7 Ways to Celebrate Limb Loss & Limb Difference Awareness Month

Understand the movement before you join it.

Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month (LLLDAM) is observed every April, created by the Amputee Coalition to empower those affected by limb loss or limb difference to reach their full potential. The movement centers on three pillars: education, advocacy, and support.

There’s a key distinction worth knowing: limb loss refers to the loss of all or part of a limb through amputation or trauma, while limb difference describes a congenital condition where someone is born with a limb that differs in shape, size, or structure.

Both experiences are valid, both are represented this month, and both communities are a core part of the community. Orange is the official color of the campaign – chosen to represent the energy, vibrance, and strength of the community.

Put on orange. Know the numbers behind it.

Throughout April, you’ll see orange ribbons, orange clothing, and orange awareness campaigns across social media. It’s a simple but visible act of solidarity. But wearing orange means more when you understand the scale of the community it represents.

* Source: Amputee Coalition / Avalere Health, Prevalence of Limb Loss and Limb Difference in the United States (2024).

Behind every number is a person with their own story, their own goals, and their own version of what living boldly looks like.

Tune in to the podcast that gives back every time you listen.

Over the past six months, limb difference advocate and influencer Tilly Lockey has been sitting down with some of the most important voices in the limb difference community on Tilly Talks Tech. Athletes, artists, academics, and performers who happen to have limb differences, and who are changing things because of it.

Here are some of the guests who have joined Tilly over the past six months – each one redefining what’s possible and actively shaping conversations around disability, innovation, and representation.

Go beyond statistics. Share real stories.

Awareness campaigns can sometimes slip into treating the community as a statistic. This April, we’re interested in something different: celebrating the people who’ve turned limb difference into a superpower.

Take Kai, a 12-year-old from Texas born without his right hand. He spent years being told what he couldn’t do, while quietly getting on with basketball, karate, and gaming. When MrBeast surprised him with a custom Hero PRO Kai said: “Don’t let people put you down. Nothing’s going to stop you. You just learn an alternative.” His mom Charlotte said: “People are going to stare at him, but not for the reason they previously would. He just looks like an anime thing.”

Then there’s the story of a 72-year-old psychologist who got a bionic arm later in life, not to do extraordinary things, but to get back to the ordinary ones. Proof that prosthetic technology isn’t just for the young, the athletic, or the high-profile. It’s for anyone who wants to live more fully, on their own terms.

These are the stories worth sharing this April. Seek them out. Amplify them. Let people see what the community actually looks like: every age, every background, every goal.

Push for better access to bionic technology.

Access to life-changing prosthetic technology shouldn’t depend on your zip code or your insurance plan. A 2025 study found that for every dollar invested in advanced bionics, roughly nine times that amount is returned through improved function, job reintegration, and reduced caregiving needs.

That’s a compelling case — and advocacy is how it gets acted on. Push for fair insurance coverage. Contact your state representative about prosthetics access. Over 70% of device wearers have been funded through insurance — that number should be higher. Help us make it so.

• Contact your local representative about prosthetics access
• Share your story with your insurance provider
• Support organizations pushing for legislative change
• Amplify campaigns that advocate for the community

Book a free demo – and see bionic technology for yourself.

April is a great time to take a step you might have been putting off. Whether you’re exploring options for yourself, a family member, or a patient, the best way to understand what bionic technology can do is to experience it in person.

Our latest lineup – including the Hero PRO with wireless MyoPod sensors and the Hero RGD, our industrial-strength model – is available to try at Open Bionics clinics across the US.

We also run pop-up clinic events across the US — register your interest to find out when one is coming to your area. Not ready to visit? The Open Bionics Foundation helps fund access to bionic arms for those who need financial assistance — because no one should miss out on life-changing technology because of cost.

Let April change how you show up for the rest of the year.

LLLDAM is a spotlight – but the limb loss and limb difference community doesn’t take a month off. Neither do we. The best way to honor this month is to let it change how you show up for the rest of the year.

Connect with peer support communities. Stay curious about the technology reshaping what it means to be human. Challenge outdated assumptions about what people with limb differences can and can’t do.