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Washington County proclaims March 2025 Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Summary
The Washington County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing March 2025 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and heard family testimony on county developmental disabilities services.
The Washington County Board of Commissioners unanimously proclaimed March 2025 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month during its March 4 meeting and heard family testimony on the local developmental disabilities program.
The proclamation recognizes the county's Developmental Disabilities Division and calls on "citizens, government agencies, public and private institutions, businesses" to support people with developmental disabilities. "Developmental disabilities in Washington County touches 1 in every 10," a member of the county's advisory council said while reading the proclamation.
In a presentation before the proclamation, Health and Human Services Director Mira Samantha and Developmental Disabilities program manager Kirsten Oster described the division as the third-largest community developmental disabilities program in Oregon and urged sustained community support. Tess Reinert, a services coordinator, read remarks from a parent, April Bijack, saying the county caseworkers helped her son transition from high school to adulthood by connecting the family to vocational rehabilitation, Social Security enrollment, and transportation resources. "I cannot express the importance of these case workers and how this program helps families like mine in so many ways," Reinert read from Bijack's remarks.
Commissioners moved and seconded the proclamation and the vote carried 4-0. Chair Harrington invited staff, family members and commissioners to join staff in a photograph after the vote.
Why it matters: County developmental disabilities caseworkers support transitions to employment, transportation and independent living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; the proclamation signals the county's ongoing recognition of that work ahead of county budget deliberations.
The board's action was procedural: the proclamation was adopted on a motion and second and carries no direct budgetary authority. The county will continue scheduled public budget committee meetings in mid- to late March and an April orientation where the division's staffing and funding needs will be considered.
