For Your Information Summer 2008

INCLUSION IS CHILD'S PLAY
On May 3rd, a signature playground for children of all abilities was officially opened in Brewer Park, a regional city park in Ottawa.

The idea for the Rotary Centennial Playground came from a Rotary Group Study Exchange to Melbourne, Australia. Members of the team visited a similar playground, Hayes Paddock, which has been embraced by kids and their families across the city.

In 2005, the centennial of Rotary International, seven of Ottawa’s Rotary Clubs, in partnership with the City of Ottawa, began a renovation of the Brewer Park playground. The new design encourages children with and without disabilities to share space and play together. During the three-year renovation, old structures were replaced with accessible ones, and new structures were also added.

The playground features soft-fall surfaces, slides accessible by ramp, a wheelchairheight sandbox, themed play areas, gear panels, puzzle panels, talk tubes, communication symbols, crawl tunnels, colour breaks, swings, and sound and sensory panels.

In Ottawa and the surrounding area, there are more than 4,000 children with disabilities who can benefit from this playground. Eight-yearold Ryker Jeffrey, who has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair, and his sister Jenny, who has a rare disability, were present for the unveiling of the playground. Their mom, Whendi Jeffrey, says, “We don’t have much time to get out, but this park brings children with disabilities together and gives us an opportunity to talk about what we’re going through [with other families].”

In addition to the Rotary Clubs and the City of Ottawa, many individuals, charitable foundations and local businesses contributed to the success of the project. The smiles on the children’s faces show that the playground was well worth the effort.

For additional information about the Rotary Centennial Playground, visit www.rotaryplayground.ca. – Faye Porter, Founding Chair

BRAILLE STAMPS HAVE BITE!
In April, Canada Post released its first stamps featuring Braille. The stamps celebrate guide dogs and feature a Labrador Retriever, a breed commonly trained to be guides. Coming up in October: a stamp to support mental health. Each stamp will carry a 10-cent donation for the new Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health, announced in June. For additional information, visit www.canadapost.ca or your post office.

UN CONVENTION ENTERS INTO FORCE

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force on May 3. Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in December of 2006, the Convention articulates the rights of people with disabilities. According to the U.N. website, “Countries that join in the Convention engage themselves to develop and carry out policies, laws and administrative measures for securing the rights recognized in the Convention and abolish laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination.”
Rights upheld by the Convention include those related to health, employment, education, living conditions, access to buildings and public transportation, and equal recognition before the law.

As of Abilities’ press time, 129 countries (including Canada) had signed the Convention and 30 had ratified it. To read the full text of the Convention and find updates regarding the countries that have signed it, visit www.un.org/disabilities/.