CELEBRATING ABILITIES
Walk marks value of the disabled
“We belong in this world and we have value.”
That was the message Christine Easterbrook had about people with disabilities at the first annual Celebrate Our Abilities Awareness Walk on Saturday in LaSalle. About 30 individuals, some with disabilities and some without, trekked a footpath at LaSalle’s Vollmer Complex to advocate for equality and accessibility for people with disabilities. Signs with disability-related facts and statistics lined the route.
“It is through our experiences as people with disabilities that we are able to envision a better world,” said Easterbrook, chair of the Essex County Accessibility Advisory Committee.
“That helps us to see the gift in our challenges. My disability requires me to live a life of purpose.” Easterbrook said she became an advocate at age eight.
She was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder characterized by muscle degeneration and weakness. Now 49, she uses a mobility scooter and has a service dog. Holding an accessibility awareness walk is another important step toward a more fully inclusive province, she said.
“We wanted to get together with the disability community and celebrate our abilities,” said Easterbrook.
“We’re all unique, and we all have things to give, and we want to get together and celebrate what we can do and what we have.” In 2001, the provincial Legislature passed the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which required any town with 10,000 or more residents to create an accessibility advisory committee. Among other things, the act called for public buildings, government services and publications to be accessible to all Ontarians. Easterbrook has been on the Essex County committee since its inception.
Not all disabilities can be seen, she said. People with invisible disabilities, like epilepsy, psychiatric and heart conditions, face daily accessibility hurdles that also require solutions.
“I believe it’s important to try to make change in the world, make your mark on the world,” said Easterbrook. “I want to be involved in making life better for other people, especially for people with disabilities.”
One of the greatest barriers is people’s attitudes toward disability, according to Easterbrook. “I don’t think it’s nearly as scary as it needs to be, and I think education is important,” she said. “Don’t be afraid. We want to spread the word that we are all equal.
“We all have gifts to share. People with disabilities want to be involved, and we want to be seen as equal with everyone else.” Gord Queen, Kingsville deputy mayor and Essex County’s representative on the committee, said ignorance drives the organization’s work.
“The whole idea with the walk, along with the committee, is education, whether we’re educating by way of a guest speaker in a lecture series, or people read the signs,” said Queen. “Hopefully, some of the messages will sink in.”
Anny Niyonkuru, a personal support worker, attended the walk with some of her clients, who have cognitive disabilities. She said the event’s low turnout shocked her.
“I would like to see walks like this happening all over Canada,” said Niyonkuru.
“If someone has a disability, it does not mean that they cannot contribute in society.
She said by getting to know people with disabilities, individuals can change the world for the better.
We’re all unique, and we all have things to give, and we want to get together and celebrate what we can do and what we have.