Developmental Disabilities Resource Board

July is Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the diversity, achievements, and contributions of people with disabilities while recognizing disability as a natural and valuable part of the human experience.

At the DDRB, we believe every person deserves the opportunity to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their community. Through advocacy, funding, partnerships, and community collaboration, we are committed to helping build a St. Charles County where inclusion and accessibility are more than ideals—they are everyday realities.

This Disability Pride Month, we celebrate the individuals, families, providers, and advocates who are creating stronger, more inclusive communities where everyone belongs.

We are proud of the network of organizations providing services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in St. Charles County.

Today, we met with the partners we fund to talk about strategy and long-term planning. The collaboration in the room was clear. So was the shared focus, passion, and commitment to our mission.

St. Charles County is one of the most supportive communities for people with I/DD. This did not happen by chance. For nearly 50 years, St. Charles County voters have made this work possible.

We are grateful. And we are proud to be part of a community that continues to invest in inclusion, opportunity, and support for all.

This week is DeafBlind Awareness week. DeafBlind Awareness recognizes individuals who live with combined vision and hearing loss.

Deafblindness exists on a spectrum, and every person’s experience is unique. Some individuals are totally deaf and blind, while others have varying degrees of hearing and vision loss.

Brooke is a 20-year-old college student from Wentzville, Missouri, who lives with a rare chromosome disorder called Chromosome 6q26 deletion. Her condition has resulted in significant vision loss and bilateral mixed hearing loss, requiring hearing aids since childhood.

Born with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, Brooke lost her left eye at age three and now wears a prosthetic eye. She is also legally blind in her right eye due to congenital glaucoma and corneal disease, undergoing more than 15 eye surgeries throughout her life.

When her remaining vision rapidly declined during high school, Brooke faced one of the most difficult periods of her life.

In 2023, she received her first cornea transplant, followed by additional transplants through specialists at Price Vision Group in Indianapolis. These procedures have helped preserve her remaining vision and allowed her to participate in research aimed at advancing treatments for individuals with complex visual impairments.

Despite significant challenges, Brooke excelled academically and athletically. She graduated with honors in the top 15% of her class, participated in National Honor Society, DECA, and FBLA, served as a wrestling team manager and statistician, and earned multiple awards, including Girls Athlete of the Year.

Through the support of Orientation & Mobility specialists, Teachers for the Visually Impaired, and the Lighthouse for the Blind–St. Louis SOAR Program, Brooke gained valuable independence skills and found a community of peers who understood her experiences.

Today, Brooke is pursuing a college education and plans to dedicate her career to disability advocacy. Her story is a powerful reminder that disabilities do not define a person’s potential. Through perseverance, determination, and support from her community, Brooke continues to break barriers and inspire others to believe in what is possible.

Thank you Brooke for sharing your story!

Learning Disability Week is a reminder to slow down and recognize something simple but often overlooked: people with learning disabilities experience and process the world in different ways and that difference deserves understanding, not assumptions.

This week is about visibility, respect, and access. It’s about making sure information is clear, communication is supportive, and spaces (both physical and digital) are designed so people can fully participate without unnecessary barriers.