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5 Ideas for Recognizing Americans With Disabilities Month

Americans with Disabilities Month takes place every year in October and serves as way to celebrate and recognize those with disabilities. Whether you go to college, work in the field or have a disabled loved one, you’ll want to find some new ways to celebrate this important month. Some of the top ways to recognize this special month make use of fun activities.

Make a Display

Making a display is a good way to draw attention to this month and to let others know what this month means to you. You can pick up folding poster board and presentation boards from teachers’ stores and use those boards to create signs that raise awareness of the meaning behind the month. Pick out some type of theme to base your display on such as famous people with disabilities, signs of common disabilities or ways to help those who may not want to admit that they need help.

Use Fun Games

The ADA Anniversary Tool Kit recommends hosting fun games that show others what life is like for those with disabilities. One example it offers is a wheelchair raise. Assign each person in your office or classroom with a wheelchair and ask them to raise from one point to another. As it takes them some time to learn how the wheelchairs work, they’ll quickly understand what life is like for those who use one every day. You can also use walkers and other devices that assist those with disabilities with their daily activities.

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Highlight Important Individuals

Some people assume that those with disabilities cannot do everything that others do, but you can highlight important individuals this October to show others that people with disabilities can do almost anything. You might focus on actors like the deaf actors who appeared on the television show “Switched at Birth” and in popular films, or you can focus on famous people working in different industries who use a wheelchair or other devices daily. Even hanging posters of those people around a shared area can help others realize that disabilities do not always slow people down.

Host a Fundraiser

Hosting a fundraiser is another great way to recognize this month. You can ask your classmates or your coworkers for suggestions on which charities they currently support or want to support. There are a number of fundraisers that you can do with just a little help from your peers. Consider planning a dinner and asking people to show up and make a donation to eat or a cook off contest that allows others to make and submit their own dishes in the hopes of winning a prize. You can host a silent auction or plan a fun run.

Do Volunteer Work

Americans with Disabilities Month is the perfect time of the year to do some volunteer work. You can contact local organizations that build homes for others and ask about helping out. These charities often build homes for those with disabilities and need workers who can install grab bars, help build ramps outside and add other features that make life easier for the residents who will one day live there. If you like helping children, you can ask about doing volunteer work at a school, after school program or a day camp for kids with disabilities.

Those with disabilities can lead long and happy lives, marry, have lots of friends, enjoy fun hobbies and have long careers. This October, you can celebrate Americans with Disabilities Month in different ways like hosting a fundraiser or doing volunteer work to recognize those you know with disabilities and to bring attention to their handicaps.