DAHLIA Living's News in Bloom

How to Be a Disability Activist

6/2/2021

A disability rights protest at Princeton. Photo from ADACIL.

As advocates for people with disabilities, disability rights are very important to DAHLIA Living – and we bet they’re important to you too. Activism isn’t always easy under the best circumstances, but it can be especially inaccessible for people who aren’t experienced with activism or even people with disabilities themselves.

But that’s okay! There are still a lot of ways to get involved and do your part to advocate for disability rights.

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Celebrating the Life of Barb Barger

4/23/2021

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On Thursday, April 8th, DAHLIA Living held a virtual memorial to honor the founder of our agency, Barbara Barger.

Barb founded Helping Hands for the Disabled in 1975, to provide her daughter (and others with disabilities) with a home, rather than an institution. Her compassion guided the organization to establish four homes for 26 residents in the Bellevue area. Many of the original residents are still with our agency today.

Barb was an avid gardener. She cultivated beauty in her flowers and loved watching them bloom in spring. Barb was happiest when she was helping others, constantly volunteering in her community. When we changed our name to DAHLIA Living in 2018, we wanted to honor both of her passions.

You can view the memorial and sign the guestbook here.

To learn more about Barb’s life, click here.
To read about DAHLIA Living’s history, click here.

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A Short History of Developmental Disability Awareness Month

3/13/2021

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Ever wonder how March came to be Developmental Disability Awareness Month? The origins of the advocacy month go back nearly 60 years.

JFK signs the amendment in 1963.

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How COVID impacts people with Developmental Disabilities

3/5/2021

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Now that we’re a little more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, DAHLIA Living has seen a lot of changes in our care procedures and the daily routines of our residents. As noted in a paper published by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, people with developmental disabilities “rely on a complex network of services and supports to remain in their homes and communities. These systems crumbled during state lockdowns and remain compromised today.”

People with developmental disabilities are not only at a greater risk of contracting the coronavirus, but also experiencing other effects like mental stress and exploitation – which makes organizations like DAHLIA vital for protecting the interests of our residents.

COVID illustration from Innovative Genomics.

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Heading into 2021...

1/29/2021

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It would be an understatement to say that last year brought a lot of challenges! The COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside-down, and as a result, it changed procedures and protocols for all of DAHLIA Living.