Udac Kicks off ‘Include Exhibit’ in Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. — October is National Disability Employment awareness month. And Udac in Duluth is peeling back the history of discrimination among those with special needs.

An open house at Udac is bringing awareness to the history of disability employment, and how it has changed over the years. The banners of the Include Exhibit showcase the timeline of hardships and hurdles society has overcome, to show where we are at on Tuesday. Despite making progress, the stigma is still there.

“We underestimate all the time people with disabilities and what it is they can do. And what it is they can achieve. So, I think that’s always the underlining lesson, is when we open up our community, we open up our businesses. and we open up our opportunity, people with developmental disabilities always exceed our expectations,” said Karen Herman, Executive Director at Udac.

Self-advocate speaker Barb Anderson got to talk about her struggles in the workplace, and difficulties at school in her younger years.

“I faced a lot of discrimination when I was young. School board said I couldn’t graduate with my peers, my mom fought for that. Then I got to in 1981,” explained Barb Anderson.

Officials at Udac are encouraging businesses interested in displaying this exhibit to reach out to them for more information on how to get involved.