Logo from the UN

By Emily Keller

international day of persons with disabilites

Grande Prairie to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Nov 29, 2019 | 5:30 AM

December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, or IDPD, and the Grande Prairie planning committee will be hosting a luncheon to mark the occasion.

It will run from 11:30 to 1 p.m. at the Montrose Cultural Centre in the Teresa Sargent Hall and will cost $10 per person. Tickets can be found here.

The event is to recognize and celebrate disabled members of the community and their allies. It will include the presentation of the Community Inclusion Award and guest speakers.

Mieke de Groot, the lead for the Grande Prairie IDPD planning committee as well as the Regional Program Coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury Alberta, says she hopes a takeaway from the event will be that those with disabilities are not limited by their disability.

“We have the potential of working and recovering, we have the potential of living productive lives, that we as a community can provide the necessary resources and community connections so that everyone in the room feels included and feels comfortable with one another.”

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

The guest speakers include Scott Hagarty, who previously completed formal education in Outdoor Recreation and Criminology/Criminal Justice, then worked for Parks Canada before joining the RCMP. Hagarty worked in many places around Alberta including Spirit River, where he was then transferred to Grande Prairie before being medically discharged from the RCMP due to being wounded while on duty. He currently works for the RCMP as a civilian forensic video technologist.

Larry Gibson will also be speaking. Gibson is an active board member of the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce, president of the local Muscular Dystrophy chapter in Grande Prairie and a member of the Grande Prairie community accessibility advisory committee.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was officially started in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly. The goal was to increase awareness of issues those with disabilities face around the world while promoting their well-being and rights.

de Groot says that while the weather here in Grande Prairie may not be ideal, she is still feeling good about the day.

“It’s a wonderful thing that in our time zone, everybody that can is celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities within a week of December 3 and then you go to another time zone and they’re doing it within the same week, and I think that that’s wonderful to imagine an entire world setting out to create an inclusive and welcoming community.”,