A special day, but perhaps not so well publicized?

I'm so embarrassed.

Somehow, asleep at the wheel, I missed World CP Day. If the day slipped under your radar too - it was October 2 - you can learn more about it here.

The site also invites us to suggest - in video clip or text - an innovation that we believe would significantly benefit people with CP. All submissions are posted and the public is urged to vote for its favorite. The top three will win a cash prize.

Here are two - unsubmitted - at the top of my wish list:

1. A wheelchair that can climb stairs without an adjunct device. In a pinch, though, I'd settle for a second device, provided it's small, inexpensive and involves minimal time or effort to attach to the wheelchair. 
2. A wheelchair with a sturdy, comfortable seat that can nonetheless fold in one piece and fit into a car trunk. (We're sick of ours which requires extensive dis-assemblage and even then can't fit in the trunk.)

Good luck with your submissions. Please share them with us.

The site also provides a clear, concise and current definition of the term Cerebral Palsy. I've always been somewhat fuzzy about that. Over the years I've read various conflicting definitions. The one on the World CP Day site is very broad and probably includes most of our children.

Alper Şirvan of Turkey (born 1973, pictured at left) is the person whose idea for a solar powered wheelchair inspired the prize winning entry in the first World Cerebral Palsy Day competition last year.