AccessAbility Week 2018

Accessibility Week icons

Share This Post

\"\"

I participated last week, our National AccessAbility week and shared The City of Kingston Facebook and Twitter posts too.

May 27 to June 2, 2018, was National AccessAbility Week. It was a time for Canadians to promote inclusion and accessibility in our communities and workplaces, and celebrate the contributions of Canadians with disabilities. It was also a time to recognize the efforts of individuals, communities and workplaces who are actively removing barriers to give Canadians of all abilities a better chance to succeed.

We needed to change the way we think, talk and act about barriers to participation and accessibility, and we needed to do it right from the start, not as an afterthought. An inclusive Canada is one where all Canadians can participate and have an equal opportunity to succeed in their workplaces and communities.

My daily post, I celebrated the people, organizations and businesses that learned from me and making the community a better place for the Deaf individuals.

Monday: I am celebrating DeafBlind intervenors/RNs who learn ASL to communicate with their Deaf clients. My client is able to express her wants and needs by responding to ASL and using a picture exchange communication system.

Tuesday: I am celebrating some of the students & staff from the Building and Designing Assistive Technology lab at Queens University for  working to better understand Deaf culture and for learning ASL to communicate with the Deaf community.

Wednesday: I am celebrating Coppens Academy staff on Divison St.  for learning about visual language acquisition of a Deaf child, all for the student\’s benefit when communicating in ASL.

Thursday: I am celebrating Circus Artists and Coaches learning ASL to communicate with the Deaf community that participate in their workshops and/or attend their shows.

Friday: I am celebrating Kingston’s Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee for being more aware of Deaf community’s need for interpreters at Public events and Closed Captions for fair accessibility.

Saturday: I am celebrating the City of Kingston’s Recreation and Leisure Service program for their Summer Camp staff taking Deaf Cultural Sensitivity and ASL training to communicate with Deaf campers and staff. They are hiring a Deaf mentor to be an ASL Summer Integration Staff – still looking for interested candidate!

Photo Credit: Accessible Canada (I\’m thrilled they included Interpreter and Signing icons!)

More To Explore

A person stands in a museum space, speaking to a group. The text overlay reads: “Access Is Often Judged by Convenience.” SignAble Vi5ion branding and Leah Riddell’s name appear on the image.

Access Is Often Judged by Convenience

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that access is often supported right up until it becomes inconvenient. Most organizations agree that inclusion is important. Most people agree that communication access matters. Most employers, service providers, museums, community groups, and organizations genuinely want to do the right thing. Until there is a cost. Until it takes extra planning. Until someone has to change the way they’ve always

Read More »
A promotional graphic with a soft mauve overlay features the back of a graduate wearing a black graduation gown and mortarboard with a red tassel. The graduate's right hand is gently touching the top of the cap. Large white text across the centre reads: "Graduation Should Include Everyone" A hand-painted yellow brushstroke underlines the word "Everyone," drawing attention to the message. At the top of the image, the branding reads "Signable Vi5ion Inc." on the left and "@signablevi5ion" on the right. At the bottom left is the name Leah Riddell, and the SignAble Vi5ion logo appears in the bottom right corner.

Graduation Should Include Everyone

Soon, I’ll be sitting in the audience watching my daughter graduate. It should be one of the proudest moments of my life. But I won’t know when her name is called. I won’t hear the announcement. I won’t know when she’s about to walk across the stage unless someone tells me. Not because I’m not paying attention. Because there will be no interpreter. This isn’t about me asking

Read More »