IRC Dresses Up for Disabilities Awareness: A Photo Essay

Community EngagementBlog

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Springtime at IRC means dressing up for disability awareness! March is Developmental Disabilities Month and April is Autism Awareness Month. Each year IRC staffers don colorful outfits on three different days in March and April to celebrate and honor our more than 34,000 Consumers with developmental disabilities.

On March 21, IRC staffers wore Lots of Socks in honor of World Down Syndrome Day! WDSD helps raise awareness about Down syndrome and how people with Down syndrome play a vital role in our communities. Learn more at worlddownsyndromeday.org!

Purple Day is an international campaign to increase awareness about epilepsy! Each year, on March 26, people wear purple and host events in support of the more than 50 million people around the world who have epilepsy. Find out more about Purple Day and epilepsy at purpleday.org.

April 2 is World Autism Day! Around the world, people wear blue on this day to promote understanding, acceptance, and inclusion for people with autism. For more information about the Light it Up Blue campaign visit autismspeaks.org.

We asked some of our employees about why they participated in this campaign. Here’s what they had to say.

I was an Early Intervention teacher in Early Start for 25 years before coming to IRC. I hold my little ones, many who are now adults, near and dear to my heart. I try to participate in all awareness days as a way to honor them. I considerate it an honor to have been a part of their team in their lives, they taught me so much about life. – Maury Benson, Infant Services Coordinator

I dress up because it creates an opportunity for discussion. For example, when people ask me why I’m wearing socks with pickles on them, I use that moment to inform them about Down syndrome. It’s important for us to use these opportunities to continue to educate our peers and members of our community. It’s also a reminder of why we work at this agency. We are here as advocates and to continue to provide support for our consumers. – Tanya Hernandez, Training Specialist Assistant

I like the collaborative effort of rallying people together to wear a certain color on a certain day to raise awareness of a disability. I think it’s important that public awareness of disabilities grows in the sense that people become educated and learn how to better support those with disabilities. – David Reyes, Consumer Services Coordinator

For more awesome pictures of Team IRC, visit us on Facebook or Instagram!

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Community Engagement

Inland Regional Center's Community Engagement Unit can be reached at [email protected]

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