On April 28, 2016, Langley Pos-Abilities Society participated in the Diversity Conference in Coquitlam.
Here are some of the feedback responses we received:
- Great presentation – Thank You
- I gained such a different perspective when I had the opportunity to Try On a Disability
- I have a better understanding of what a person with a mental illness deals with everyday
- Be mindful of people with disabilities not just mentally but also physically but put myself in others shoes
- Changing disabilities into possibilities
- Becoming aware of what it might be like to hear voices and try to engage socially
- Being in the wheelchair gave me insight into how challenging it would be to get around
- The voice experiment had a huge impact. It was disturbing to believe a person could function in that state
- The demonstration where the woman was hearing voices was so enlightening for me because my cousin had schizophrenia and it gave me a deeper understanding of his struggles – it was heartbreaking.
- Awareness
- See the person not the disability
- Address people by name in a social setting when talking to people who are blind
- If you want to help – introduce yourself and ask if they need help
- Being a disabled person vs. a person who has a disability
- I learned about the many types of blindness
- Independence for people with disability
- Assistance and accessibility
- Try on a disability – understanding limitations and overcoming
- Understanding mental health
- I learned how to get involved in PosAbilities Society
- For a blind person in group conversation, address who you are as a speaker
- Mental health example of voices was impactful
- The presentation gave me insight into the isolation and segregation experienced by someone living with a disability
- Although I have done sensitivity training before for mental health issues, I really appreciated the opportunity to try on a disability. It definitely made me more mindful and aware of the challenges people with disabilities face and the little things I may be able to do to help
- It inspired me to be a PADS volunteer
- It is very difficult to understand how a person with a certain type of disability feels. The exercises of trying on a disability are the best option to learn for those of us who are fortunate not to have disability
- Person first – disability last
- Mental health and hearing voices exercise very insightful
- The mental health exercise was hard to see as so many our clients deal with this
- When dealing with a client with a barrier I will ask to understand how this impacts them in their daily life to try and understand how to assist our client better. Eye opening when it came to daily tasks when you have a barrier
- Mental Illness Exercise was amazing. In all my training and experience I have never experienced or observed such an impactful demonstration – very insightful.
- Excellent presentation, demonstration, and exercises