Community members of all abilities are invited to celebrate National Disability Independence Day with a family-friendly festival, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at Hillside, 1235 Veronica Springs Road, Santa Barbara.
Activities will include carnival games, Santa Barbara Bubble Guy, a balloon animal twister, face painting, a petting zoo, and a cake walk. Visitors can take a turn playing at the slime station, or paint a birdhouse.
Hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, drinks, popcorn, ice cream and cotton candy will be for sale.
Hillside Honey, harvested from Hillside bees and produced by San Marcos Farms, will also be available for purchase, and a beekeeper will show a live hive.
DJ of Ability Chris Benedict will play his dance-inspiring music, noon-2 p.m., and a raffle at the end of the event gives a chance to win one of three gift baskets.
All proceeds from the festival help support the residents of Hillside living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, providing them therapeutic treatments, skills-training, specialty medical care, and adaptive equipment, organizers said.
Entry to the festival is free, and tickets can be purchased for food, games and the raffle.
Also at the festival will be booths from the following local partner nonprofits that collaborate with Hillside to provide supportive services for the disabled:
Tri-Counties Regional Center, Alpha Resource Center, PathPoint, and the Grace Fisher Foundation.
Event sponsors include Montecito Bank & Trust, CenCal Health, and longtime Hillside supporter Community Friends of Santa Barbara (formerly Assistance League of Santa Barbara).
For more about the festival, visit www.hillsidesb.org.
“As a unique and loving home in Santa Barbara for this population for more than 80 years, Hillside is committed to advocating for equity and inclusion for its residents and the entire community,” organizers said.
Hillside provides 24-hour medical care, individualized therapeutic treatments, life-skills training, and recreational activities and outings designed to promote residents’ abilities and greatest independence.
National Disability Independence Day, celebrated annually on July 26, commemorates passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the landmark civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against those with disabilities.
The largest minority group in the world is people with disabilities, Hillside said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 15% of the world’s population, or more than one billion people, live with some form of disability.
This number is expected to increase as the world’s population ages, and as more people survive injuries and illnesses that would have been fatal in the past, WHO reports.
“This group of people is considered as a minority due to the lack of accessibility and social inclusion that they face in many societies,” Hillside said. “They are often excluded from education, employment, and other opportunities, and may face discrimination and stigma.
“Their rights, inclusion and well-being are of the utmost importance. Come and celebrate the achievements, abilities, and diversity of individuals with disabilities at Hillside on July 25.”
For more about supporting Hillside and is residents, visit www.hillsidesb.org, or contact Cheryl Sweeney, chief development officer, at csweeney@hillsidesb.org, or 805-687-0788 ext. 123.