HARRISBURG, PA — October 22, 2025 — The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) proudly announced the winners of its 2025 Champions of Equal Opportunity (CEO) Awards during a special ceremony held at the Governor’s Reception Room in the Pennsylvania State Capitol on October 21.
The awards, the Betty Williams Champion of Equal Opportunity Award and the April Dunn Start Your Journey Award, honor and recognize self-advocates that embody the values of self-determination and leadership that define the spirit of the disability rights movement.
The awards were presented as part of NACDD’s Annual Leadership Summit.
Selected from nominations submitted by Developmental Disabilities Councils across the country, the winners were recognized for their exceptional advocacy and community impact. This year’s honorees include two self-advocates from Pennsylvania.
Oscar Drummond, from Philadelphia, received the Betty Williams Champion of Equal Opportunity Award. The award recognizes a national policymaker with outstanding leadership and commitment to policy that supports equal rights for people with disabilities.
Recognizing that his home state needed a dedicated self-advocacy organization, Drummond became a founding member of Self Advocates United as 1 (SAU1) and was the Board president for the first 10 years.
He is also a leader in state innovation areas for Front Door, Supports Coordination, and Providers. Drummond is involved in policy work at the national level for Supporting Families as well. He was part of the Advisory Committee on the Delivery of State Services relating to Autism, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (HR 212) with ODP.
Outside of his work with SAU1 Oscar has been part of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Community Advisory Board (CAB) with Temple University IOD, helping to create a researcher training guide to build capacity for survivor-centered research by engaging people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in patient-centered research on healing after sexual harm.
The recipient of the 2025 April Dunn Start Your Journey Award is Lo Thamer from Colorado. Thamer is an AuDHD (autistic/ADHD), queer youth advocate. They are the youngest-ever Governor-appointed member of the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council, where they co-lead the Legislative and Public Policy Committee.
As early as third grade, Thamer contributed to their Individualized Education Plan (IEP), encouraging a shift from behavior-centric approaches to support a deeper understanding of their experience and self-advocacy skills. Thamer successfully advocated for removing restraint and seclusion from their IEP. They also reviewed and commented on Boulder Valley School District’s Neurodiversity Philosophy, the first-ever such policy adopted by a school district.
Six advocates were also inducted into the Leadership Circle. The Leadership Circle is comprised of self-advocate leaders who have been nominated by their DD Council as someone who shares and promotes NACDD’s values of self-determination, independence, productivity and inclusion.
First Lady Lori Shapiro attended the event and acknowledged Pennsylvania’s leadership in disability advocacy.
The Self-Advocate Champion of Equal Opportunity Award Ceremony is part of a three-day national leadership summit taking place in Hershey PA. Executive Directors from State Councils on Developmental Disabilities from close to 40 states/territories are convening to increase their leadership skills, share best practices, increase knowledge, and focus attention on national issues and policy affecting all people with developmental disabilities (DD).
“We are excited to honor all these advocates for their work to advance disability rights across the country. They represent the heart of what NACDD stands for,” said Jill Jacobs, Executive Director of NACDD. “Their leadership is bold, and their commitment is unwavering. They’re not just advocating for change. They’re making it happen, every single day.”
To learn more about the CEO Awards and this year’s honorees, visit www.nacdd.org.
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About the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities: The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) is the national membership association for the 56 Governor-appointed State Councils on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD or DD Councils) across the United States and its territories. NACDD’s mission is to work with State Councils on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) to empower people with developmental disabilities, their families, and allies to build welcoming and supportive communities through policy and practice ensuring that people with DD can live a self-directed life in the community. www.nacdd.org
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National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
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