This March, NACCD is proud to celebrate Developmental Disabilities Month with the launch of We’re Here: Then, Now, Always campaign. The national campaign recognizes a simple truth: people with developmental disabilities have always been part of our communities — and always will be.
The campaign builds on last year’s successful We’re Here All Year initiative and expands the message by connecting past, present, and future. Through powerful storytelling and visuals, We’re Here: Then, Now, Always highlights how far the disability community has come and why continued advocacy efforts have strengthened the commitment to inclusion and community living.
“People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have always been here — part of the fabric of our nation — even when systems kept them out of sight and out of community life,” said Jill Jacobs, Executive Director of the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. “This month is not about awareness as a one-time event. It’s a reminder that people with IDD are always here, and that all of us have a responsibility to keep learning, engaging, and building communities where everyone belongs – every day of the year.”
The campaign connects past, present, and future through a powerful storytelling framework:
- Then: A time when many people with developmental disabilities were hidden, segregated, or excluded from community life.
- Now: Individuals living full lives — working, building friendships, parenting, volunteering, participating in faith communities, and contributing to their neighborhoods.
- Always: A future where community living is protected, expected, and funded – andnot viewed as a program, but as part of a whole life.
The community will also have an opportunity to participate. We’re Here will launch a relationship-building campaign to provide individuals with DD, family members, and the community-at-large to build relationships with key decision makers in their communities, state, and federally. It will then open a national portrait collection to show the faces of the DD community across the country and sharing their “Always.”
The campaign, organized by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, launches in March 2026 and runs till February 2027.
Community members, businesses, faith organizations, schools, and local governments are encouraged to participate by sharing campaign materials and local “Then / Now / Always” stories.
All State DD Councils, organizations, and partners have access to toolkits, graphics, and copy to support this campaign across the year. Below is a toolkit that provides graphics, social media, blog and email copy to use for outreach. Please tweak any copy to your organization’s language and voice, as needed.
