Posted by Sudbury Northern Life Reporter Sabrina Byrnes
The kick-off for the 3rd Annual Great Wheelchair Challenge campaign was held last week at Tom Davies Square with the important message of raising awareness and funds for the Independent Living Resource Centre.
Participants are asked to spend a full day or half day in a wheelchair and raise a minimum of $200 in pledges for the Centre.
Earl Black, chair of the Independent Living Resource Centre, addressed staff, members and the public on the importance of experiencing some of the barriers that are faced by those who are dependent on wheelchairs as their mobility, whether it be getting through doors, going down a hill, etc.
"Just a glimpse of what they have to face on a daily basis," said Black, about participating in the challenge.
While raising awareness is key, raising money is also important.
"Funds go towards helping individuals with disabilities who are using the wheelchairs, to be more independent in their lives," said Black.
Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann participated in the challenge last year and shared her experiences with the audience.
She said while she only spent a short time in a chair, it didn't take long for her to realize some of the barriers.
She recalled an experience where she was having a conversation with someone and when they were approached by another person, she was completely ignored. The conversation was above her head because she was not at eye level. She said it may not have been intentional, but it was done all the same.
"When I was in a chair last year, I had a choice. I could get up and walk away. Not so for these brave individuals," the councillor said.
Acting executive director for the centre, Rob DiMeglio, participated in the challenge for the first time last year as well. He said the challenge was fun, but it was definitely an eye-opener for him.
One of the challenges he faced was the fact that many counter-tops in stores were too high. He also found it difficult to get through doors.
DiMeglio, who is visually impaired and is assisted by a seeing eye dog, had the help of a friend that day to push his chair. He is looking forward to participating again this year and hopes to raise more money.
"The centre does so much for the environment, for the city and for the people, for people that are disabled and for people that aren't disabled," DiMeglio said.
He now has an added incentive to raise more pledges, as a new challenge has been set between the board and the staff of the centre.
If the board raises more money this year, DiMeglio agreed to wear an embarrassing outfit at the centre's Christmas party.
If the staff raises more money, vice-chair Craig Ticalo will shave his head on the International Day of Disabled Persons on Dec. 3.
The annual event is hoping to go national - Black has been appointed to the national board. As it stands, Sudbury is the only city that participates in the annual challenge and it is hoped the 26 other centres across Canada will soon participate, as well.
Mercedez Quinlan, a former employee of the centre and originator of the challenge, said she is very proud of how successful the event has become in the past couple of years.
Last year's event raised almost $17,000 and the goal is to hit the $20,000 mark for this year.
The challenge runs until Dec. 3 and everyone is encouraged to participate.
For more information phone 675-2121 or visit www.ilrcsudbury.ca
