Colorado has made it official. April will be Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month in the state.
Gov. Jared Polis signed the proclamation, and Dr. Jeff Cain, a past chairman of the Amputee Coalition board of directors, helped make it happen.
Dr. Cain has helped get laws improving access to prosthetic limbs passed in more than 20 states. He also is a gold medalist in adaptive slalom at the U.S. Snowboarding Championships.
The proclamation lists nine reasons for recognizing Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month. It concludes:
“WHEREAS, the Amputee Coalition provides education, support, and advocacy through the National Limb Loss Resource Center for the benefit of persons with limb loss and limb difference, their families, and health care providers throughout the United States; and
“WHEREAS, April is an appropriate month to designate as Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month as spring is a time of renewal and inspiration.
“THEREFORE, I, Jared Polis, governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim the month of April 2023 as LIMB LOSS AND LIMB DIFFERENCE AWARENESS MONTH.”
This is not just a one-off event, either. A lot is going on in the disability rights space in Colorado.
Colorado House Bill 23-1136, which would require insurance companies to cover specialized prosthetic devices, just passed its first committee hurdle unanimously last week.
One of its sponsors is David Ortiz, an Army veteran who is the first person to use a wheelchair to serve in the state House of Representatives.
The Durango Herald recently provided coverage with an article whose headline read: “Disability rights activists have ambitious goals for Colorado, from outdoor recreation to the halls of government. Supporters say it’s the most ambitious slate of proposals in recent history.”
There are many reasons to be excited about Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month, and it’s not even April yet.
Learn more about Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month at www.amputee-coalition.org/events-programs/limb-loss-awareness-month.