ADD Awareness day is September 14, 2005. It was first created by a senate resolution in 2004.
I’d like to say we have an ADD Awareness day in Canada, but unfortunately we’re about 5 years behind the US in Awareness and treatment of ADD. We have some people that are very good at it but they’re too few and too far between.
5% of the population has diabetes and can go to their family doctor confident that they can get diagnosed by a doctor knowledgeable with diabetes and get appropriate medical treatement.
5% of the adult population has ADHD and can NOT assume that every doctor they go to has been trained to diagnose and treat ADD. Why? It’s been around in one form or another since 1902.
So if you’ve been diagnosed later in life and wish someone would have made the effort to tell you about ADD earlier, here’s a chance for YOU to do what you wish had been done for you. Even if you only do one thing on the list it can make a difference.
For those of you who might want a text version of the possible activities (now deleted since ADDA loves to regularly delete it’s content) that can be done to raise awareness of ADHD, so that you can share the ones you’re planning to do with other ADDers, here’s ADDA’s list.
For Individuals
~ Hand out the ADHD Fact Sheet in your community. Ask if you can place some ADDA Fact Sheets at your physician’s office, schools, disability centers of your local colleges, libraries in your area, or at local coffee shops (many of which have community bulletin boards, or places to leave information).
~ Place “Awareness Day” posters in public areas.
~ Tell people your story. Stigma is best fought one story at a time.
~ Contact the mental health centers in your area. Ask them to put something up on their website and put flyers in their waiting rooms (information available on the www.add.org website). Better yet, ask them to sponsor ADHD screenings, informational meetings or other activities on Awareness Day.
~ Speak to your PTA meeting, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce or other group about ADHD. Offer ADDA, CHADD and the National Mental Health Association as resources and/or hand out the ADHD Fact Sheet.
~ Ask your local library to display ADHD books prominently, perhaps with the ADDA Fact Sheet (see the sample letter in the ADHD Awareness Day Kit on the ADDA website).
~ Write an educational piece or letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
For Groups
~ Place an announcement on your website, samples available on www.add.org.
~ This is a great opportunity to ask your local newspaper to write an article about ADHD and/or the first Awareness Day.
~ Do an “email blast” to your e-list, samples available on www.add.org.
~ Plan or sponsor a workshop or inservice at your local school on ADHD.
~ Sponsor a fundraiser to help promote awareness of ADHD and donate the proceeds to ADDA.
~ Ask your local library if you can set up a table to hand out information.
~ Participate in local health fairs where you can pass out fact sheets.
~ Collaborate with other advocacy or educational groups in your area to sponsor an event to raise awareness about ADHD in your community.
~ Ask your Chamber of Commerce if your group can have 5-10 minutes at their next meeting to announce National ADHD Awareness Day and hand out information.
~ Place an announcement on your local cable company’s free community bulletin board.
~ Ask the radio station to do a community service announcement on Awareness Day, or be a guest on a local radio program talking about ADHD.
~ Contact ADHD authors encouraging them to request book signings in their local area on ADHD Awareness Day. Most Borders, etc. will order books and let authors sign. They also put up signs announcing the event and some even advertise in their local papers and libraries.
These are just a few suggestions to get you started, and we want to share your ideas and activities too! Just go to the ADHD Awareness Day link on the ADDA website (www.add.org) to give us your ideas and read what others are doing.