The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) joins Fairfax County in observing March as Developmental Disabilities Inclusion Month; a time to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disability in all areas of community life, and raising awareness to the barriers that people with disabilities often face. The month focuses on three main areas: education, employment and community living. Residents are invited to become part of the Welcoming Inclusion Network (WIN) and learn how to impact and support the lives of individuals in our community to advance employment and day services for individuals with developmental disabilities by attending the next WIN meeting on March 18.

"It is up to all of us in the end to make the world a more accessible place for those of us with different abilities." – Supervisor John Cook, February 26, 2019

The most recent WIN meeting was held on February 25 and featured a panel of employers who addressed ways to make employment successful for individuals with developmental disabilities.

WIN, a collaborative between Fairfax County government, local industry and private citizens to advance employment and day services for individuals with developmental (and intellectual) disabilities, was launched in February 2018. The objective of the WIN is to increase dialogue and participation from stakeholders and the broader Fairfax community and seek community support through four primary goals:

• Network, to build opportunities for increased information and resource sharing;
• Design, which seeks to ensure service equity and efficiency through community-designed services;
• Employment, which strives to boost employment opportunities through existing and new service models; and
• Inclusion, which identifies and addresses other challenges to full community inclusion.

Following a successful first year, WIN is evolving; the organization continues to support the growing disability population and its differing interests and support needs while remaining committed to building equity and efficiency within available resources.

Residents who would like to get involved and help direct the future of the organization are encouraged to attend the next meeting of the Employment/Design and Inclusion/Network groups of WIN on Monday, March 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the third floor of the ServiceSource office (10467 White Granite Drive, Oakton, VA 22124). The agenda includes reviewing focus areas, opportunities, challenges, and goals moving forward. There will also be breakout sessions to further refine next steps for goals of interest.