As part of a month-long campaign to make some noise during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, The Arc posed an open-ended question to our Facebook audience of just over 9,000 people. We asked them what they would like people to be more aware of when it comes to intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

As of this writing, just a few hours after posing the question, several dozen of our friends chimed in, offering their answers, liking and commenting on other answers and sharing, sharing and more sharing. What is interesting is that almost every single answer touched on a unique concern or issue.

A challenge The Arc faces in its role as the national organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is attempting to serve and advocate for a group of individuals who may have one or more of over 100 different diagnoses which fall under the umbrella of I/DD at any stage in their lives. This naturally means that we have to work on issues ranging from early intervention and early childhood education, to transition from school to adult life, to inclusion in the community all the way to the most sensitive end-of-life issues.

One just has to glance at the responses to this question to see the scope of this challenge. Men, women and teens are posting about employment issues, under-diagnosed and under-represented conditions, respectful language, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), the adult service system and what happens after high school, and parents with I/DD raising their children.

But the first step to addressing those challenges is raising awareness. If the responses to our question on Facebook are any indication of the types of conversations that are happening across the country during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, then we are well on our way. If you are interested in joining this small army of advocates to raise awareness of what it takes to promote and protect the rights of people with I/DD to live, learn, work and play as participating members of their communities, check us out on Facebook and Twitter, find out more about the issues on our website and learn how you can support the work of The Arc.

Empower Yourself. Empower Someone Else. #DDAware!