MRDD program lets personalities bloom

T“The women kept going out, so we started our own men’s club so we could go out too,” said Dukes of the group’s members, who wear blue denim baseball-style caps.

Groner said Dukes helps to raise the spirits of others, communicating with family members and entertaining other consumers and staff.

“Not shy about standing up for his rights and the rights of others,” Dukes has assumed a leadership role in the consumer advocacy group and is a member of the Helping Hands group, Groner said.

Dukes is one of 1,100 Mahoning County people with disabilities. He grew up in Youngstown, attended Wilson High School, and for the last four years of school had a home tutor. He graduated in 1971 from The Rayen School.

MRDD and other related organizations celebrate MRDD Awareness Month each March and urge people in the community to learn more about people with disabilities.

“This is a time when our organization focuses on encouraging the public to better understand the individuals we serve. As part of the educational process, we encourage the use of ‘people-first language,’ which places the person before the disability,” MRDD Superintendent Larry Duck said.

For example, say “a woman who has mental retardation” rather than “a mentally retarded woman”; or say “people with disabilities” instead of “the handicapped”; or “she uses a wheelchair” instead of “she is wheelchair-bound.”

“By placing the individual first, we maintain human dignity and place a higher regard on the individual rather than the disability,” Duck said.

alcorn@vindy.com