CAM 2023 Press Release: The Future is Inclusive: How We’re Celebrating Craniofacial Acceptance

For Immediate Release
August 9. 2023
Children's Craniofacial Association 

CAM 2023: The Future is Inclusive: How We’re Celebrating Craniofacial Acceptance

Children's Craniofacial Association celebrates its 19th Annual Craniofacial Acceptance Month this year and we want to highlight how looking different is a human rights issue. From FaceEqualityInternational.org: “Discrimination and indignities are a daily occurrence for the facial difference community. This is a hidden community that has continued to be marginalized, abused and neglected, throughout history. To this day we do not believe the injustice experienced by this unique community has been adequately recognized or addressed by global society.”

This year our theme is “The Future is Inclusive.” We have asked the world to jump on board the #ChooseKind movement, but we want to be clear: being kind is not enough. We want our world to be inclusive.

Understanding our differences is the first step toward acceptance and building empathy for one another. Many of our kids and adults have shared their stories in schools, churches, and civic groups across the country. This year we hope to broaden these opportunities to meet people on playgrounds, in grocery lines, and even behind computer screens–because advocacy is everywhere! We want to end discrimination and bullying based on visible differences through awareness and adopting the language of other disability advocates. To that end, please help us this month by setting aside a segment on your local radio or television news program for a story about a local child or adult with a facial difference or craniofacial condition. We can help connect you with an advocate near you! If you’ve ever been bullied or teased, you can find an empathetic friend in our community. Together, we can end bullying and discrimination, and teach the world how to truly be inclusive. It is not just enough to be friendly, our families want to be included in local activities, social campaigns, find representation in the media, and be accepted for who they are, not what they look like. 

Children's Craniofacial Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Dallas, Texas and founded in 1989, serves over 20,000 families per year and an additional 5,000 unaffected students in schools across the country. CCA's mission is empowering and giving hope to individuals and families affected by facial differences. CCA envisions a world where all people are accepted for who they are, not how they look.To request free educational curriculum and additional resources, visithttp://www.ccakids.org.

To learn more about CCA Kids and Craniofacial Acceptance Month, local picnics, and other happenings, go to our CAM website for details.