Look Beyond My Developmental Disability
Look Beyond My Developmental Disability
Anti-Stigma Campaign

OPWDD has launched a new statewide public awareness campaign called “Look Beyond My Developmental Disability.” This call to action seeks to combat stigma towards people with developmental disabilities by asking everyone to look beyond the disability and see the person for all that they are – our neighbor, friend, co-worker, business owner and more.

 

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Video that shows people of all different talents
Social Media Toolkit

Please join us. Help spread the message and fight stigma against people with developmental disabilities. Here’s how:

  1. Follow or like us on Facebook, InstagramTwitter and LinkedIn
  2. Re-share OPWDD’s social media messages on your own platforms.
  3. Speak out against stigma on your personal or organization's social media channels. Below are some social media posts ready to use.

Example 1: 

People with developmental disabilities are: students, friends, customers, voters, co-workers, neighbors, entrepreneurs, spouses, athletes...PEOPLE. End the stigma about developmental disabilities. Look beyond and see the person, not the disability. #LookBeyond

Example 2: 

I am...a student, friend, customer, voter, co-worker, neighbor, entrepreneur, spouse, athlete...a person. End the stigma about developmental disabilities. Look beyond my developmental disability. #LookBeyond

Example 3: 

Look Beyond. See the person, not the disability. #LookBeyond

Example 4:

People with developmental disabilities might have to use adaptive equipment, but that is not who they are. Look beyond and see the person, not the disability. #LookBeyond

Campaign Materials
Example of what the anti-stigma poster and social media graphics looks like.

OPWDD has created several materials to assist you in spreading the campaign's message to fight stigma against people with developmental disabilities. The campaign posters and social media graphics were translated into 12 languages. To download the social media graphics on your computer, please click on the item, right click and save the image. 

Look Beyond Campaign Poster
View the Look Beyond My Developmental Disability campaign poster in English and 12 other languages.
Look Beyond Email Signature

Help spread the message to fight stigma against people with developmental disabilities by adding the Look Beyond campaign email signature to your own email. Our email signatures are just one more way we can remind our networks, colleagues and everyone we come into contact with that people with developmental disabilities are people first with their own unique goals, interests and abilities.

Instruction on setting up an email signature in Outlook

  1. In the upper-left corner of Outlook, select File > Options.
  2. In the Options window, select Mail > Signatures.
  3. In the Email Signature section, upload the Look Beyond graphic beneath your current signature. Then hyperlink the graphic to www.opwdd.ny.gov/lookbeyond.
  4. Click OK to save when you're finished.
  5. Verify that the Look Beyond graphic is being included in all your emails.
Collage of images of people of different cultures, ethnicities, and abilities. On the right it says  I am a students, friend, customer, voter, co-worker, neighbor, entrepreneur, spouse, athlete...a Person. Look Beyond My Developmental Disability.

Anti-Stigma Resources

Stigma is when someone, or even you yourself, views a person in a negative way just because of particular characteristic or attribute such as a developmental disability. A stigma happens when a person defines someone by their disability rather than who they are as a person. 

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