You learn about what they have accomplished and the issues that are important to them. Their stories teach you that everyone’s journey is different and deserves respect.
We can learn a lot from people with disabilities. Oftentimes, they are more open and accepting of others because they can relate to discrimination — specifically being looked down upon, undervalued, and underestimated. Companies such as Ford and Microsoft have recognized the value of people with disabilities and deliberately recruit them. Here in Montgomery County, during the COVID-19 lockdown, 168 essential workers with developmental disabilities helped keep our infrastructure operating, working in grocery stores, nursing homes, restaurants, and hospitals. If you’ve never worked with a person with a disability and don’t have that experience, you may not understand their value to society. They bring different perspectives and ideas, different skills and abilities. They also bring greater compassion and tolerance of others as well.
Besides developmental disabilities that are intellectual, such as autism, which I was diagnosed with at the age of 11, people also face disabilities such as mobility challenges, low vision or vision loss, hearing loss or deafness, and challenges with speaking, just to name a few. Regardless of their disability, their lives matter just as much as everybody else’s.
When Ohio Governor Mike DeWine took office on January 14, 2019, he signed an Executive Order establishing Ohio as a Disability Inclusion State. In this, he talks about the importance of building a culture of inclusion statewide. He values people with disabilities and what they offer society. He recognizes that they want the same things as everyone else — jobs, their own living spaces, hobbies, and relationships. As a man with a developmental disability, I can relate to the importance and value of his actions, because I’ve been looked down upon for seeing the world in a different light.
I really didn’t know what I could give the world as a person with autism, mainly because I didn’t know who I was, and I didn’t have a good grasp of what the world was truly like. Over time, I had to figure things out. I had to learn how to read people and interact with others on a daily basis. I also had to identify my strengths, work on my weaknesses, and set goals, boundaries and standards for myself and for others. Doing these things helps build your confidence and helps you understand your worth.
I set a goal of attending college, and graduated from Wright State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. After college, I became the first person with a developmental disability to work for a county board in professional communications role. And I’ve held my job as a Communications Assistant with the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services for two years now.
What we can do to better understand and support folks with disabilities is to provide them with the accommodations they need to be successful, teach them about finances, give them opportunities to work, and support their efforts to make connections with people in the community. By doing this, we help little kids with dreams become adults with a vision.
James Moon is a Communications Assistant for the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services and a 2020 graduate of Wright State University, as well as a 2018 graduate of Sinclair Community College. He enjoys sports, music, art and going to the gym, and can often be found at Dayton Dragons games and other sporting events in the Miami Valley.
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