Special-Needs Special Events - Awareness and Advocacy Events, Month by Month

By Terri Mauro, About.com Guide

Every month and many days of the year have been set aside to promote awareness or advocacy of an illness, disability, or other special-needs-related cause. Use this October index to make sure you mark those special occasions this month. You can also fill out a form to include others in your local area or area of interest.

Blindness Awareness Month
Blindness Awareness Month

Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Celiac.com

Healthy Lung Month
American Lung Association

International Rett Syndrome Awareness Month
International Rett Syndrome Foundation

National Disability Employment Awareness Month
United States Department of Labor

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month
National Down Syndrome Society

National Liver Awareness Month
American Liver Foundation

National Physical Therapy Month
American Physical Therapy Association

National Sensory Awareness Month
SPD Foundation

National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
Spina Bifida Association of America

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
First Candle

Bone and Joint National Action Week
October 12-20
United States Bone and Joint Decade

Mental Illness Awareness Week
First Week of October
National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Healthcare Quality Week
Second Full Week of the Month
National Association for Healthcare Quality

Child Health Day
First Monday of the Month
HHS.gov

International Stuttering Awareness Day
October 22
International Stuttering Association

National Depression Screening Day
First Thursday of the Month
Screening for Mental Health

World Mental Health Day
October 10
World Health Organization

More for October:

• Love Notes for Special Parents Calendar Page
• Add an Event