From the Lethbridge Herald
The “Enabling Access” event presented by Spinal Cord Injury Alberta aims to raise awareness for people with disabilities and the challenges and barriers they face every day. The event started in Edmonton 5 years ago. It also acts as a fundraiser to support spinal cord injury programs, services, community development and special events.
“The goal is to get community leaders to sit in a chair for a day and have that experience help influence either policy or decisions that would be made around accessibility,” said Dylan Adkins, Spinal Cord Injury Alberta regional co-ordinator in an article that was published in the Lethbridge Herald.
In the article Holy Spirit Catholic School Division superintendent Chris Smeaton was interview after spending an entire day in a wheelchair in order to better understand what it might be like to be disabled.
“It’s pretty tough. I mean, things you take for granted pretty quick. Something simple like getting up away from my desk and grabbing a cup of coffee. Our coffee cups are well above my reach, so I’d be asking someone to grab a cup for me. Getting in and out of the office. Although our building is fairly barrier-free, doorways are not really wide so you have to be careful.”
“I think people in a wheelchair are so resilient. They get by. I think the frustration comes from people not in a wheelchair not understanding what those barriers are. It’s more about us having a better understanding of their challenges.”
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE – http://lethbridgeherald.com/news/local-news/2015/05/28/gaining-an-appreciation-of-barriers-facing-the-disabled/
For more information on Spinal Cord Injury Alberta or to donate, visit http://www.sci-ab.ca.
