The Citizen, 2017-10-05, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017.
No limits, no excuses
By Julie Sawchuk
A prime encounter
Blyth's Julie Sawchuk recently had an opportunity to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as
he toured the Walton grounds of the International Plowing Match. Sawchuk, a member of the
match's accessibility committee, says she hopes the match impressed Trudeau with its level
of accessibility and innovation. (Photo submitted)
I don't usually wear a piece of
rubber around my wrist, it's not my
kind of fashion statement. This
one, "No Limits, No Excuses"
really struck a chord with me and
since it has been a month of
meeting people with tremendous
strength and accomplishing
amazing feats — I wear it.
The bracelet was given to me by
someone who goes by the
nickname "Lazylegz". His name is
Luca Patuelli. He's a 30 -something
Canadian hip-hop artist and
motivational entertainer who
dances for, and with, young people.
He was born with a neuromuscular
disorder and as a result he has little
strength in his legs. He uses arm
canes to help him walk and in his
dancing - but he can also do a
headstand. He was invited to
perform at the International
Plowing Match (IPM) in the
Education Tent — it was really
something to watch. After Luca's
performance I had a brief chance to
speak with him before he left for
his next gig at the Invictus Games.
He was thrilled to be a part of the
IPM in light of all the endeavours
for it to become as accessible as
possible.
The other people working with
the motto of "no excuses" were the
committee members and volunteers
whose task it was to make the IPM
accessible. With a budget as small
as $10,000 (which in the OPA
grand scheme of things this is not a
lot of money) we were able to
create features that allowed people
of all ages to come to the match,
enjoy the plowing, use a
washroom, get up on stage, park
beside the gate and get around
Tented City like never before. We
have received feedback from
people who truly appreciated the
changes, urging us to pass
along our ideas to ensure the
same standards for future matches
throughout the province.
The thing about outdoor events,
ones that "pop-up" and then
disappear is that they happen fast.
The IPM, Music in the Fields, the
Goderich Celtic Festival and the
upcoming Festival of Wizardry all
last for mere days. Although the
laws from the Accessibility for
Ontarians With Disabilities Act
(AODA) state that public outdoor
events must be accessible, features
have to be planned in advance
because the building inspector is
not going to come along and say
"this is not right — fix it". The tents
are gone long before that will ever
happen.
The funny thing is that it's not
that hard to figure out. There are
loads of provincial information
resources and guidelines created
with outdoor events in mind. And,
ask anyone with a disability what
will make attending the event
easier for them — they will tell you.
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Let's say that all these outdoor
events make changes and plan to
have their facilities accessible. This
means that one in seven people in
Ontario who have a disability can
now attend. Stop and think about
this - more people enjoying the
festivities and food will cause
revenues to increase. And not just
from that one in seven; they don't
come alone. They bring their
families and friends with them. So
although it may cost something to
plan for accessibility, in the end the
bottom line is increased enjoyment
for all.
It's my hope that Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau will read my blog
post about the IPM. I tweeted it to
him the day he came to try his hand
at plowing our Huron County soil —
the same day we met. Accessibility
is the law in Ontario and we've
proven that it can be done — even on
a budget. The voices of Charlene
O'Reilly and women of the IPM
accessibility team as well as the
support given by Jacquie Bishop
and the Huron County IPM
executive committee should be
heard by the higher ups — from the
Ontario Plowmen's Association to
the Prime Minister. No limits, no
excuses.
No excuses
One of the biggest attractions at the recent International
Plowing Match in Walton was performances by Luca
"Lazylegz" Patuelli, a hip-hop dancer with little strength in
his legs as a result of a neuromuscular disorder. (Photo
submitted)
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