Vinton County Commissioners Proclaim March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

When Commission President Tim Eberts stepped to the front of the Vinton County Commissioners meeting on March 4 and read the Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month proclamation aloud, the audience included people whose lives the recognition was meant to reflect. Vinton County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Jill Squires and Executive Assistant Tina Spanos made the trip to the commissioners meeting, bringing several VCBDD clients with them.

The proclamation formally recognized March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, continuing a tradition that traces back to 1987, when President Ronald Reagan proclaimed March as National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Each March, hundreds of advocates come to the Ohio Statehouse to advocate on issues important to Ohioans with developmental disabilities, and county-level proclamations across the state have become a parallel civic tradition. Vinton County's March 4 action placed it alongside a wave of similar county declarations statewide during the same period.

The commissioners had extended an invitation to the VCBDD to present and meet with the board, turning what might otherwise have been a routine agenda item into a direct exchange between county government and the agency that serves Vinton County residents with developmental disabilities. The VCBDD aims to empower individuals with developmental disabilities to achieve greater independence and integrate into the community, providing a range of services and support for eligible individuals and their families.

The scene in Vinton County mirrored events playing out in commissioners' chambers across Ohio. In Darke County on March 3, Commission Member Marshall Combs and Samuel Ploch from the Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities stood before an audience at Birchwood Training Center in Greenville to read their own proclamation. Combs opened by stating that the proclamation sought "to commemorate progress toward improving lives of people with developmental disabilities, while also highlighting the challenges that remain in achieving a community that fully includes people with developmental disabilities." He closed with a call for all citizens to join "in spreading awareness of the many contributions offered by people with developmental disabilities in our community."

In Lake County, a week later on March 12, LCBDD Superintendent Elfie Roman and self-advocate Sam Majoros stood alongside Commissioners John Plecnik, Morgan McIntosh, and Morris Beverage III. Majoros addressed the room directly, speaking about his interactions with the County Board and his own life journey and accomplishments. Lake County's Board of Developmental Disabilities organized its outreach around the theme "Kindness Clicks in 2026," inviting the public to share photos using the hashtag #KindnessClicks2026.

The 2026 national theme from the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities is "We're Here: Then, Now, Always," connecting past, present, and future and recognizing progress while reinforcing that community living and inclusion must be protected and funded.

For Vinton County, the VCBDD operates out of McArthur at 31057 Industrial Park Drive and can be reached at (740) 596-5515. The March 4 commissioners meeting marked one of the more visible moments of the year for an agency whose daily work supporting county residents largely happens outside public view.