March marks the launch of a new statewide project called Meet Your Neighbor to introduce people in Alabama to their neighbors with developmental disabilities.

Posted on March 5, 2001 at 9:47 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — March marks the launch of a new statewide project called Meet Your Neighbor to introduce people in Alabama to their neighbors with developmental disabilities. The kickoff of the project, sponsored by the Civitan International Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Alabama Council for Developmental Disabilities, coincides with Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in Alabama.

“The project emphasizes what residents can do to be more inclusive of people with disabilities in their communities,” says Ellen Dossett, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry with the Civitan Center at UAB. “If people are more aware of people with disabilities living in their communities, perhaps they will be more accepting of them and will welcome them to participate in community activities.”

The need for such a project is especially evident in the employment status of people with disabilities. “Although unemployment rates are at an all-time low in Alabama, approximately 75 percent of people with disabilities who are of working age are unemployed,” says Dossett. “They’re not recognized as contributing members of society. They want to work but are seen as disabled and unable.”

The project also will serve to inform residents, as well as people with disabilities and their families, about disability-related activities throughout the state. “It’s important that all Alabamians are aware of the issues facing people with disabilities and how they can bring about positive change,” says Dossett. “Children, too, which is why a key component of project focuses on beginning early to educate children about inclusive attitudes and actions.”

The grass-roots communications effort will include informational pieces in English and Spanish. “We want to target those populations which have traditionally been under-represented, including rural, black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American communities,” says Dossett. “It’s truly a comprehensive campaign that aims to dramatically change Alabamians’ perceptions and knowledge about developmental disabilities and the people who have them.”

The project also aims to help people feel more at ease around those who have developmental disabilities. “For some, being around someone with a disability is uncomfortable,” says Dossett. “People are most afraid of what they don’t know or what is unfamiliar to them. But if they will get to know their neighbor — get to know someone with a disability — they will overcome that uneasiness. And their communities and workplaces will be better for it.”

For more information about the Meet Your Neighbor project, contact the Civitan Center at (205) 934-2965.