The Power of Disability Part 2 — with Judy Heumann

Judy is a lifelong activist and leader in the disability rights movement in the United States and internationally. At eighteen months old, Judy was paralyzed from polio and has been a wheelchair user ever since.  She is the first person who used a wheelchair to teach in New York City but not before she sued the NY City Board of Education. In 1977 she led the longest sit-in of a federal building to date, lasting 28 days which led to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The event and its lasting impact is captured in the Netflix documentary, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” which won the Sundance Audience award. It was also shortlisted for the best documentary at the recent (2021) Academy Awards. She went on to serve as the deputy director at the Center for Independent Living in California for seven years. She Co-Founded the World Institute on Disability with Ed Roberts She has worked for the World Bank and the Ford Foundation. She was appointed first ever Special Advisor on Disability Rights for the U.S. State Department under President Barack Obama. Time Magazine featured her on their cover as one of the 100 most influential women of the last century representing the year 1977. She is the author of Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist

The Power of Disability Part 3 — with Carmen Papalia

Carmen Papalia is a social practice artist who makes participatory projects on the topic of access as it relates to public space, art institutions and visual culture. His work has been featured as part of exhibitions and engagements at the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, National Art Gallery, Banff Centre, Vancouver Art Gallery, Gallery Gachet and the Tate Liverpool.  Carmen has received many awards for his work including the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary and the Wynn Newhouse Award. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University, Vancouver and a Master of Fine Arts from Portland State University. His current work includes a movement building campaign for Open Access. One of the tenets of Open Access is, “Open Access interrupts the disabling power structures that limit one’s agency and potential to thrive.” Accessibility isn’t relevant only to people with disabilities, Papalia says, “it is an affirmation of mutual trust.” Along with his collaborator mia susan amir, they have created the The Open Access Foundation for Arts and Culture

The Power of Disability Part 3 — with Carmen Papalia (video)

Carmen Papalia is a social practice artist who makes participatory projects on the topic of access as it relates to public space, art institutions and visual culture. His work has been featured as part of exhibitions and engagements at the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, National Art Gallery, Banff Centre, Vancouver Art Gallery, Gallery Gachet and the Tate Liverpool.  Carmen has received many awards for his work including the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary and the Wynn Newhouse Award. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University, Vancouver and a Master of Fine Arts from Portland State University. His current work includes a movement building campaign for Open Access. One of the tenets of Open Access is, “Open Access interrupts the disabling power structures that limit one’s agency and potential to thrive.” Accessibility isn’t relevant only to people with disabilities, Papalia says, “it is an affirmation of mutual trust.” Along with his collaborator mia susan amir, they have created the The Open Access Foundation for Arts and Culture

The Power of Disability Part 2 — with Judy Heumann (video)

Judy is a lifelong activist and leader in the disability rights movement in the United States and internationally. At eighteen months old, Judy was paralyzed from polio and has been a wheelchair user ever since.  She is the first person who used a wheelchair to teach in New York City but not before she sued the NY City Board of Education. In 1977 she led the longest sit-in of a federal building to date, lasting 28 days which led to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The event and its lasting impact is captured in the Netflix documentary, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” which won the Sundance Audience award. It was also shortlisted for the best documentary at the recent (2021) Academy Awards. She went on to serve as the deputy director at the Center for Independent Living in California for seven years. She Co-Founded the World Institute on Disability with Ed Roberts She has worked for the World Bank and the Ford Foundation. She was appointed first ever Special Advisor on Disability Rights for the U.S. State Department under President Barack Obama. Time Magazine featured her on their cover as one of the 100 most influential women of the last century representing the year 1977. She is the author of Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist

The Power of Disability Part 4 — with Rabia Khedr (video)

A former Commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Rabia is a founder of the Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities, Executive Director of the Muslim Council of Peel and President of DEEN Support Services. Rabia has served on many boards and committees including the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council of Ontario, Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario, Ontario Women’s Health Network and Federation of Muslim Women. Currently, she serves on the Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committee which she has chaired for 8 years, the Peel Region Accessibility Advisory Committee, and the federal Disability Advisory Group. She is also co-chair of the Disability Without Poverty Initiative, a national movement to secure a Canada Disability benefit for disabled adults in Canada. Through diversityworX, Rabia has provided training, research and consulting services on accessibility, equity and inclusion for a number of organizations including Health Nexus, ICICI Bank, Ontario Coalition of Agencies Serving Immigrants, the University of Guelph and York Region. Rabia has supported organizations in reviewing and developing policies and procedures that ensure a culture of human rights and accessibility including the implementation of policies and procedures on religious accommodation. Rabia has presented at local and international conferences to raise awareness about disability issues, women’s rights and Islamophobia and has participated in a number of television broadcasts and documentaries. Rabia has been recognized for her leadership and community contributions and most notably, received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012

The Power of Disability Part 5 — with Tim Louis and Penny Parry (video)

Tim Louis is a practicing lawyer who has been actively involved in Vancouver civic politics for over forty years. Tim has lived and worked in Vancouver all his adult life. From his early days as a law student at UBC – during which time he co-founded Vancouver’s custom transit service for people with disabilities [HandyDART], through to his terms as an elected official on both Park Board and City Council, Tim has listened to, and advocated on behalf of, communities across Vancouver. Penny Parry was born in Montreal and moved to BC in the late 1970’s. She has worked as a university professor, psychologist and artist, among other things. She is a former Child and Youth Advocate for the City of Vancouver. Pennyhas a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and a BA and PhD in psychology

The "Unlaunch" of Al Etmanski\u27s New Book: IMPACT – Six Patterns To Spread Your Social Innovation

British Columbia has a rich heritage of sustainable social, environmental, financial and cultural change. This isn’t easy to do. The sharp, disruptive edges of our solutions are often forgotten, eroded or marginalized. Impact: Six Patterns to Spread Your Social Innovation unpacks the mystery of social change that lasts. Stories of lasting impact by: Tamara Vrooman, Mike Harcourt, Claudia Li, Jason Mogus & Donald MacPherson Music: Claire Mortifee Spoken word poetry: Meharoona Ghan

The Power of Disability Part 4 — with Rabia Khedr

A former Commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Rabia is a founder of the Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities, Executive Director of the Muslim Council of Peel and President of DEEN Support Services. Rabia has served on many boards and committees including the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council of Ontario, Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario, Ontario Women’s Health Network and Federation of Muslim Women. Currently, she serves on the Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committee which she has chaired for 8 years, the Peel Region Accessibility Advisory Committee, and the federal Disability Advisory Group. She is also co-chair of the Disability Without Poverty Initiative, a national movement to secure a Canada Disability benefit for disabled adults in Canada. Through diversityworX, Rabia has provided training, research and consulting services on accessibility, equity and inclusion for a number of organizations including Health Nexus, ICICI Bank, Ontario Coalition of Agencies Serving Immigrants, the University of Guelph and York Region. Rabia has supported organizations in reviewing and developing policies and procedures that ensure a culture of human rights and accessibility including the implementation of policies and procedures on religious accommodation. Rabia has presented at local and international conferences to raise awareness about disability issues, women’s rights and Islamophobia and has participated in a number of television broadcasts and documentaries. Rabia has been recognized for her leadership and community contributions and most notably, received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012

Field Notes from the Disability Justice Movement — with Al Etmanski

Al Etmanski is a community organizer, social entrepreneur, and author. He’s been a parent activist in the disability world since his daughter Liz was born. He led the closure of institutions and segregated schools in British Columbia, and founded Canada’s first Family Support Institute. In 1989 he co-founded Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) with his wife Vickie Cammack. While at PLAN he lobbied into existence the world’s first Disability Savings Plan

The Power of Disability Part 6 — with Barb Goode

Barb is a self-advocate leader who has helped shape the disability movement into what it is today. She is a founding member of BC People First, and has been on the Boards of Inclusion BC, the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL), and International Inclusion. She is presently serving on the board of directors for PLAN Institute, and also works with ImagineACircle, a consulting collaborative, that acts as both a consultant and voice for inclusion. In 1995, Barb addressed the UN General Assembly (GA), becoming the first self-advocate to present to the GA. She also played a very important role in 1986, when the Supreme Court of Canada made The Eve Decision and ruled that developmentally disabled adults cannot be forcibly sterilized. Barb was on the Editorial Committee for CLBC and contributed to their Just Say HI campaign. In 2011, Barb published her memoir, A Goode Life, and is currently working on the next edition. Barb is a prolific presenter and workshop co-host for a variety of groups including; Spectrum Consulting, BC Representative of Children and Youth, ESATTA as a voice for self-advocate leadership, and most recently on a webinar with Cornell University Citizen-Centred Leadership series