“Having a disability does not change who you are.
It changes your interaction with the world.” - Gina Martin

Breaking Through Barriers with DEI Training and Accessibility Consulting

Diverse Abilities strives to empower individuals living with disabilities, while also educating others on the best ways to assist, interact and communicate with them.

With 6.2 million Canadians living with a disability, almost 88% of us know someone facing these challenges, according to Easter Seals Canada. Despite this, people living with disabilities unfortunately experience discrimination often, due to a lack of education and awareness. Canadian disability advocates are working tirelessly to bridge this gap, and with some reframing and intention everyone is able to do their part.

Delivered by people with lived experience around disability, our programs promote diversity and inclusion across workplaces, schools, senior centers, and communities. From in-depth training sessions to personalized consultations, we provide the tools and knowledge needed to create inclusive environments. Our in-person workshops in Victoria, Canada offer insights and strategies for creating more accessible environments by providing real-life examples of inclusion that yield positive results.

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 through the social barriers that prevent many from participating fully in life.

Our goal is to create more accessible and inclusive communities, one interaction at a time

There are four students sitting in a library talking. One person is using a wheelchair.

Our Programs

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Language (IDEAL) Team Building training is for staff members to gain confidence in communicating with and assisting people with disabilities or diverse abilities. Participants develop invaluable skills and knowledge for fostering accessibility and inclusion in their workplace.
Disability Awareness Practical & Training (aDAPT) is delivered in-person to groups all over lower Vancouver Island, and adjusted for communities, youth, seniors, or individuals experiencing vision loss.
As keynote speakers on diversity, we emphasize real-world tactics to promote inclusion in the workplace and share practical approaches to nurture inclusive cultures. Consider booking a keynote presentation for your DEI initiatives or for October, Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Tools & Devices Gina is standing at the front of her room demonstrating different tools to help with accessibility.

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 improve the lives of people whose abilities differ from the mainstream.

In The News

Featured in the article, “Don’t Grab Us” about sight loss etiquette by senior journalist Christine Van Reeuwyk for Black Press Media.
As seen in the Greater Victoria Advocate, Goldsteeam Gazette, Oak Bay News, Saanaich News, Ground News, The Free Press and Victoria News.

Podcasts

Blind Abilities podcast
Gina Martin’s Journey Towards Founding Diverse Abilities, Is A Testament To Resilience And Transformation

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/blind-abilities/id972152176?i=1000657608973

Speak Your Vision Podcast
How A True Understanding of Disability Can Change The World With Gina Martin

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/speak-your-vision/id1682415388?i=1000660708301

Life‘s a road trip with Scott Martin
"Diverse Abilities recognizes that no two people have the same skills, resources, opportunities or support systems."

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/lifes-a-road-trip/id1658423751?i=1000664484251

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.