From one end of the country to the other, people living with intellectual disabilities are inviting members of the public to celebrate with them the upcoming International Day for Persons with Disabilities.
In Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Cap Breton, Toronto, people affected by intellectual disabilities are extending an invitation under the heading Iam inviting you. Everyone is cordially invited to participate in a variety of activities along with other local residents and celebrities.
This is the first event of its kind for the L’Arche movement, which supports 29 communities across Canada.
In Canada, about one million people live with some kind of loss or significant impairment of their mental capacities.
This event is a unique opportunity for anyone and everyone to come and meet people rich in simplicity, people often very generous with their presence, spontaneity, and love of life: people who are, most definitely, whole persons.
Ken Milne, a member of L’Arche Vancouver for over 35 years, puts it this way: “I don’t like it when people, who don’t know me, talk about me only as someone who has a disability. My name is Ken, and I want people to say “Ken” when they talk about me.” The best way to change perceptions about intellectual disabilities is to meet these men and women on their home ground and to discover their individual stories.
A number of activities are planned: among others in the spotlight is the opening of a new home in L’Arche Joliette. The details will be posted L’Arche Canada International Day website at larche.ca/internationalday .
On the occasion of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, L’Arche Canada will be presenting a photo exhibit on intellectual disabilities in Haiti. On this Day, it is important to keep in mind that people living with intellectual disabilities are, all too often, still marginalized. They are among the first to be oppressed, or abandoned to fend for themselves, in countries suffering war or famine.
In 1964, Jean Vanier, son of the late Governor General of Canada, Georges P. Vanier, invited two people affected by intellectual disabilities to live with him in France. Thus, L’Arche was born. Today, L’Arche gives a voice and a face to more than 3,000 people living with intellectual disabilities in more than 35 countries.
For more information, contact
Jean-Louis Munn
Director of Communications
L’Arche Canada
Jean-Louis Munn
Directeur des communications
L’Arche Canada
514 476-1661
communications@larche.ca
