Watching out for Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Thank you to all who joined us for the Holiday Party! Have a great winter break.

To see more photos, click here

Dec 2nd Celebrating International Day of Disabled Persons at Centre Street Church. Free event! Everyone welcome!

The Hall has been super busy working towards Disability Pride and Culture this month. We are excited to participate in the International Day of Disabled Persons Event held this year at Centre Street Church. 

Mary Salvani will be reading some poems about the Right to Love and If Disability Were a Person. We also look forward to the BC Artist and Activist  Jan Derbyshire. View amateur video of Jan at BC's 2010 International Day of Disabled Persons's Event.

The event is hosted by Bindu Suri, Journalist & Anchor for Global Television, and features the magnificent comic Jan Derbyshire. The event will include:

• Award presentation to a local business who has had a significant impact on persons with a disability in an Employment setting
• An information fair featuring local businesses
• Performances by local artists with a disability
• A performance by Renfrew Educational Services Children's Choir
• Displays about disability services and organizations
• Art display and show by local artists
• Interactive user friendly sessions open and accessible to all ages and abilities including: Seated Yoga, Seated Fitness and Wheelchair Ballroom Dancing

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations. The annual observance draws attention to the many ways in which those with disabilities enrich our communities. It also increases awareness and understanding of disability issues and trends, and helps to mobilize support for practical action at all levels by, with and for persons with disabilities. This year's theme is "Together for a better world for all."

The event in Calgary is one of many other celebrations taking place across Alberta, Canada and worldwide that brings together persons with a disability and the general community and aims to:

• Showcase the skills, abilities, contributions and achievements of persons with a disability
• Promote a positive image of persons with a disability
• Involve persons with a disability and the broader community in activities to celebrate and raise awareness of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Speak Out 11 Photos "Right to Home"

What an amazing day and gathering of community at Olympic Plaza on Friday June 3rd celebrating safe, affordable, accessible and disaiblity friendly ideas to help us all feel like citizens.

Pictured perfoming is Momo Mixed Ability Dance Theatre and long time disability activist Thomas Poulsen. We are also joined by former Alderman Joe Ceci who is now the Intercity Social Forum ; part of a provincial wide effort to create a provincial plan to eradicate poverty, MLA Kent Hehr and Constable Desmoreau recieving an award from the City Diverstiy Unit on behalf of the Connect Family and Abuse Phone line; helping people with disabilities feel safe in our homes. (403.237.5888)

Awards were also presented to the Dr. Vernon Fannning Centre for the Overnight Suite, MLA Cal Dallas for Motion 505 on Visit-Ability and to the Women's Centre who remains to be an outstanding leader in a street front welcoming environment and resource for Calgarians.

Food and drinks were made possible by 'Spolumbos Fine Food & Deli' and 'Shoppers Drug Mart'.

Thank you to everyone who made this day a day to remember!

Media Advisory, save the date for Speak Out Thurs June 2nd and Friday June 3rd

Media Advisory Thursday May 25^th, 2011

For immediate release, Calgary, Alberta

RE: Annual Speak Out Festival “Right to Home”

There’s No Place like Home! Will just be one of the many messages chanted during the annual “Speak Out” festival for June 2^nd and 3^rd in Calgary, Alberta. Members of the Disability Community and home enthusiasts are gearing up for this year’s Speak Out “Right to Home”. We are asking Albertans to save the date and help us come celebrate June 2^nd and June 3^rd! Mayor Naheed Nenshi has officially proclaimed Friday June 3^rd as Speak Out Day! This year we will be celebrating innovative home ideas that are friendly, affordable, accessible and available for citizens with disabilities.

-           We will kick off the celebrations beginning Thursday June 2^nd at Arts Central for 1^st Thursdays in the Calgary Arts Development office. Join us as we share an evening of poster making and conversations about the ‘Right to home” from 5-8 pm at 100, 7^th Avenue SW.

-           The following day at Olympic Plaza (208, 8^th Avenue SE) Friday June 3^rd it is our 13^th annual “Speak Out” and former alderman Joe Ceci, chair of the provincial wide task force for a provincial poverty strategy will kick off the ceremonies.  Mr. Ceci and many esteemed presenters will give a warm welcome to out of town guests from all around Alberta; Edmonton, Red Deer and Southern Alberta  as we celebrate “What make a house a home” for people from the Disability Community.

To also make this a day to remember and that there is “No place like home”, enjoy the creative performance and awards celebration honouring good housing ideas in our city that help people with disabilities feel safe and truly engage into community. Also joining us for our celebration of awards will be Momo Mixed Ability Dance Theatre.

Join us as we parade around the reflection pool and also come to chow down with this year’s food sponsor Spolumbo’s.  The event is free , everyone is welcome and please wear purple!!!

Contact info:

For more information and to learn more about Speak Out 2011, please contact the Disability Action Hall at 403.717.7630, email actionhall@calgaryscope.org and visit our website at www.actionhall.ca  or www.proudtobedisabled.com

1 week to go, come celebrate your pride early!!!! Westin Saturday! B there or b Square

So excited.... only 1 week left until Speak Out!!!.
And why not get started early with pride? 
Check out the global campaign "I am equal" 

Celebrating everyone has the right to a home

The countdown continues...

 

We are only two weeks away from our annual celebration "Speak Out". This years theme is the Right to Home and we are encouraging all attendees to come out and show your support for everyone to have the "Right to Home."

When we asked Disability Action Hall members what does the "Right to Home" mean to you... here is what people said...

“ABOUT THE RIGHT 2 HOME... We are citizens with developmental disabilities. Like all citizens, we deserve certain rights in our homes. We deserve the right...

·         To choose where we live.

·         To have our homes safe, affordable, accessible and disability friendly

·         To have enough money to afford a decent place to live.

·         To feel safe and be free from abuse.

·         To make personal choices about our diet, what we do in our home, its cleanliness, and so on.

·         To choose who comes into our homes, including friends, family, and support staff.

·         To get the support we need and to know what support we can get.

·         To have privacy.

·         To choose if and with whom we share our home (including children and pets), and to decide together how we will share.

·         To know our rights.

·         To know what to do if we are unhappy.”

Speak Out Friday June 3rd at Olympic Plaza 12-2 pm! Join us!

Right to Home Speak Out 2011 Call out to community

Greetings Friends and Community Partners of the Disability Action Hall,

Invitation to Speak Out 2011: Right 2 Home

It’s that time of year again where the Disability Action Hall is celebrating Speak Out 2011’ at the Olympic Plaza Cultural District. It is our lucky thirteenth celebration. This year we celebrate the “Right 2 a Home”. Please join us as we honour spaces and places that help Albertans feel at home. If you would like to take part in the celebration we are calling out for artists, community booths, speakers and to help nominated places we celebrate and would love to live.

·      The festivities begin on Thursday, June 2^nd at Arts Central from 5-8 pm where everyone in our city is invited to an art exhibit on celebrated spaces and places by people with disabilities in the gallery. Join us for some poster making and arts display.

·      And on Friday June 3^rd, join us for an incredible lunch hour at Olympic Plaza from 12 till 2 pm where we give out awards, food, speeches and enjoy music.  We expect anywhere from 150 to 250 people to come out to the celebration. Among the honoured guests who attend are artists, local politicians and people from around the province. It’s a FREE EVENT and everyone is welcome.

For more information and if you would like to share how you would like to be a part of this years’ celebration, please contact us at 403.717.7630, email actionhall@calgaryscope.org. And watch for our announcement in the near future, visit www.actionhall.ca

Please contact us by April 30^th with your ideas, enthusiasm and nominations!

Warmest regards,

Members of the Disability Action Hall

Hear from Trevor about his 1188 Challenge!

Stay tuned! Its almost been a month since Trevor has taken on the 1188 Challenge.

Watch this Thursday's FFWD to hear about the hows it been!

AISH Campaign 2011: 1188 Challenge in FFWD Weekly

AISH Campaign 2011: 1188 Challenge in FFWD Weekly to read more about what it is like to live on AISH. How's Trevor doing living on 1188, read some more!

Celebrating 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day

Disability Action Hall Members joined in solidarity for the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. We read out a speech, read 'I am a person' poem. Featured below are links to the poem, media coverage and photos...

Our statement for International Women's Day (read out by Ian Gordon and Brad Robertson)

Members of the Disability Action Hall stand in solidarity for the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. Our message is a ray of hope. Hope for all Albertans to live without poverty...

$1188 a month is not enough money to live on; the rates need to go up to the cost living, so people with disabilities can live a good life like everyone else. 

-People with disabilities are more than likely to be abused and live in poverty; Many of us live on AISH and people in poverty should not be abused. 

-People should have a choice on where to live and not live in a place to be abused. 

We encourage you to learn about these numbers:

39        39% of adult Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of sexual assault since the age of sixteen.

42        42% of women with disabilities have been or are in abusive intimate partner relationships.

58        58%  Alberta had the second highest rate of violence against women in Canada

1188     $ 1188 is what many of us try to live on month to month. Some of us don’t make it.

41,000  Is the number of Albertans living on AISH.

347      $ 347 dollars a month more is what it will take to help Albertans living on AISH to be above the poverty line.

1          Is all it takes... You to help raise awareness...violence and poverty no more for people with disabilities.  Learn about the 1188 challenge and fill out a postcard today. Without you. Without us. There is no hope. Hope for life above the poverty line. Happy International Women’s Day everyone! 

I AM A PERSON (read by Sue Bente, written by Mary Salvani)

 I am a person, who happens to have a disability,
A lot of people see me as one who has no capability.

I am a person, who has got good caring heart,
Who has remained unseen right from the start.

I am a person who has finished school,
where I learned that teachers and peers see me as a fool.

I am a person who feels hurt every day,
Because people say mean things and smack me out of the way.

I am a person who deserves to be fed.
Not sent away every night hungry and off to bed.

I am a person whose sexual boundaries have been broken leaving a void inside me,
That has kept me as a prisoner instead letting me be free.

I am a person who deserves to be treated with dignity, honor, and respect, Instead I feel like I am a reject.

I am a person who feels broken into pieces like is a puzzle,
because the words inside me had been muzzled.

I am a person who deserves to be treated well,
Instead I am living inside a jail cell.

I am a person who needs to be heard.
Yet no one has stopped and cared enough to listen to any of my words. 

Media Coverage

Photos of International Women's Day rally at Harry Hays by Colleen Huston



Calgary Journal on rally by Laura Wershler 


CBC (scroll to minute 16) News Coverage