Accessible Widget

October 19, 2010

Love Bytes: What is the Right to Love Group?

Wow, over the summer we worked on our stories about the Right to Love. We hope to post our stories on you tube. For now, take a look at why we started and why the right to love is so important to us! Whether you are lesbian, gay, straight, transgendered, bisexual, queer...everyone has the right to love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhrFdIFqSHU

October 18, 2010

Our Vote 2010: City of Calgary Election

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
People with disabilities vote despite candidates' failure to address concerns
Thursday October 14th at 4:30 pm City Hall

Members of Calgary’s Disability Action Hall agree that poverty is a major concern for persons with disabilities in this city, one that most candidates fall short of addressing. Despite our disappointment, people with disabilities will once again take part in advance polls on Thursday, October 14th at City Hall. Going as a group is one way we tell candidates people with disabilities have representation and a voice.

Recently the Disability Action Hall, a group of self-advocates and their allies who work on improving quality of life and living standards for people with disabilities and their communities, evaluated the mayoral candidates in the upcoming Calgary civic election. Their evaluation was based on their vision for healthy individuals, families and communities and the five priorities defined by the group as integral to their needs: the right to gather as citizens, the right to access city services, affordable public transportation, disability culture and the arts, and affordable safe homes for all.

Hall members were disappointed with mayoral candidates' stance on issues impacting people with disabilities. Three quarters of the candidates scored below 15% on the Disability Action Hall’s scale. The group also noted that several candidates with aldermanic experience who claim to support the low income transit options voted against it in council. Another overlooked issue not addressed by mayoral candidates is working with our province on rent control.

The Disability Action Hall believes that for Calgary to be a truly vibrant and sustainable city, it must address the needs of its entire people. It encourages candidates to develop policies and plans that eradicate poverty and promote full citizenship. “I wish people would get off business and talk about poverty,” said member Tom Brisbin. “We don’t know if these people know enough about disabilities. We were really disappointed Kent Hehr dropped out of the race, as he took the time to hear our issues about living in a city with a disability.”

The Disability Action Hall is a group of Calgarians with disabilities and allies who have told their stories, taken action and changed lives since 1998.
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September 20, 2010

Voting in Calgary

Hi there folks who want to vote!

Well the official runners in the election are in today.

Some of you were asking about going as a group together. You can go to any of these locations provided you show up for an advanced vote date between the 6-14 from Noon to 7 pm. One date the Hall may consider is Thursday October 11 at City Hall. Let us know if this date works so we can plan our meeting around voting.

Please bring photo id (if you have it) or government issued id like the AISH card. Even if you don’t have photo id but an AISH card, you can vote! We are hoping to rectify this on the 311 website as one of our members was told they couldn’t, they are wrong.

ID that is accepted in listed on this link: http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_780_237_0_43/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/City+Clerks+Department/Election+and+Information+Services/2010+General+Election/Requirements+of++Voter+Identification+.htm

Here are the places you can do an advanced photo:

http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_780_237_0_43/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/City+Clerks+Department/Election+and+Information+Services/2010+General+Election/Advance+Vote.htm

There are also a whack of facebook groups out there. One in particular is Calgary Civic Election 2010 http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/Calgary2010Election?v=wall&ref=ts

Also, no idea who to vote for? Visit the www.calgarydemocracy.ca website and to also learn about all the mayoral debates going on.

July 12, 2010

Annual gathering and candle light vigil


Join us for our annual picnic.
This year we will acknowledging those who have passed away in the disability community from abuse.
Meet and greet 5-7 pm
Candlelight Vigil 6:30 pm
Please call 403.717.7630 for more information or email us at actionhall@calgaryscope.org
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July 6, 2010

Calgary Elections! Questions for our future mayor and alderman



Disability Action Hall has these questions for our future alderman and mayor!

What is the Right to Love Group?

The Right to Love Group!
We are proud to be sexy!!! One group member says all he had heard about is how wrong it is to love. Many of our members have only been able to define our birth as a part of our sexuality. Some people in our group have never been kissed. We believe if our community learns to support our right to love, we will be able to reduce our r changes of abuse and create fulfilling relationships with people we love and care about.

Q. What is the Right to Love Group?

Since as long as we can remember the Disability Action Hall has been talking about our right to love. We have joined in a partnership with the Calgary Sexual Health Centre and together and we hope to be challenging attitudes about our right to love. We believe everyone is a sexual human being and deserves to educate and supported. Some of us experience lip services saying it is okay to date. Other are told overnight guest are against fire regulations or to talk to our parents. Really? Talk to our parents?
We are a group of people with disabilities who want to change attitudes about our right to love.
We want to talk about healthy sexuality into the everyday world and celebrate our sexuality.
We are a group that came out of the Disability Action Hall and for the next three years we will be painting the town red with love

Q. What has the Right to Love Group done so far?
Last Valentine’s day we celebrated at Broken City. We had over 45 people join us, dance and celebrate in our right to love. We are very excited about an upcoming photo shoot to help launch our Radical Love Tour.

Q What are your plans?
We have big plans! Our plan is to work with allies, parents and organisations who are supportive our right to love. We especially enjoyed the opportunity to audit and provide feedback to a course taught by the Calgary Sexual Health Centre on how caregivers can help support us in our right to love. We will also be taking a few courses about love in the next couple of weeks. We are getting educated and excited about creating spaces for dating, friendship and in the minds of all Albertans.

How can people join you and learn more about the Right to Love?

You can call us at the Disability Action Hall at 403.717.7630 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 403.717.7630 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, check out our website www.actionhall.ca or visit our facebook group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calgary-AB/Right-To-Love-Group/312222725495 If you want to learn more about the Calgary Sexual Health Centre please call 403.283.5580 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 403.283.5580 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit www.calgarysexualhealth.ca And don’t forget to come to Speak Out 12 where all Calgarians will be joining us in song and dance and painting the town red about love!

May 31, 2010

Map and program for Speak Out 12

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Join us for Speak Out 12! The Right to Love
Free food, music and entertainment!

Friday June 4 2010 from 12 t0 2 pm!

Olympic Plaza 255 8th Avenue SE

Call 403.717.7630 for more information

April 20, 2010

Right to Love photo shoot



We are getting ready to share our excitement! Celebrating the Right to Love at this year's Speak Out 12 - at Olympic Plaza on Friday, June 4th, 2010.

Stay tuned for more great photos and news!!! Or visit our album right now by clicking on album to see all the fun we had on the photo shoot! What a great day it was for weather, smiles, radical steps towards love for all!

Thanks to Mary, Ian, Thomas, Jennifer, Carla, Oscar, Olga, Kosahn, Nicole, Amanda and Lacey for all your hard work.

What a blast!


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March 18, 2010

Handing over messages for MLAs to protect public services




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Join Together Alberta Provincial Aciton



The Disability Action Hall hand delivered messages from women living in Edmonton, people with disabilities and support workers to protect the social fabric of Alberta.
We met Jerry Toews and are very excited about the provincial message to hand deliver the 3 km message to MLAs. Stay tuned.
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March 17, 2010

Services We Need, rally at the legislature


Saving our service that we need.
The Disability Acton Hall is very concerned about the cuts to services.
If you would like to join us and 3000 Albertans to deliver a 3 km message to MLAs,
visit the Join Together Alberta website
www.jointogetheralberta.ca

See you at the leg Saturday March 20th, 2010