The Town of Oakville will celebrate National Access Awareness Week on Monday, May 26 with a Lifestyle Expo and Art Showcase. Each year, National Access Awareness Week encourages Canadians to think about the barriers people with disabilities face, and to find ways to help remove them.
“Council supports everyone having the opportunity to fully participate in our vibrant community,”Mayor Rob Burton said. “Visit the Lifestyle Expo and Art Showcase to learn more about the many accessible programs and services that are available in Oakville.”
The Lifestyle Expo, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m., will feature interactive displays and information from:
- Community Living Oakville
- Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides
- Special Olympics Ontario: Oakville
- Charterability (pontoon cruises on Sixteen Mile Creek)
- Halton-Peel Cruisers Sports for the Physically Disabled
- March of Dimes
- Voices 4 Ability - Canada’s first radio station for, about and by people with disabilities
- Town of Oakville
- Oakville Public Library
The Oakville Accessibility Advisory Committee will be in attendance at the expo. Mayor Burton and Members of Council will also be dropping by. The Art Showcase, on display from May 24 through May 31, will feature work by a talented artist, Tsochoy Go — a student with autism studying at the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre. National Access Awareness Week was established in 1987 following Rick Hanson’s 40,000 km Man in Motion World Tour.
“As part of the legacy of the Man In Motion World Tour, the Rick Hansen Foundation provided strategic leadership to create and implement National Access Awareness Week (NAAW) in partnership with federal and provincial governments across the country. The purpose of the program was to promote better community access for people with disabilities.” — Rick Hansen Foundation.
As part of its commitment to become the most livable town in Canada, the Town of Oakville has aMulti-Year Accessibility Plan 2012-2017. Created in consultation with Oakville’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, the plan sets out the steps the town will take to implement the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act’s Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, and includes a detailed list of actions by town departments to demonstrate the town’s commitment to providing accessible programs and services for all.