Community Conversation: Warren County
The Human Development Institute‘s Kentucky Inclusive Health Collaborative with the Kentucky Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities hosted a virtual Community Conversation in Warren County on September 14, 2021. This event brought together local community members, organizations, and stakeholders to engage in conversations about …
Disability Awareness
- Disbility stigma
- Need opportunities to address biases
- Focus on what a person can do rather than what they “cannot” do
- Ask questions to engage and educate
- Do not assume
- “view that being accessible is burdensome”
Community Access
- Concerns about transportation, accessible spaces, and available resources
- “…many inclusive opportunities in Warren County through arts, sports and recreation, accessible parks, and connecting through social media…but not everyone knows they exist”
Diverse Representation
- Targeted conversations and outreach with diverse and inclusive populations
- “Include people with disabilities in decision making for the community
- “Nothing about us
without us” - Important to engage youth in critical conversations
- “Equitable service provisions: Providing what is needed to the individual based on what they need and not on a equal service where we give cookie cutter responses to need requests”
- “Everyone has the same opportunities, is treated fairly, and can participate in their community without discrimination.”
- “Being able to access the same facilities and opportunities without having to ask for accommodations.”
- “Access to and full participation in the arts.”
- Create a regional resource manual to increase awareness of existing disability and inclusive health resources
- Facilitate disability awareness trainings
- Develop a Warren County Inclusion Committee with diverse community and organizational representation
Action Items Already in Motion
The PossAbilities Expo celebrates people with disabilities and the resources in the local community. The goals of this event are to provide information, inspire hope, and empower families by connecting them to resources. The expo has a yearly event and a printed resource guide. Organizations with resources should sign up to participate! Learn more and help recruit for the event at: https://www.possabilitiesexpo.org/.
The Center for Accessible Living – Bowling Green offers disability etiquette training to organizations and their employees to bring awareness to the appropriate way to connect with an individual living with a disability.
- 1830 Destiny Lane, Suite 108
Bowling Green, KY 42104 - Phone: (270) 599-0910
- Email: aevans@calky.org
This publication was supported by the Grant or Cooperative Agreement Number, DD000010, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
