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Celebrate abilities during Disability Awareness Week The City of Kamloops declared May 29th to June 4th officially can be a very rewarding experience to hire persons with disabilities for Disability Awareness Week. In their proclamation made at coun- both the employer and employee. Not only are persons with disabilicil, they shared the fact that over 16 percent of Kamloops’ 85,000 ties just like residents have some form of disability. From having everyone else, trouble with your vision to limited mobility or cogniwith mentortive functions, disabilities are about as diverse across ship and trainthe spectrum as snowflakes are in size and structure. ing can be some of your It is this diverseness that makes it ever so important not to discriminate against a perceived disability or most valued, difference between people. No matter who you are, trusted and we all have strengths and weaknesses. Think about people in general. One may be very smart and logical Good times but highly disorganized and although brilliant is less were had functional than someone with moderate intelligence at last year’s who is organized and methodical. We are all different FunFest. and excel at different aspects of our lives. Helping to bring light to the abilities of the disabled is founder of the Kamloops Self-Advocate Newsletter Krystian Shaw. “Disability Awareness Week starts May 29th to June 4th. This year will be very exciting for me,” he explains. “In Kamloops, we have an event every year called FunFest to kick off the summer, hosted by Options and Opportunities, a day Drop by the Disability program that helps adults with Awareness Week booth physical and developmental disat FunFest and meet the abilities. This year FunFest will be responsible employees. We here at the talented Krystian Shaw. held during Disability Awareness Downtown Echo would be lost without our Week on June 3rd. I am very happy delivery superstars Marilee and Wayne who to announce that the Kamloops Self-Advocate Newsletter with have been faithfully delivering the good news me as the founder, will be hosting the Disability Awareness Week booth! newspaper to your doors rain, snow or shine for almost more than a I will have a table there to promote disability awareness.” decade. They have been a strong and motivating force behind the paper Although FunFest is happening this year at McDonald Park on the North and their resilience has made all of us here strive to be better people. Shore, the theme for this year’s Disability Awareness Week is ‘Employ- “I am excited about Disability Awareness Week for many reasons,” ment enables inclusion all across Canada’. The theme, which rings true, continues Krystian. “We need to reduce stigma and discrimination - continued on page 2 is a good reminder to all of our downtown Kamloops businesses that it
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