People With Developmental Disabilities, Advocates and More to Rally and ROAR During Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day on April 17 at the Oklahoma Capitol

OKLAHOMA CITY -- People with developmental disabilities, their family members and advocates will gather on the south steps at the State Capitol beginning at 10 a.m., Thursday, April 17 in an effort to heighten awareness about people with developmental disabilities during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day.

Don’t expect a tame crowd during the rally because this year’s theme is based on Katy Perry’s song, “Roar.” Wanda Felty, a parent of a child with developmental disabilities and longtime advocate, said “Roar” goes hand-in-hand with her philosophy that “One voice is but a whisper, but many become a roar!”

“We are encouraging self-advocates, family members and those who support people with developmental disabilities to band together for the cause, and Katy Perry’s song ‘Roar’ fits our advocacy,” Felty said. “We are encouraging people to first call and then invite their legislators to attend and we will also ask them to speak at our rally. We will also feature a surprise event designed to capture the public’s attention about our cause.”

Felty coordinates the Developmental Disabilities Services Waiting List meetings and website content. The waiting list contains the names of the nearly 7,000 Oklahomans who are  seeking services from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS). Some of the individuals have been waiting as long as eight years.

DDS provided 9,128 individuals with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities with either state-funded or Medicaid-financed services to live and work in their communities during 2013. Additional funding is needed to serve individuals on the waiting list.  Last year, Governor Mary Fallin and the state Legislature approved $1 million to help address the waiting list.

DHS Director Ed Lake will make opening remarks followed by various members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, including House Speaker Jeff Hickman, Scott Inman, Jason Nelson, and Earl Sears, as well as Oklahoma Senators Gary Stanislawski, Bill Brown and Connie Johnson. DDS Director JoAnne Goin and other state dignitaries will also make remarks.

T-shirts featuring a roaring lion and the rally’s theme are available for purchase until April 8 at http://villagescreenprint.com/dda_2014. An accessible entrance is located on the southeast corner of the capitol building.

For more information about Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day or Developmental Disabilities Services, contact kevan.goffparker@okdhs.org or call (405) 301-6676.

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