Showing posts with label disability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disability. Show all posts

September 22 – National Rock 'n' Roll Dog Day?

Posted on September 22, 2019

Google gives us endless facts from so so so so many sources - answering almost any question we might have. Like, what holidays and national days fall on September 22?

When I asked that question, one answer that came up several times was "National Rock 'n' Roll Dog Day." That got me wondering - who started such a day, and why? 

But nobody seemed to know! Finally, the fourth link I tried linked me to National Walk 'n' Roll Dog Day, celebrated on September 22 every year - and that link specifically said that National Rock 'n' Roll Dog Day was probably a misreading of the original.


National Walk 'n' Roll Dog Day was created in memory of author Barbara Techel's beloved pooch Frankie, a dachshund that was paralyzed after a fall but that spent many happy and fulfilling years in a wheelchair. The day is meant to raise awareness of disabled dogs and especially wheelchair dogs. Techel wants people to know that disabled dogs can live long, happy lives and bring joy to their families - and her Frankie Wheelchair Fund raises money for families who can't afford wheelchairs for their own beloved pets.




Hey, rock 'n' roll is all about challenging expectations and celebrating the "now," so I think that National Walk 'n' Roll Dog Day is, itself, very fitting with rock 'n' roll!!!





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December 2 – Special Education Day

Posted on December 2, 2018

There is a problem with ignoring individual needs and just teaching to one bland medium-everything standard. This kid over here can't see the white board and misses most of the explanation of a math concept. That kid over there can't learn while trying to sit still. And this kid has processing speed issues that result in her not being able to demonstrate what she knows on a timed test.

And - and - and - I could go on.

I've been a teacher, and I certainly understand how difficult it is to work with 30 to 40 kids, each with her or his own issues and needs. 

On the other hand, if we just teach to the few medium-everything students, there are a WHOLE lot of children being left behind!

On behalf of children with disabilities, and those with special needs, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was signed into law on this date in 1975. Of course, no law can single-handedly fix every education problem, but this law made it a lot easier for parents and students to agitate for free and appropriate public education. Here is a list of internet resources for students with disabilities.

Remember, ALL kids are special - we are ALL special - and we do not want to make the word "special" into a sneering synonym for "disabled." 

Also, disabilities are challenges and differences that people may have - but they do not define them. People are complicated, with different personalities and interests and talents. There should be no tolerance for bullying or teasing about abilities and needs. If you see someone bullying or teasing, step in, protect the victim, report the bully, stand up to meanness. Here are some anti-bullying resources.






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May 7 – National Barrier Awareness Day

Posted May 7, 2015


As Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 7 National Barrier Awareness Day, in 1986, he said, "Eighty percent of Americans will experience some disability in their lifetime. That makes it necessary for all of us to understand and appreciate both the barriers they must surmount and the contributions that they can make to our society."


Maybe you think, with all the laws mandating access for people with disabilities – the disabled person parking placards and wheelchair accessible restrooms, the ramps and elevators, the curb cuts and audible street signals—maybe you think that there are no barriers left to remove. 

But of course there are countless barriers still, in the world and even in the U.S...There are private buildings and public parks that have not yet been retrofitted to accessible designs, modes of transportation that have not yet been addressed, and cost barriers to getting service animals.


But the largest barrier, according to some, is other people's attitudes. If you try so hard not to stare at a person with a disability that you won't even glance at him, if you shush a child who says something about a person with a disability instead of teaching her in a friendly, matter-of-fact way about the disability, if you are afraid to acknowledge a wheelchair or a white cane or a hearing aid – then you are helping to make people with disabilities feel unseen and unacknowledged.

Worst of all, some people with disabilities get the feeling that some people automatically assume that one's disability means that there is something wrong with with one's brain!
Cerebral palsy is not a
metal disability.
So...take the time today to notice barriers and think up some way of removing one or two of them. Take the time to raise consciousness about disabilities. And realize that you will probably be part of the 80%...At some point or another, you will have a broken leg or a energy-sapping illness or a loss of sensory acuity or a need for a cane or walker. 

 How do you want to be treated, if and when something happens to you?




Also on this date:


National Day of Reason 










Writer, composer, and artist Rabindranath Tagore's birthday 








Anniversary of the recovery of the painting The Scream 













Brahms's birthday



Tchaikovsky's birthday





Anniversary of the world premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony




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