Canadian hip hop musician Jay Ross will be the guest speaker at the December 2nd event. Photo courtesy Accessability Advisory Committee of Grande Prairie.

By Jeff Henson

IDPD

International Day of Persons with Disabilities luncheon in Grande Prairie next month

Nov 3, 2022 | 11:26 AM

Celebrating people with disabilities and those who support them is the focus of the annual Internation Day of Persons with Disabilities luncheon in Grande Prairie.

This year’s event is set for December 2 at Teresa Sargent hall in the Montrose Cultural Centre.

Peace region planning committee for IDPD member Mieke de Groot says the theme for this year’s luncheon is Removing Barriers: the future is accessible.

“Grande Prairie is breaking barriers – left right and center – although some people would argue that. The argument comes in “do they understand who owns the property that they can not cross because they are in a wheel chair or with the kind of walker that they have.” But the reality is that the City has done a good job in removing barriers, and they are committed to helping commercial property owners to remove barriers to accessability as well.”

de Groot adds they are excited to have Canadian hip-hop artist Jay Ross as their guest speaker.

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“What is interesting with Jay, other than the fact that he is a marvelous musician and that he is moving into (the film industry) as an actor, is that he was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, which has rendered him legally blind. So he is going to talk about how our resilience can help remove barriers. “

Tickets are $10 each and are available through EventBrite. But you only have until November 25 to order your tickets.

de Groot adds anyone that is facing transportation issues with getting to the event can call her at (780)-831-1091.

She says they are also now accepting nominations for the Inclusive Community award, which will also be presented at this event.

“We are looking for individuals, agencies, or employers. Basically we are looking for a person who leads a life in the spirit of acceptance and inclusion of others, regardless of who they are, where they come from, what they look like, how they speak, and how they move.”

This is the fifth year for the award, which is presented by the Accessability Advisory Committee of Grande Prairie.

de Groot adds they hope to expand the award to include more winners in the future.

But for that to happen, she adds they need more nominations, which she admitted are traditionally low.

The nomination deadline for the award is November 18.

You can find nomination forms by clicking here.