.
Suggested Group Activity
Make eyeglass holders for the residents at an assisted living facility. Get instructions at FreeKidsCrafts.com.
Some people may only need glasses to read. Other people may need them all the time. Some people are considered blind without their glasses. Maybe you don’t wear glasses. Maybe you do. It doesn’t matter. People have different abilities and may use different things like glasses or wheelchairs to help them.
Suggested Prerequisite
Completing the Volunteer for Special Needs Patch Program® is a suggested prerequisite for earning your Advocate for Accessibility Patch. Your volunteer experience will help provide you with the knowledge needed to advocate for accessibility in your community. You can also opt to complete the Volunteer for Special Needs requirements during the time you earn this patch.
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Requirement 1: Research It!
Things to find out:
- What kinds of disabilities do children have? Helpful Link: Categories of Disability Under IDEA
- What do children with special needs need? Helpful Link: Challenges and Issues for Special Needs Children
- What is play therapy? Helpful Link: It’s more than just playing with toys
- Why is exercise good for the disabled? Helpful Link: Health & well-being benefits of exercise for disabled.
- What about special needs and bullying? Helpful Link: Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
- How many adults are disabled in the U.S.? Helpful Link: Disability Impacts All of Us
- What can you do to help people with disabilities? Helpful Link: How to Help Those Who Have a Disability
- What is the ADA? Helpful Link: What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
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Requirement 2: Do It!
Choose an accessibility issue to advocate for. Some ideas:
- Make local businesses aware of accessibility issues in their store or restaurant.
- Promote attendance at Board of education meetings.
- Recruit volunteers for a special needs program.
- Write a column or a social media post about bullying prevention.
- Advocate for equipment or supplies at your school to help those with special needs.
- Start a Facebook group for people in your community with special needs to post for assistance.
- Give a workshop for others who want to volunteer at an assisted living facility.
- Advocate to have sidewalk cracks and other safety issues repairs in your town.
Who do you want to reach? Some ideas:
- Your Family
- Neighbors
- Politicians — Helpful link: How to Contact Your Elected Officials
- Classmates
- Your Fellow Worshipers
- Other Groups or Organizations
How will you reach them? Helpful link: How to Advocate for Your Cause
Some Ideas:
- Talk to them. Consider wearing a button as a conversation starter.
- Hand out flyers. Consider setting up a booth to collect donations if allowed.
- Hang tags on doors and mail boxes.
- Make posters.
- Reach out with social media such as Facebook.
- Send a press release to your local newspaper or school newspaper. Helpful link: How to write a press release.
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Requirement 3: Review It!
Always remember to thank those who helped with your advocacy program.
Ways to say Thank You:
- Personally thank individuals and businesses who helped. A hand written letter is always nice. Helpful Link: How to write a thank you letter.
- Thank the community as a whole with posters.
- Create a follow up press release and include the names of individuals and businesses who participated.
- Thank the community as a whole on social media.
- Give certificates of appreciation.
Discuss Your Advocacy Project
- Do you think your advocacy project helped to promote good civic behavior in your community?
- Will you continue?
- What else can you do to further promote good civic activities?
Congratulations! You have earned the Accessibility Advocate patch. It can be purchased at our partner site MakingFriends®.com.
You can become a Community Advocate by earning all 5 community advocate level patches.
Did completing this Patch Program® give you some ideas for becoming a Accessibility Delegate?
See all our current Advocate level Patch Program®s:
Related Fun Patch Ideas:
Note: Many of the links provided to assist with completing our Patch Program®s are external and do not imply an endorsement or recommendation. At the time of publication, external content was vetted to the best of our ability. Your views and ideas may vary and we do not intend for you to substitute our opinions for yours. Research the topic thoroughly before beginning a project. As always, make sure children access the internet only under safe-surfing conditions.
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