The Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities recently held their annual developmental disability awareness celebration in the state capital building. Governor John Kitzhaber took part in the celebration and read a proclamation designating the observance.

We honor Developmental Disabilities Awareness this month, recognizing the contributions of those who experience developmental disabilities and the families, professionals, and communities that support them. Join the celebration on March 28th at noon with Governor Kitzhaber at the Capitol where the "I have a voice" 2012 poster is unveiled and awards will be given. The "I have a voice" campaign promotes self-advocacy for those with developmental disabilities and honors their involvement in decisions about their futures.

One of Oregon's untapped labor pools consists of skilled, motivated men and women who happen to have disabilities. Department of Human Services, in collaboration with the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS), the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS) and the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) are working together to implement the Employment First initiative.

DHS is always looking for ways to serve you better. Clients are invited to take our customer satisfaction survey to tell us how we're doing and to share ideas about how we could improve. Your feedback is helpful to us because it is an important way we measure our progress toward goals. It also helps us prioritize our efforts to improve our service to you. The online survey is fast and confidential.

The Fourth Annual Oregon Disability MegaConference was held September 29-October 1 in Salem. It brought to our state some of the most advanced thinkers and companies to demonstrate the many ways in which individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, families, providers and others could be maximizing technology for greater independence.

A licensed provider of service for DHS was recently the recipient of a $500,000 gift from a local individual who wanted to honor the legacy of his son. Former timber company owner Mahlon Couch, 89, wanted to give a gift to remember his son, Jim, whose life drastically changed over 40 years ago from a timber accident. "This gift demonstrates the value of Opportunity Foundation's long-standing quality reputation in the community," said Mary Lee Fay, Administrator, DHS Office of Developmental Disabilities. "Because they are such a value-driven organization they will use those funds to positively impact their community."

Emilie Sampson saw a gap in her community and she rallied with others to fix it. When her son was diagnosed with autism, she found there was no formal network of parents in her area to use as a resource for her questions. Working with agencies and community organizations in Jackson county, Emilie developed a program called Families for Community to help create and maintain that support. Today, over 175 families are involved in the program.

For the second year in a row, Oregon Business Magazine presented a major statewide award to a DHS-funded non-profit that serves adults with developmental disabilities. Eugene-based Full Access was again awarded first place in the competition for the top medium-sized nonprofits to work for in Oregon. The organization won this prestigious honor last year. Awards were made to the top 100 small, medium and large organizations.