The Learning Disabilities Association of Arkansas is a non-profit, volunteer organization of individuals, professionals and parents of children with learning disabilities. We are dedicated to defining and empowering individuals affected by learning disabilties through education, advocacy and legislation.

LDAA is a state affiliate of the Learning Disabilities Association of America and was chartered in 1963.

About the LDAA Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Advocacy Project

The Learning Disabilities Association of Arkansas recently joined the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families national coalition, which represents more than 11 million individuals who want to strengthen the Toxic Substances Control Act to protect public health and the environment. Learn more about the campaign, the relationship between toxic chemicals and learning disabilities, ongoing advocacy efforts on the state and national level, and how you can help.

LDA of America's Healthy Children Project

By Kathy Lawson, Coordinator, LDA Healthy Children Project

The Healthy Children Project is here to bridge the gap between our knowledge of environmental factors that impact developing fetuses, the newborn or young children and the actions we are taking to minimize or eliminate those factors. The Healthy Children Project is dedicated to helping you:

• Learn more about environmental toxins and how they can adversely effect development and health.
• Learn exactly what are these toxic substances in the environment and how they might affect our children’s health.
• Understand possible reasons why the incidence of learning disabilities, developmental disabilities and disease among children is on the rise;
• Find out how to join with others to make a difference in protecting the health and future of our children.

The Healthy Children Project is a special undertaking of the Learning Disabilities Association of America which has tens of thousands of members organized into hundreds of local and state chapters in 43 states.

Four active and highly effective affiliates were selected as the pilot sites. They have been amazingly successful. LDA in California, Maine, New York and Washington took a strong lead, advancing the goals of the Healthy Children Project. Each of these four sites has placed its unique fingerprint on the methods by which the goals of the Healthy Children Project are met. An additional 15 LDA affiliates have indicated a desire to participate in Year II activities. Nine of the 15 have already made their formal commitment to the Healthy Children Project. They are: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon and Texas. Plans include the following activities:

• Identify local community stakeholders to build coalitions and work collaboratively to improve environmental health.
• Present "train-the-trainer" training programs using "In Harm’s Way" as their core resource.
• Distribute Healthy Children Project display boards and printed materials for use at stakeholders conferences.
• Create specific sections of their state affiliate websites relating to environmental health and prevention.
• Send out monthly outreach e-mails to members.
• Publish articles in state newsletter.
• Develop videos which can be shown at state conferences as well as at various public meetings on various environmental health issues including the effects of maternal hypothyroidism.
• Support state health policy and legislative efforts and dissemination of legislative/bill information and generate letters of support and consensus statements.
• Testify at legislative hearings.
• Participate in press events.

The Healthy Children Project continues to pursue the objectives of environmental awareness, personal action and institutional change that will make our world a healthier place, especially for the planet’s greatest resource. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.healthychildrenproject.org/index.html.

Working together, we can provide a healthy planet, healthy minds, and a healthy future for our children! How can you help? Share information from the Healthy Child Project with anyone you feel would benefit. Place in gynecologists’ offices, your family doctor’s office, etc. Help us spread the word and change children’s lives!