Involve Your Facility and Your Community

The goal of the National Rehabilitation Awareness Foundation is to involve as many people as possible in the annual awareness celebration. Below are a few ideas to help get you started.

Community Outreach Activities

• Plan an Open House and offer free health screenings, health information and tours of your facility.
• Host professional seminars and workshops for rehabilitation and human service
  specialists.
• Organize interactive health fairs or rehab expos at area malls or other high traffic locations.
• Secure proclamations from government offices declaring the week "National Rehab Awareness Week."
• Write a guest editorial to area newspapers regarding the positive impact of rehab.
• Hold a rehab technology fair highlighting the assistive equipment available which enables people to live independently.
• Invite local schools to participate in poster contests using "Celebrating the Successes of People With Disabilities" as a theme. Display art work through- out your facility.
• Place an ad in the newspaper saluting employees, patients or clients.
• Speak to school groups about rehabilitation careers.
• Organize disability sensitivity awareness events.
• Organize wheelchair sports challenges. To increase promotion, invite local news reporters and celebrities to participate.
• Pitch rehab success stories to newspaper and magazine feature writers.
• Arrange radio and television talk show interviews with rehab professionals and those who have overcome disability through rehab.
• Arrange exhibits and displays in public facilities.
• Hold rehab trivia contests.
• Encourage local businesses to participate by displaying educational information
  and posters.
• Invite government officials and media representatives to participate in a walking
  survey of the community to determine if all public areas are wheelchair accessible. Take action to correct areas which are not.
• Be creative and think of fun and unique ways to celebrate! In the past, participants have buried time capsules; organized marathons; coordinated a hot air balloon race; hosted a county-wide tailgate party; held sports clinics; and constructed a fully accessible playground in observance of the celebration.

Activities Within Your Organization

• Hold a rehab trivia day to educate employees.
• Honor rehab employees at a special recognition day.
• Organize healthcare olympics among staff members.
• Decorate with banners and posters.
• Present awards to employees for outstanding service or contributions.
• Hold a "Guess the Therapists Day" using old photos.
• Treat patients or employees to a day of pampering, such as free back massage, manicures, etc.
• Coordinate educational in-service training sessions.
• Host a reunion of former patients.
• Highlight a different rehab specialty area each day, such as physical therapy, rehab nursing, occupational therapy or speech pathology.
• Publish special editions of corporate newsletters which focus on the national celebration.