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Braeden St. Louis doesn’t let his wheelchair stop him from dancing.
The 16-year-old laughed and smiled as he and his sister, Marisa, cut a rug Saturday at the 2nd Annual Celebrate our Abilities Accessibility Awareness Walk at the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle.
Marisa and her mother, Twyla, learned how to wheelchair dance when Braeden began using a wheelchair for bad hips five years ago and now they whirl and twirl every chance they get.
The Cottam family was at the walk with dozens of other people of all abilities because they want to help raise awareness about the challenges and triumphs of the disability community in Windsor-Essex and promote real accessibility and inclusiveness for all.
“Accessibility isn’t just about getting you in the door,” said Twyla. “It’s about where can you go once you are inside and are there any activities for you?”
Christine Easterbrook, chair of the Essex County Accessibility Advisory Committee, said we “are moving in the right direction” when it comes to a barrier-free society but that there is still much work to be done. She said raising awareness is key because that will lead to action that improves our community for everyone.
“People with disabilities are not defined by their disabilities so it is important to recognize and acknowledge the abilities and talents that we do have so that we can work on those and use those to make our society better,” said Easterbrook. “We are all on this journey together and we all have so much to give.”
Essex NDP MP Tracey Ramsey attended the event as did LaSalle Mayor Marc Bondy, Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain and Kingsville Deputy Mayor Gord Queen, a member of the Accessibility Advisory Committee.
“This is an important event to show community spirit and to show that we care about accessibility issues in our community and that we are taking them seriously,” said Ramsey.
Bondy praised Easterbrook and the other committee members for “kick starting a community conversation about accessibility and inclusiveness” and Queen said awareness is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the committee’s hard work and events like the walk.
“We are all different. It’s the one thing we have in common,” said Queen. “This walk is an amazing opportunity to celebrate our unique abilities.”
Disability support worker Katie Storrey said it was important to remember that not all disabilities are visible. It was her first time attending the walk and she said increasing awareness was crucial because many people still have a “big fear” about people with disabilities.
“It is the fear of the unknown, which is why events like this are so important,” she said. “Events like this give people the chance to become more a part of the community.”
Braeden’s other sister, Jocelyn, was buoyed by the emphasis municipalities and organizations are placing on fully accessible playgrounds. Her brother stopped going to parks when he began using a wheelchair but now, when he’s not busy dancing, he goes to playgrounds and loves it.
“It’s nice that there’s more awareness,” she said. “We still have a long way to go but it is better than it ever was.”
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