people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities throughout all 100 counties of our state; and

Whereas, it is the responsibility of all North Carolinians to recognize and acknowledge that societal barriers and attitudes can keep people from realizing their full potential at school, work, and home and in their chosen communities; and

Whereas, all North Carolinians can contribute to improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities by becoming advocates and supporters of increased independence, leadership, and inclusion; and

Whereas, supporting people with developmental disabilities to live and work independently and productively within our societal and economic structures can strengthen our state in all areas, including public and private sectors; and

Whereas, to fulfill the promise of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and North Carolina’s Executive Order No. 92 –  Employment First for North Carolinians with Disabilities – we reaffirm our commitment to full community participation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by expanding opportunities and equal access to fair wages, fully integrated competitive employment, education, housing, health care, and civic engagement; and

Whereas, the State of North Carolina commends the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, other state agencies, businesses, organizations, and individuals throughout our state working to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families through advocacy, capacity building, and systems change;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim March 2026 as “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all residents.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-fifth day of February in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-sixth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.