COLUMBIA, S.C. — As we start a new year, there is a renewed call for awareness of some of our neighbors with developmental disabilities. The month of January recognizes these individuals.
According to Able SC, a local non-profit, one in three South Carolinians have a disability. Also, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 3% of babies in the U.S. are born with a developmental disability.
DHEC data shows that from 2017 to 2021, over 170 babies in the South Carolina Midlands were born with developmental disabilities.
But people living in the community who this applies to want us to know a few things.
"Having a disability is, while it's an important part of my being and who I am, it's one part of who I am. It doesn't completely define me," said Bauer Westeren, a community work incentives coordinator and a person living with spina bifida.
To take this a step further, these people want other South Carolinians to know they are proud to be exactly as they are.
"Disability is a word to be proud of. It isn't a word that we need to erase in our culture," said Dori Tempio, the community outreach director at Able SC. "Oftentimes, it's seen as something ugly or something to feel sorry about. And so what I want people to know is that all of us can accomplish anything we set our minds to as long as we have the right supports, the right accommodations, and the opportunity."
Westeren was born with spina bifida and Tempio with a non-progressive neuro-muscular disorder that impacts her hands and legs. Yet, that hasn't stopped them from reaching their full potential in childhood and adulthood.
"My parents did not see that there was not anything I was not capable of doing," Tempio said. "It might mean that we had to use assisted technology or different accommodations or support. So, if I had to wash the dishes, my dad built a platform where I could do that. If I needed accessible tools to make my bed, I made my bed."
There are many resources available to help such as Able SC, Family Connection, the South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council, DHEC's Children and Youth with Special Needs Program, and Babynet, where occupational therapists work with people with autism and sensory orders for example.
"(They) can help them adapt to be able to handle bright lights or loud noises," said Brannon Traxler, the DHEC director of public health.
Everyone in South Carolina can do their part to be informed and know about available resources and data.
Able SC is hosting an advocacy day event on April 12 for those who would like to learn more about this topic.