Daryl M. Davis

Daryl-DavisParent Advocate
Workplace Services Consultant, Arbee Associates

Daryl Davis has worked in the contract furniture industry for 30 years and with her current employer for 18 years. She recently started a new position with the company to sell workplace services including storage for all client physical assets and appearance programs to include wood touch up and refinishing, chair and panel cleaning and workstation cleaning.

After her son with Down syndrome, Evan, was born in 1992, Davis started getting involved with different disability groups and with the local county school system. She enrolled in the first state session of Partners in Policymaking for Maryland in 1995 and completed the yearlong course learning the ins and outs of advocating for all people with disabilities. She was on the advisory board for the Howard County Infants and Toddlers program and participated with the ARC of Howard County on committees and Developmental Disabilities Day at the state legislature.

Davis has advocated for Evan throughout his school years and pushed for more inclusive settings the entire time. Evan is now enrolled at UMBC in the SUCCESS program, a special program for young adults with developmental disabilities that includes them on campus in classes and in addition, provides them with classes on independent living, self-advocacy, group advocacy and work experience. A group of parents got together and rented a house right off campus where six of the students live with two part time staff. They take the campus bus to school, eat in the dining hall, participate in extra-curricular clubs and activities and enjoy their college life. They clean their own rooms, have common house chores to do, do their own laundry and will soon start having cooking lessons. This is an incredible opportunity for Evan to be on his own and learn about good decision making (and bad decision making and the consequences of that).

Davis’ overreaching goal is for all people with disabilities to have the opportunity to live and work in their communities as independently as possible and that their communities would embrace their independence and appreciate all people for their abilities and contributions to the whole community.