May is National Mobility Awareness Month
May is National Mobility Awareness Month (Courtesy: Emran Uddin/Vectezzy.com)
For more than ten years now, National Mobility Awareness Month educates people that mobility is a right, not a privilege. Promoted by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association, or NMEDA, the mission is to help drive change during the month of May every year.
National Mobility Awareness Month (Courtesy: NMEDA)
National Mobility Awareness: Why?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, as of May 2023, 61 million Americans live with a disability. That equals 1 in 4 adults (or 27%) of American adults who have some type of disability.
Of that number, 12.1% experience serious mobility issues which affect 1 in 7 adults making it the most common disability.
According to the NMEDA, the month of May is set aside to both “educate and engage people with disabilities including seniors and veterans, caregivers, healthcare professionals and industry partners” to help those with mobility issues live “an active and mobile lifestyle.”
“Mobility is a right, not a privilege. Everyone who can benefit deserves access to this life-changing equipment.” (Danny Langfield, NMEDA’s Chief Executive Officer)
Poodle Service Dog for Mobility Assistance (Courtesy: MobilityDog.org)
National Mobility Awareness: Solutions
Mobility solutions include a wide array of options including:
Service Dogs.
Auto Safety Features.
Auto Driving Accessories.
Adaptive Mobility Options.
Wheelchair and Power Chair Accessible Vehicles; and more.
These solutions are geared to help disabled individuals overcome their physical challenges to living an independent and fulfilling mobile life.
Mobility Awareness: How Reality Looks
Unfortunately, the common perception that disabled Americans are sufficiently supported is far from the reality. The day-to-day struggles mobility-challenged people face include:
Social isolation.
Economic difficulty.
Lower-paying employment.
Job insecurity including unemployment and underemployment.
Lack of community resources, accommodations and transportation.
Sadly, this reality still exists even under the umbrella of protections covered by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). While this legislation was a huge, long overdue step forward, sadly, many people with mobility issues still face the same biases today as those faced before the enactment of ADA in 1990, more than 30 years ago according to SHRM or the Society for Human Resource Management.
“We are not asking for special treatment; we are asking for equal treatment.”
(Janie Heinrich, MobilityDog.org)
What can you do to support changes for National Mobility Awareness Month and beyond?
Mobility Awareness: What You Can Do
Whether you can help in a big or small way, just do it. Below are six easy ways to start today.
Disabled Man in Wheelchair with Service Dog (Courtesy: MobilityDog.org)
Work in your community to improve and expand solutions and options for mobility-challenged individuals. Make sure their actual voice is being heard in the decision-making process. If nothing exists in your community, begin a grassroots campaign.
Educate and inspire by sharing and promoting the personal stories of disabled people through social media platforms and media outlets.
Support the organizations that work to improve the lives of disabled people.
Teach children how to be inclusive of their disabled peers.
Encourage your employer and other local businesses to hire people with mobility issues and ensure their workplace or place of business is ADA-accessible.
Write and call local officials and your state representatives in Washington to uphold and expand the protections and equal civil rights for all disabled people.
Our Mission.
MobilityDog serves the mobility-challenged community through service dogs, education and empowerment to live full, vibrant lives with independence.
Click here to send an email or call 626-470-7742 for more information!