December 3rd marked the annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). On behalf of Mayor Don Iveson and the City of Edmonton City Council, Councillor Andrew Knack declared the day to be recognized in the City of Edmonton as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Since 1992, the annual celebration as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 47/3 focuses on raising awareness and understanding of people with mental and/or physical disabilities.
As part of the celebration, we were honoured to have our very own Recreation Therapist Haley O’Neill to be part of IDPD Edmonton Chapter’s planning committee.
“Having the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing day allows me to hold myself accountable as a professional working in the field with individuals with disabilities,” said Haley.
In celebration of the annual event, IDPD Edmonton Chapter chose “Surviving Our New World” as its theme. The virtual online event focuses on how people with disabilities can adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and come out the other end even stronger.
“As we navigate through the ups-and-downs of COVID19 pandemic, we only caught a glimpse of what it is like to experience the isolation that this population have been facing for many years.”
The event brought together presentations from Tony Flores, Kuen Tang, Celeigh Cardinal, Renate Burwash, Steve Estey, Sean Crump and Matthieu Petit, and Bean Gill. Topics of presentations included removing obstacles Albertans with disabilities face, adapting recreational activities for people with disabilities, and creating universal accessibility. Topics of presentations included removing obstacles Albertans with disabilities may face, adapting recreational activities for an individual’s needs, exploring mentorship and career development opportunities for individuals experiencing a disability, and creating universal accessibility in our communities.
“As a Recreation Therapist, I want to be able to provide our clients with equal opportunities to experience recreation and leisure and discover new hobbies and talents as any individual would growing up and experiencing life.”
We at CarePros would like to thank all those who presented and participated during International Day of Persons with Disabilities.