March Blog: The Perspective
National Disability Awareness Month
March is National Disability Awareness Month, and we wanted to inform others and spread awareness about children with disabilities. The Chippewa Valley Equality Initiative put together a really great resource to navigate through when learning more about this topic. Many of the underlying points and information surrounding children with disabilities are discussed in the article and it is a great resource for anyone interested in educating themselves so that they can become aware.
A disability is stated as “any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities and sometimes interact with the world around them.” This is crucial to understand that we need to be considerate and patient when interacting with those who have disabilities.
There is a stigma around disabled individuals being put in the same group of physical incapability, however, that is far from the truth. All disabilities are not created equal and can look very different from person to person. In the article, there is a simple graphic that is used to illustrate the diversity in the types of disabilities by showing a range of individuals in wheelchairs or crutches, but also people that are standing upright and walking who may be suffering from deafness or vision loss. So really, there is a wide variety of disabilities that go beyond what you would see in the physical state of an individual. It is our job to understand that everyone is unique and to let go of any unconscious bias or stigma towards disabled individuals.
In the article, they highlight some of the children from the surrounding area of Chippewa Valley to spread awareness about their disabilities and to shine a light on who they are and what they love to do! One of the children is Harley, he is an eight-year-old boy who shares the life story of how he was diagnosed with autism. Not only this but how he finds joy and continues to live life to the fullest!
To read more about Harvey’s story, and other children’s stories please visit the link below. And, if you would like to see more resources regarding the perspective blog or DEI-specific resources, please visit our DEI page on our website, or feel free to contact our office in Eau Claire. We are always here to provide resources and support to our surrounding community of Eau Claire to create an equitable and knowledgeable environment.