Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor

Monday, August 13, 2018

Greetings!

On any evening or weekend, an individual can find something to do in this community. Sports, entertainment, government meetings, education or leisure are all sponsored by an organization with the goal of improving lives of community members.

What if one-third of the population was not included?

Planning an accessible event so everyone feels welcome is the responsibility of the event organizers. As Activity Director for the residents living in Akwesasne’s long term care facility, I make it my duty to conduct site visits before a scheduled event to make sure the resident outing is successful.

One year, an outing to the Blue Anchor was proposed to meet a resident’s request to eat fish ‘n chips on Father’s Day. An invitation was extended to at least five other residents and the bus was full. The trip was difficult due to the restaurant doors were not wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, a small raised step to maneuver with rollators, washrooms without handicap access, and a small dining area crowded with tables and chairs (too many bees to eat outside)! Despite these setbacks, the volunteers and I made do and residents were not made to feel they were a burden or inconvenience.

On a more positive note, residents enjoy the annual outing to the Akwesasne Powwow in September. There has always been a shaded seating area available for them that allows a view of the entire grounds and a volunteer offers each individual a bottle of water! Did you notice the wheelchair accessible outside toilet? What hospitality!

There are many resources available on the internet to guide an event’s organizer through the process of making an event so everyone feels welcome. I encourage everyone to take a look at these publications when planning your next family/community event. Residents are not confined to the long term care facility. It just takes a little more planning and preparation to make sure an outing is safe and individual needs are met.

To learn more about accessibility for people with disabilities visit Ontario.ca/accessibility or watch videos on YouTube: youtube.com/accessontario.

Skennen,

Teresa David

Activity Director

Tsiionkwanonhso:te (ltc)