CLBC Start with Hi and Stay Connected

We want to hear from you! If you have lived or are living in home sharing, if you are a family member of someone with home sharing experience, or if you are providing home sharing supports, please take this survey to help us make improvements when it comes to referrals and crisis response. Survey link: https://survey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eldXDuH2cFTpTr7

Birgit Giesser, Music Therapist with Ridge Meadows Association for Community Living is being recognized with a CLBC WOW Award for transforming her centre-based music therapy program to a mobile and digital outreach service. Knowing the importance of making sure people were not feeling isolated during this time, Birgit worked out of her car to connect with individuals, meeting people for sessions outside in parks, backyards and carports. Birgit developed an instrument loaner ...library to make sure individuals could continue with their music program from home. Read more about Birgit and all of this year's Widening Our World (WOW) Winners here: https://www.communitylivingbc.ca/provincial-pro/wow-awards/

The Self Advocate Leadership Network (SALN) wanted to lead a conversation about the words and language that are used to refer to people with disabilities. SALN and their supporters spent time working through a process to think about this conversation and created a report to share in hopes that it could help people think more deeply about the importance of language. Click the link below to read the full report:... https://salnbc.com//SALN-Thinking-About-Language-August-20

Laura Campbell is one of this year's CLBC Widening Our World (WOW) Award winners who are being recognized for helping keep others connected and included during the COVID-19 pandemic. Laura coordinates community inclusion day services for adults with diverse abilities at Integra Support Services's Good Neighbours program. When the program had to close due to the pandemic, Laura used her experience with technology to coordinate virtual programming, such as online cooking classes, Zumba and Zoom meet-ups, and at home kits to keep people connected with the program and their networks. Learn more about Laura, and all the winners, here: https://www.communitylivingbc.ca/provincial-pro/wow-awards/

Submit your story for the next Celebrate Diverse ABILITIES magazine! The CLBC Editorial Board is looking for stories for the next edition of the Celebrate Diverse ABILITIES magazine which will be published early in the new year. We are looking for 250-word stories about ways people with diverse abilities are staying strong and connected during the fall and winter months of COVID-19. Story submissions will be accepted until Monday, November 23. Selected authors will be paid $1...00 for their story and photo to be published in the print and online edition of the magazine. Interested authors please email your submission (with photos) to [email protected]. Please share this with anyone you know who may be interested in sharing their story.