What a Way to Start the Week!

By Claire Lawley

National Access Awareness Week (NAAW) Ontario was delighted to host the National Kick-Off to NAAW 1995 in Toronto. This year’s slogan was "Access the Future," and the theme was Learning -- promoting barrier-free learning for persons with disabilities. Both these ideas include the concept of lifelong learning and the importance of ensuring that this learning is accessible.

Access the Future began on Monday, May 29. Who could have imagined a more exciting way to spend a Monday but celebrating the Kick-Off to National Access Awareness Week 1995 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This gala event combined song and dance with "cyberlearning" and training modules.

To whet the appetite, the morning began with a diverse range of entertainment. The Variety Village Band accompanied us into the theatre (impressive ramp!). Parkdale Elementary School and Metro Toronto School for the Deaf then opened up the event with the national anthem. Speeches by dignitaries from all levels of government and all levels of NAAW were interspersed with performances by jazz singer Joe Coughlin, folk singer Jane Field and dance troupe Dancing Hands.

A highlight of the ceremony was the video wall, which allowed us to visit live, via satellite, communities celebrating National Access Awareness Week. These communities, which stretched from Newfoundland to B.C. to the Yukon, came together in order that the whole country could be a part of the opening ceremony.

Next stop... the Cyberlearn Centre, where anything is possible! This glimpse into the next century showed off the latest technology: computers that respond to voice or sip-and-puff commands; virtual reality video games; Wilma the Robot, who can provide a link between a child at home to a classroom; and Ability OnLine, the electronic post office. Cyberlearn showed us that the future is now! Congratulations are extended to those organizations responsible for the displays: Easy Access, Hugh MacMillan Centre, Microcomputer Science Centre, IBM, Ability OnLine, Neil Squire Foundation and the University of Toronto.

Many of the delegates at the Kick-Off were treated to presentations by some very special guests over the lunch hour. Speakers included Justice Sam Filer, still practising as a judge after the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which requires him to use a wheelchair for mobility and a computer for communication. Justice Filer spoke eloquently on the quality of life of people with severe disabilities. We also enjoyed meeting Jon Rogers, one of the six winners of the NAAW Student Awards. Despite a life-long learning disability, Jon graduated from high school last year as class valedictorian, and now attends York University in Downsview, Ontario.

After lunch, we were invited to attend a selection of learning modules. A workshop on customer service was presented by NAAW’s national corporate sponsors. The employee training workshop focused on teaching employers to adapt training activities for people with sensory or mobility disabilities. The media and disability module dealt with how the media portray people with disabilities, and disability issues. We were especially excited to have Pamela Walen mediate this discussion. The process of life-long learning was the topic of the fourth module. Here, many different learning opportunities were investigated, with a special focus on specific ways to improve access to these opportunities.

This year’s slogan, Access the Future, was indeed evident at the National Access Awareness Week Kick-Off. From the new technology displayed at the Cyberlearn Centre, to the children singing -- and signing -- "O Canada," to the increasing accessibility of stages, the media, training programs and learning opportunities -- we can see that we are beginning to Access the Future!

(Claire Lawley is a Toronto member of the National Access Awareness Week Kick-Off Committee.)