The City of Valparaiso highlights March as Disability Awareness Month. The Mayor's Advisory Human Relations Council has organized resources, events, and speakers conveniently located throughout the city to promote awareness and inclusion. “Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy charged the Advisory Human Relations Council with taking a closer look at disability awareness and inclusion in 2022,” said Maggie Clifton, community engagement director for the City of Valparaiso.
The City began by engaging the community. In October 2022, Mayor Murphy, called together representatives from the city and local families. “We were fortunate to hear from a variety of people with different backgrounds and perspectives,” said Clifton. “The concept was really driven by Ben Polhemus with Kyle's Legacy. The City was pleased to help bring his idea to life.”
To advance disability awareness, the City of Valparaiso is partnering with others throughout the community, including the Porter County Library System, the Valpo Chamber, Valparaiso University and Ivy Tech to host speakers and activities where others can learn more about the strengths and challenges of disabilities. Events range from a book club at the library to hearing Jason Benetti, a nationally recognized sports play-by-play announcer for Fox and the Chicago White Sox. In a free event open to the public, Benetti will speak on “not judging a book by its cover" and overcoming adversity.
“This work has been really eye-opening,” Clifton said. “Every person we've talked to has their own perspective and story to share.” In addition to increasing awareness during the month of March, the City of Valparaiso hopes to create allies throughout the community all year long. “We’ve created an ally toolkit,” Clifton said. Full of everyday ways to support and promote awareness, the toolkit is one way to enhance Northwest Indiana (NWI). “Our goal with the toolkit is to share ways to better understand disabilities and learn ways to support others. The toolkit includes a list of sources and was reviewed by the teams at Opportunity Enterprises and the VU Access and Accommodations Office,” said Clifton.
“One in four people in our community has a disability. They are our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers. We want to help people to be more comfortable and more educated when approaching those with disabilities,” Clifton said. “People want to be better allies. They just need to know how.”
To learn more about the City of Valparaiso’s Disability Awareness Month events, visit the website here.
