Salem County recognizes March 2026 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

The Salem County Board of County Commissioners recognized March 2026 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month during a meeting in which a commissioner presented a brief history of the observance and introduced Victoria Depas of the Department of Health and Human Services, identified in the remarks as executive director of the Office of Aging and Disability Services.

The commissioner said the observance dates to 1987 and noted it was established during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. "Each year, they pick a theme," the commissioner said, adding that this year's campaign is "we're here, then, now, and always," a theme the speaker said highlights acceptance and continued community participation by people with developmental disabilities.

The remarks included context figures presented as estimates: the commissioner said roughly 2 percent of people in the United States have a developmental disability and that there are "over 30,000 professionals" who support them. Those numbers were offered as approximate context for the observance during the presentation and were attributed to the commissioner.

The speaker said they would not read the full proclamation aloud and instead summarized its purpose before saying, "So with this proclamation, the county board of county commissioners recognizes March 2026 as the Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month." The transcript does not record a formal roll-call vote on the proclamation.

After the proclamation, commissioners exchanged brief acknowledgements. One commissioner used the opportunity to announce two community events: a $100-per-person event at the USANA Shooting Range in Elmer with limited spots, and a paper-shredding event on Saturday, March 21 at 12 p.m. at J and K's Pure Shredding in New Smyrna (participants may bring two boxes).

No formal motions or vote tallies appear in the transcript for this item. The board's presentation emphasized awareness, inclusion and community supports for people with developmental disabilities and introduced local health department representation as context for the proclamation.