March is National Disability Awareness Month, and Easterseals MORC recently kicked off its See the Good campaign. The campaign’s objective is to celebrate and bring awareness to the unique talents and successes of individuals with disabilities and senior citizens, and to ensure these individuals are recognized for the person they are and not their disability.
Individuals who have disabilities are unfortunately often written off and overlooked, yet they make up a huge part of our community . One in four adults in Michigan have a disability. Easterseals MORC works with hundreds of providers across the state to serve more than 5,000 individuals with long-term care needs such as physical, intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD).
Easterseals MORC encourages everyone to be inclusive with the following reminders:
- Treat everyone as an individual first, regardless of their ability
- Not all disabilities are visible
- Consider accessibility when planning social events with friends who have a disability
- When talking with someone in a wheelchair, match their eye level
- It’s ok to ask people about their disabilities once you’ve gotten to know them, and it’s also OK for them not to talk about it
- Don’t park in accessible parking spots unless you need to
- Don’t play with service dogs – they can’t be distracted from the job they’re doing
- If an interpreter is helping you speak with a deaf person, talk to the deaf person and not the interpreter
Both are also panelists for an upcoming free webinar on March 21 to educate and bring awareness. To register online, click here.
An upcoming free webinar takes place March 21 to educate and bring awareness about individuals living with disabilities and senior citizens. Attendees will learn how to be more inclusive and engage in more conversations with individuals who are part of these communities. In addition, they will hear multiple perspectives and tips!
To register online for the See the Good webinar, click here.
For details on this and other Easterseals MORC events, click here: https://www.easterseals.com/MORC/get-involved/events/https://www.easterseals.com/MORC/get-involved/events/
