“Having a disability does not change who you are.
It changes your interaction with the world.” - Gina Martin
Breaking Through Barriers
There are 6.2 million of us (per Easter Seals Canada) in Canada identifying as living with a disability, while 88% of our Canadian population knows one or more people living with one. A disability can be defined as any condition that prevents a person from fully participating in life. Disabilities can be apparent or non-apparent to others and they can develop at any time. Some are present at birth; others develop from an accident, illness, aging, or from reasons unknown.
Despite being such a large part of our communities, people living with disabilities unfortunately often experience discrimination due to a lack of education and awareness by the general public. Diverse Abilities strives to empower individuals living with disabilities, while also educating others on the best ways to assist, interact and communicate with them.
Find out why people living with disabilities do the things they do, and discover the tools and devices they use to live their most confident lives. Learn about common misconceptions, and help break down the social barriers that prevent many from participating fully in life. Our programs provide education and training that is delivered by people with lived experience around disability. Our goal is to create more accessible and inclusive communities, one presentation at a time.
Our Programs
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Disability Awareness Programs & Training (aDAPT) is delivered in-person to groups all over lower Vancouver Island.
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Youth aDapt Disablity Awareness Programs & Training - focused on youth and delivered in-person to schools throughout lower Vancouver Island.
- Blind Skills Training for Individuals and Their Sighted Supporters provides one-on-one training that is tailored to each individual in order to maximize independence for those experiencing vision loss
Tools & Devices
Diverse Abilities recognizes that no two people have the same skills, resources, opportunities or support systems. Follow us on our social media for more information to learn about tools and devices that can facilitate the lives of people whose abilities differ from the mainstream.
In The News
Feature article
“Don’t grab us” Greater Victoria advocate teaches sight loss etiquette.
As seen in the In the Goldsteeam Gazette, Oak Bay News, Saanaich News and Victoria News
Christin Van Reeuwyk Senior Journalist
Black Press Media
See my Google Reviews
Diverse Abilities respectfully acknowledges that we work on and within the ancestral, unsurrendered, and unceded lands of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and WSANEC Nations.