(Green Meadow School) — Since President Ronald Reagan signed the proclamation in 1987, March has been dedicated to increased awareness and understanding of developmental disabilities.
As part of the Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month observation, Green Meadow School hosted a short webinar featuring a guest speaker from the CNMI Behavior Health Planning Council, certified cognitive behavior specialist Tai D. Doram.
The meeting started with a message from the executive director of the CNMI Council of Development Disabilities who stated that with “over 6 million individuals with developmental disabilities who reside in the U.S. and its territories, we strive to achieve inclusion to accept these individuals with unique strengths into our classrooms, workplaces, houses of worship and communities.”
Doram covered several topics regarding developmental disabilities including early signs and screening as well as risk factors.
Long-time staff members who have attended previous training sessions shared that they were surprised to learn new disability risk factors.
Doram then discussed the variety of disability categories and the proactive steps that must be taken to handle a child with developmental disabilities.
GMS principal Milagros Songcuan, for her part, brought up the relatively new movement called Disable the Label which aims to remove the stigma against people and persons with disabilities through education and outreach by promoting understanding and inclusion.
For more information about Green Meadow School, call 235-2185, email info@greenmeadowschool.net or visit its main campus in Chalan Kiya near Saipan Health Clinic.
