Every March, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM) invites communities across the country to recognize the contributions, leadership, and experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  

At Fello, DDAM reinforces what guides our work every day: building communities where people with disabilities are included, heard, and empowered to lead.  

That commitment comes to life through Living Boldly, Fello’s self-advocacy group led by people with disabilities who are strengthening their voices and supporting one another in driving change.  

Finding a Voice 

Fello launched Living Boldly in 2022 to ensure people with disabilities are not just included in conversations about policy and community life—they are actively shaping them. What began with a focus on legislative advocacy has grown into a leadership space where members build confidence, develop practical skills, and learn how to advocate for themselves across all areas of life.  

“Self-advocacy looks different depending on the goal, something Living Boldly members understood from the very beginning,” said Rylie Shewbridge, Director of Government Relations. “They committed themselves to embracing a comprehensive approach to advocacy that prepares them for any situation or conversation.” 

Through peer-led meetings, skill-building workshops, and direct engagement with policymakers, members strengthen public speaking skills, deepen their understanding of issues that affect them, and practice navigating systems independently. They challenge themselves to step out of their comfort zones—whether by participating in financial literacy courses to better understand their purchasing power or by partnering with Fello’s behavioral health team to stay connected to their well-being.   

Each experience reinforces a powerful truth: self-advocacy is learned, practiced, and lived. 

Growing Leadership 

What began with just 10 members has grown into a dynamic self-advocacy group boasting 36 members across Maryland, organized into two chapters—Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore—with elected peer leaders guiding each chapter. 

Living Boldly is intentionally structured to center leadership. Members help set priorities and determine where their collective energy should focus. Fello provides support and guidance, but direction comes from within the group.  

“Fello’s role is to support Living Boldly, not direct it,” said Joan Green, Director of Community Engagement. “The members shape everything from meeting agendas to upcoming activities—and they lead with genuine enthusiasm and a deep awareness of their influence in the community.” 

As the group has grown, so has its vision. Members have expressed interest in expanding outreach and building connections with other self-advocates beyond Fello’s services, strengthening the network of disability leadership across Maryland.  

Proving What’s Possible 

In just four years, Living Boldly has built a reputation for showing up for the community, ready and willing to make a difference. 

Each year, members travel to Annapolis for Developmental Disabilities Day at the Legislature to share their experiences and advocate for policy priorities. In 2026, they joined hundreds of advocates rallying against proposed cuts to the Developmental Disability Administration—standing together to protect critical services thousands of Marylanders rely on.  

Living Boldly also shows up in their local communities. During Volunteer Day last October, Living Boldly members gave their time and skills to local organizations—and several have continued volunteering long after the event ended.  

Whether influencing policy or serving their neighbors, the message is the same: self-advocates are leaders, contributors, and changemakers.  

Awareness in Action 

DDAM reminds us that inclusion is built when people have opportunity, confidence, and support to advocate for themselves and one another.  

At Fello, we believe people with disabilities belong at the center of decisions that affect their lives. Living Boldly demonstrates what’s possible when that belief is put into practice. 

This DDAM, we invite you to join us in strengthening self-advocacy across Maryland.  You can make a difference by: 

• Speaking out against budget cuts to critical services 
• Supporting policies that expand access and opportunity 
• Following Living Boldly’s journey and other important updates on policy by engaging with Fello on social media 
• Amplifying stories that highlight leadership within the disability community

Awareness starts in March. Leadership, advocacy, and community impact continue all year—and together, we can help ensure every voice is heard. 

On February 18, Fello joined hundreds of Marylanders for Developmental Disabilities (DD) Day at the Legislature, an annual advocacy event dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of people with disabilities across the state. 

DD Day brings advocates and community leaders to Annapolis each year to meet with legislators, learn about the legislative process, and raise awareness of issues affecting people with disabilities. It’s an event that energizes advocates and amplifies the community’s needs. 

But beneath DD Day’s energy is a sense of urgency—proposed budget cuts threaten vital services for people with disabilities and their families. In response, Fello participated in a spirited community rally that encouraged attendees to raise their signs and speak their minds. 

What’s at Stake 

Many Marylanders with disabilities depend on resources from the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) to build lives around their goals. The DDA oversees the approval of waiver services that empower people with disabilities to live, work, and connect in the community on their own terms.  

More than 18,000 people with disabilities access self-directed and community-based services offered by the DDA—services that form the foundation for independence, stability, and opportunity. 

Proposed cuts to the DDA budget surfaced last year and returned this year. In the past, advocacy from Maryland residents has helped protect vital funding. But past success does not guarantee future stability. 

State lawmakers are considering cutting more than $155 million in general funds from the DDA’s budget, totaling $310 million in lost funding when federal matching funds are included. Cuts that large would significantly limit the DDA’s budget, forcing people with disabilities to go without essential services that allow them to live independently. 

Showing Up, Together 

This year, the depth of the proposed cuts meant strong action would be needed. 

Advocates and disability rights organizations planned a rally in Annapolis that would send a clear message to lawmakers: cuts to DDA funding would have real consequences for real people. 

Immediately following DD Day, attendees took to Lawyers Mall. Among the hundreds of participants were Fello team members and members of Living Boldly, Fello’s self-advocacy group made up of people with disabilities who represent themselves, their ideas, and their interests to create change in their lives and their communities.  

Together, they reminded lawmakers that policy decisions affect real lives. 

“Advocacy is the heart of Fello,” said Rylie Shewbridge, Director of Government Relations. “Our team understood that this change would negatively impact people in the community, and we came together to make sure voices were heard.”  

Sustaining the Momentum 

The legislative session continues through April 13, and conversations with lawmakers are ongoing. While outcomes remain uncertain, one thing is clear: the disability community is organized and united. 

“I was inspired by what I saw following DD Day—there’s no doubt our movement is strong,” said Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO of Fello. “But what matters now is maintaining momentum. A single day of large-scale advocacy helps, but advocacy every day is what will lead to a truly inclusive, accessible community for everyone.” 

At Fello, advocacy doesn’t begin and end with one event. It’s part of how we build systems that expand housing, strengthen services, improve health outcomes, and create opportunities. We will continue tracking the legislative session and advocating for policies that protect and expand access to support.  

If you want to stay engaged:

• Sign up for Fello’s Action Alerts to stay informed and make an impact.  
• If you identify as a person with a disability and want to access tools to help you self-advocate, learn more about joining Fello’s Living Boldly group.

This year, as Fello celebrates 65 years of supporting people with disabilities and building inclusive communities, we’re honoring our legacy by looking back at the movement that started it all.  

Fello was founded in 1961 by a group of families who believed their children deserved a different future than what was available at the time. They came together to advocate for opportunity, dignity, and belonging—fighting for their children’s rights and creating the foundation for the work we do today. 

A Response to Institutionalization 

For much of the 20^th century, if you had a child with a disability, doctors told you there was only one option available: institutionalization. By 1955, over half a million Americans lived in facilities that isolated them from the community and denied them the ability to make decisions. 

Families knew their children deserved more. They believed lives defined by connection, opportunity, and choice were not only possible—they were essential. 

In 1953, these families formally organized as the National Association for Retarded Children (NARC) to advocate for their children’s right to live, work, and thrive in the community. In Maryland, local families were taking action—laying the groundwork for what would become Fello. 

They weren’t alone. Across the country, a movement for disability rights was beginning to take shape, fueled by parents, self-advocates, and allies who refused to accept the status quo. 

Building a Movement 

The early 1960s marked a shift in how the nation viewed disability. President John F. Kennedy, moved by his sister Rosemary’s experiences, brought disability policy to the national stage. His administration launched the first presidential panel on disability and, in 1963, passed legislation that strengthened a community-based approach to supporting people with disabilities. This move signaled a growing acknowledgement that people with disabilities belonged in their communities, not institutions. 

As disability rights activists organized alongside other civil rights movements, people with disabilities began winning their own legal victories. In 1965, Title XIX created Medicaid, providing access to health care services for people with disabilities. Three years later, the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 required that federal buildings be accessible, removing a major barrier to employment, education, and public life. 

Inspired by this growing national movement, Fello’s founders championed rights for children with disabilities in their communities. They built connections, provided resources for families, and offered community activities that created spaces where people with disabilities could belong.  

Their early efforts helped foster a local movement rooted in belonging, equity, and equal rights for people with disabilities. 

In these foundational years, Fello’s work reflected the simple but powerful idea: community is something that you build together. 

From Then to Now 

The grassroots advocacy of Fello’s founders paved the way for an organization that has grown dramatically over the past 65 years. What began as a group of parents advocating for their children has become a statewide network of services, housing, and advocacy designed to support people with disabilities to live the lives they choose. 

Today, Fello carries forward the legacy and vision of its founders by creating opportunities for inclusion, dignity, and choice. Through programs like Living Boldly, our inclusive housing initiatives, and community-focused services, we provide the supports and spaces where people thrive—just as our founders intended. 

Fello’s founding and the civil rights movements of the 1960s were about challenging assumptions and creating new possibilities. That same spirit of innovation and commitment to equity continues to guide Fello today—shaping our programs, driving our advocacy, and strengthening the communities we serve. 

As we celebrate our 65th anniversary throughout the year, we continue to explore and honor the work of our founders. Next month, we’ll take a look at the 1970s, when Fello opened its first home and disability rights activists achieved major victories in the movement.