Birmingham has been chosen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to host a community engagement event to raise awareness of cerebral palsy. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is one of four national sites that conduct surveillance on cerebral palsy, as part of the CDC-funded Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. UAB and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Greater Birmingham will co-host this awareness event 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, 2013, at LINCPoint at UCP of Greater Birmingham, 101 Oslo Circle.
The goal is to bring attention to cerebral palsy in the local community. About one in every 303 children in the United States has been identified with cerebral palsy, according to estimates from the ADDM Network. The event will feature Stephen Dantzig, Psy.D., a school psychologist, and professional photographer, as well as author of “Get Up, Your Bus Is Here: Living My Life with Cerebral Palsy,” which chronicles his successes and struggles growing up with cerebral palsy.
“This event will allow our surveillance project to thank our community partners, recognize their work and highlight the incredible contributions of people with disabilities and their families,” says Martha Wingate, DrPH, principal investigator of Alabama’s ADDM Network site.
The Cerebral Palsy awareness event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a book signing and light refreshments. Registration is encouraged here.