Rewarding activities for people with disabilities
ConnecTra Society, Vancouver, BC:
linking people with physical disabilities to activities and programs.
ConnecTra's February workshop
ConnecTra's next workshop will be held on Wednesday, Feb.
15.
It will run from 1 – 3 pm at Vancouver’s Roundhouse
Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews – the intersection of Davie &
Pacific.) There is a fully accessible SkyTrain station, Yaletown-Roundhouse,
across the road.
So far we can confirm that Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (or PADS), Advanced Seating Products and the Wheelin' Eights Square Dance Group will be making presentations.
Women's tea
British Columbia Paraplegic Association is hosting their 9th annual women’s tea event on Sunday, Feb. 19. It will be held between 1pm and 4:30pm at Heritage Hall (3102 Main St., Vancouver).
Expo line-up
 The Abilities Expo event,
held at the Roundhouse
Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver) on Tuesday, April
10 will bring together people with disabilities and more than 30
service providers. It will be held from 12:30pm to 4:30pm, and admission is free.
Last
year’s event (pic above) drew a crowd of more than 150, and this year’s is going to be
bigger – so expect a vibrant, social gathering.
If you have any questions contact Steve Street: 604-688-6464 ext. 115 or sstreet@disabilityfoundation.org
Shine in the spotlight
Award-winning theatre company Realwheels and Vancouver Adapted Music Society are coming together to offer workshops for people with disabilities interested in the performing arts.
It will mix music, drama or dance – or any other imaginable means of telling a story on stage. No previous experience is required.
 Realwheels artistic director James Sanders (left) will be leading the weekly drop-in sessions, held at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre until April 25.
Describing it as 12 weeks of play and fun, Sanders says there could be improv games, scripted scenes, musical jams and dances supported by professional artists with disabilities. Participants will choose what they want to do at their own pace.
Sanders intends to spend around three months building a strong group of performers before beginning rehearsals for a production around April or June 2011.
Read more here – and to register or ask a question contact Realwheels at 604-322-7325 or info@realwheels.ca
ConnecTra Christmas pics online
Pictures from ConnecTra's December 2011 workshop, Christmas with Connectra, have been published to a page on our corner of Facebook.
The theme was travel and transportation for people with disabilities, including a presentation by Translink about accessible transit in Metro Vancouver and a talk by Flight Centre about accessible travel for those venturing further afield. There were also updates from HandyDart and Canadian Assisted Travel Society.
Are you in the picture?
New newsletter
Just published – ConnecTra's Fall 2011 newsletter.
 It’s packed full of news, views and information. This edition features an invitation to our Christmas meeting, an interview with ConnecTra member Monica Gartner about the launch of her new non-profit society that aims to make travel more accessible, along with an overview of the Neil Squire Society and SideStix crutches.
Check out our Facebook page for more info – or just to say hello!
Video launch
A rock video has been released to promote the talents of musicians with disabilities.
The latest Vancouver Adapted Music Society Music Saves video reworks the Crowbar classic, Oh What a
Feeling, against a backdrop of beautiful Vancouver locations. It features
VAMS musicians Jim Byrnes, Rolf Kempf, sylvi macCormac, Kristina Shelden, Bobbi Style and Dave
Symington – joined by Chin
Injeti, Kyprios, Dan Moxon, Odds, The Matinee, Randy Ponzio, Billy the Kid, Kuba Oms and Lola
Parks.
 And while you are at it, check out this behind-the-scenes interview with Vancouver's legendary bluesman Jim Byrnes, who stars in the release.
It is the latest in the award-winning series of Music Saves videos, produced by Vancouver Adapted Music Society in conjunction with Shore 104.3 FM.
Emergency calls questions
The Neil Squire Society wants your opinion on how the next generation of emergency services and alerts designed to work with mobile phones should work for people with disabilities.
If you have a disability – especially one that affects your dexterity or your ability to communicate – and are interested in making 911 emergency services and emergency alerts better, or at least ensure these services meet your needs, then have your say!
Find the survey here.
As a thank you, all participants who complete the survey will be entered in a draw for a $200 gift certificate to The Bay department store.
Afternoon tea picture gallery
Pictures of the Disabled Independent Gardeners Association's celebration of this year’s
harvest have been uploaded to the group's Facebook page.
 The event, an afternoon tea, was held at VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, in early November. Check out these, and other shots, over at the DIGA
Facebook page. You don't have to be signed-in, or even a member of Facebook,
to see the pictures.
In the picture?
We've just published pictures of ConnecTra's October workshop to our Facebook page. Are you in the picture?
TrailRider hiking video
Check out this latest video from British Columbia Mobility Opportunities Society (BCMOS), about their final TrailRider trek of the 2011 hiking season.
 It was also their most ambitious outing, a tough hike to Garibaldi Lake, a pristine spot just north of Vancouver BC, between Squamish and Whistler. But, as you will see, it was worth all that effort!
Pictures online
Pictures from ConnecTra's Aug 30 meeting are now on our Facebook page. Check them out!
Hiking centre opened
British Columbia Mobility Opportunities Society has opened a new hiking centre at Vancouver's at Pacific Spirit Regional Park - if you weren't there, or would like to learn more about hiking opportunities for people with disabilities, have a look at this news clip of the opening event.
 The launch, which drew media interest, makes it easier for BCMOS to continue to enable people with physical disabilities to explore the popular park - which boasts a network of trails through woodland and down to Spanish Banks.
For pictures of the event, take a look at the BCMOS facebook
page.
Moviemakers in the spotlight
Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture is commissioning five short films made by filmmakers with a disability to be featured in the Wide Angle Media Festival in March 2012.
The aim is to provide “a privileged glimpse of the world through the lens of the disability experience.” However, content can by “about anything under the sun, as seen by filmmakers with disabilities.”
Short films have to be submitted by December 1, and features by December 15.
Follow us on Facebook
ConnecTra now has a Facebook page. It's the ideal place to upload pictures of events - and there are 40 pics of June's meeting to start things off - and to chat and share resources. Check us out, if you are a Facebook user. Hit the like button to keep informed of posts. 
Vancouver boat donation website launched
The Disabled Sailing Association has just launched a website devoted to its boat donation program.
 The DSA’s boat donation program was founded in 2000, and is supported by Greater Vancouver’s top yacht brokers and surveyors. It’s a proven success – a valuable source of income for the program.
The DSA operates a fleet of eight Martin 16 sailboats that have been specially designed for people with disabilities, as they can be operated using a joystick or mouth controls.
Donated boats are sold. They are a source of income, not program boats. The boat donation program has been well supported over the years for a couple of reasons: people’s generosity, the fact that boat donors receive a tax receipt for 100 per cent of the value of their vessel, and that donating a boat is a lot quicker and easier than selling.
Latest newsletter
Just published – the spring/summer ConnecTra newsletter.
 The newsletter features an account of longtime ConnecTra member Elaine Lee, who is an accomplished and acclaimed artist. It also lists a variety of adventurous experiences and leisure options for people with disabilities this summer – hiking, kayaking, gliding, sailing, gardening and a concert.
And there’s a complete page of pictures of Abilities Expo, held by ConnecTra in April. With 30 organizations contributing, a dozen presentations and more than 200 participants it’s something to be celebrated.
Expo video on YouTube
We've just uploaded a brief video of ConnecTra's Abilities Exp 2011 event to YouTube. Clocking in at slightly less than one-and-a-half minutes, it gives a taste of the event, held back in April. Enjoy!
Workshop access
The Tetra Society is opening up its new Vancouver workshop to provide a unique opportunity for people with disabilities to learn and practice craft skills.
 Tetra opened the 620-square-foot, fully equipped, fully accessible workshop in June 2010. Based at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre (818 West 10th St., Vancouver) it features a radial saw, band saw, lathes, drill press and a variety of hand tools for its own.
Tetra engineers are offering classes for those interested in learning how to use various pieces of workshop equipment to produce craft projects such as jigsaw puzzles, bird feeders and toys. Participants can determine their own personal projects.
If you want to take part in future sessions, contact the Tetra volunteers as soon as possible.
Recording studio open
Vancouver Adapted Music Society (VAMS) operates the province’s - and possibly Canada's - most accessible studio for musicians with disabilities.
Built at Vancouver’s GF Strong Rehab. Centre (4255 Laurel St., Vancouver, BC) the studio allows playing, composition and multi-track recordings – in 24-bit, 96 khz DVD-quality audio. It was built by Vancouver music scene veteran Bobbi Style of the Access 2 Foundation.
 Late last year, VAMS launched a
music video aimed at promoting the talents of musicians with disabilities, which can be seen on
YouTube.
The studio, however, is available for people with all levels of musical ability.
An archive of previous news coverage can be found here.
The ConnecTra Society thanks the British Columbia Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance for their ongoing support.
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