A festival-like atmosphere prevailed at the 11th annual Celebration of Diverse Abilities held at Selkirk College Monday.
More than 200 people showed up for the event designed to increase awareness and challenge ideas about disability, and individuals living with disability and to give those living with disabilities a chance to celebrate who they are.
The theme for this year was “Imagine … a world without barriers.” The challenge was to “imagine a world where we celebrate our differences, classrooms where every child feels supported, communities where everyone is valued, a world where all buildings are accessible and welcoming.”
The event is hosted by students in Selkirk College’s Classroom and Community Support Worker (CCSW) program who will go on to be educational assistants, support workers, job coaches, residential support workers and companions.
Selkirk College president Angus Graeme kicked off the event and read a letter from Jeff Lafortune praising the school for its accessibility. “Imagine a college campus without barriers, where everyone is welcomed, included, valued and offered the opportunity to make a unique contribution,” said Lafortune in the letter. “We are living the dream, right here at Selkirk College. All of this came about because our leaders committed to full access for all, then found resources, got to work, and here we are.”
“This year our event has been all about moving from ‘include,’ to ‘for,’ to ‘from.’ From has meant that — those are the people on the stage, those are the people really participating, setting up, doing everything,” said CCSW program coordinator Jane Green.
Volunteers handed out wildflower seed packets to remind people to spread the seeds of change. They were given out in sets of two —one to plant yourself, and one to pass on to someone else.
“I loved the idea with the guest speakers… they gave us their first-person perspectives,” said CCSW student Kendall Poll. ”It was a great insight into their world. They gave us terminology that they love to hear used — that makes us more confident going out into our future roles."