A Busy April

- By Barbara Davis -

April is a busy month. There is April Fool’s Day (1st), tax time (15th), Easter (24th) and – in the Louisville area - Thunder over Louisville (April 16^th – visit http://thunderoverlouisville.org/ for accessibility information and www.ridetarc.org if you plan to TARC it to Thunder). See http://familycrafts.about.com/library/spdays/blaprdayslong.htm for a complete list of other April observances. I have included a few of them below:

· Autism Awareness Month: Autism can be overwhelming and confusing to those who have it, parent it, or provide healthcare, education and other services to those who have it. Local and national organizations keep us informed about all aspects of autism. To find these organizations type “autism information and support” in Google. You can add the name of your town to these words to find local service providers and support groups.

· Keep America Beautiful Month/Earth Day (April 22): A litter-strewn sidewalk can be inaccessible to wheelchair users. Pollution can trigger asthma and other health problems.

· National Child Abuse Prevention Month: Child abuse causes physical and mental disabilities, and even death. Children must be protected, not just in April but every day of the year. Additionally, every disabled parent knows the fear of having children removed from the home as a result of the parent’s disability. Disability advocates need to be vigilant in heightening awareness of parenting and disability issues.

· National Parkinson’s Awareness Month: With Parkinson’s my great-grandmother’s hands shook so badly she couldn’t feed herself with ease, and at the time (late 60’s) medications didn’t help much. Today medications and treatments do make a difference, and stem cell research offers hope for an eventual cure. Visit www.parkinson.org to learn more.

· Fair Housing Month: Speakers from CAL and other service providers will be at the Main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library on April 14 from 1-4 p.m. to celebrate Fair Housing Month.

· Stress Awareness Month/National Humor Month/World Health Day (April 7^th): Stress elevates blood pressure, causes strokes and heart attacks, increases pain, causes tension headaches and worsens a number of disabilities. Humor helps to manage stress. Googling “stress management” provides information on stress management techniques. World Health Day (http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/) focuses on a variety of health issues in the US and around the world.

· No Housework Day (7^th): Do we really have to be told not to do housework?? Individuals with disabilities often struggle with housework. The internet is a wealth of information on cleaning shortcuts and adaptive tools for helping us manage our daily household chores. If you need housekeeping assistance and cannot afford to pay for it, call 211 for information on programs in your area that might help.

· Take Our Child to Work Day (28^th): An excellent opportunity to let our children see that disabilities do not have to keep us from working.

Photo Credit Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wxmom/5579291631/