World Cerebral Palsy Day is October 5, and it’s a time for people across the world to take local and global action to help spread awareness and education about cerebral palsy.
What is World CP Day?
World CP Day is a time when people across the globe can help to create a movement on behalf of people with cerebral palsy. The vision of the day is to, “ensure that children and adults with cerebral palsy (CP) have the same rights, access and opportunities as anyone else in our society. It is only together, that we can make that happen.”
Around 17 million people across the world have cerebral palsy, and over 30 million people across the globe are connected to someone with cerebral palsy, whether it be a parent, child, brother, sister, friend, aunt, uncle, etc. World CP Day aims to celebrate the lives of those who are affected by cerebral palsy, create powerful voices for them, become a catalyst for solutions and social change, and create tangible actions and outcomes that will help improve their lives for the better.
World CP Day is organized by the World Cerebral Palsy Initiative, a non-profit group of organizations that all share the same vision of create change and spreading awareness about cerebral palsy.
The Key Areas of Change
The goal of World Cerebral Palsy Day is to bring awareness to six certain areas that continue to be barriers to people with cerebral palsy and their families. By shining the spotlight on these areas, it’s possible that one day, solutions will develop.
Public Awareness
Public awareness is one of the most important areas for people with disabilities. Even today, with added education about disabilities, there still remains a lot of ignorance about cerebral palsy, and that ignorance greatly affects those who live with the disorder. By raising public awareness, the stigma attached to people with cerebral palsy can eventually change.
Education
Public awareness goes hand-in-hand with education, but the goal of World Cerebral Palsy Day is to help give educators the tools to expand learning opportunities in their respective communities, for children with CP and their families.
Civil Rights
World CP Day aims to push local, regional, and national government officials to take extra action to ensure the rights of disabled people are being met.
Medical and Therapy
Physicians and therapists who have the best information possible can help people with cerebral palsy by offering them top-of-the-line treatment and innovative therapy sessions. World CP Day wants to help doctors and therapists across the world, so they can obtain the tools needed to better serve people with CP within their community.
Life Quality
Everyone should be able to obtain a good quality of life, but it’s more difficult for disabled people to achieve when compared to non-disabled people. Parents and loved ones need access to information about CP, access to support, and access to supplies. For instance, some countries don’t have the resources needed to provide families with the necessary things needed to help them take care of their disabled children.
Contribution
World CP Day needs as many people to contribute as possible, whether it’s political, social, artistic, educational, scientific, or economic involvement. Put your talents to use to make a worldwide, positive, and lasting impact.
How to Get Involved
There are numerous different ways to get involved and be a part of World Cerebral Palsy Day. A few examples include sharing flyers, sharing the “We Are Here” and “I Am Here” logo on social media, wearing t-shirt decals on October 5, blogging about World CP day, creating posters, and more.
If you plan to participate, be certain to contact World CP day here and let the organization know what your goals are and what actions you plan to take. You should highlight what key issues you plan to raise awareness for, and if you need any extra tools, be certain to request them prior to October 5.
