In this, the third of our series from the Belonging Initiative, John Ralston Saul advocates for a circular approach to inclusion and community. The following is excerpted from his keynote address for the PLAN organization’s 20th anniversary.
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Being born without arms has never stopped Jessica Cox from doing anything she sets her mind to. She swims, bikes, surfs, scuba dives, tap dances and has two black belts in tae kwon do. She is also an accomplished and certified pilot.
By Floyd Allen
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Growing up, Bonnie felt like an outsider at her elementary school and considered herself “extremely ugly and different looking,” a belief that carried over into her teen years and adulthood. Her disability set her apart from others, and it didn’t help that she couldn’t find any role models in mainstream culture. “The media had nothing in terms of disabled people except human-interest stories, which really didn’t talk about being adults,” she says, adding that her summers at a camp for persons with disabilities were the only times she felt normal. “I was even popular.”
By Scott Bremner
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It is our last night at Sinchicuy Lodge in northern Peru. It is early November, near the end of the dry season. The setting sun turns the haze from forbidden charcoal cooking fires into a ruddy pink. Sitting in my wheelchair in our flat-bottomed boat, gliding past submerged logs and debris, I feel like the Amazon queen.
By Lynn Atkinson
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Like millions of other Canadians, did you resolve to improve your physical fitness in the new year? One way to make your goal a reality is to take advantage of the resources available at fitness centres in your neighbourhood.
By Megan Purpora
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From Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, international.gc.ca (No. 99 - March 11, 2010 - 11:15 a.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today announced that, with the support of all provinces and territories, the Government of Canada has ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at United Nations headquarters in New York City. “Canada is committed to promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and enabling their full participation in society,” said Minister Cannon. “Ratification of this convention underscores the Government of Canada’s strong commitment to this goal.”
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Visitors to the home of Frank and Sharon Palermo are struck by the beauty of the house – open-concept design, hardwood floors, granite countertops and maple cabinetry in the kitchen, a deck off the dining room and another off the kitchen. The entryway is flooded with light from windows lining the four-storey stairwell that circles behind a central elevator. How decadent – an elevator!
By Veronica Leonard
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Government of Canada is presently conducting consultations on Canada's ratification of the Convention.
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