Blogger > Kristian Partington

“A community is a place or group where people experience a sense of belonging and respect each other’s differences. People have similar opportunities, care about each other and work together to find solutions.”

This thought comes from the mind of John Draper, the founder of Together We Rock! and a good friend of mine from my days studying journalism at Oshawa’s Durham College. It’s a concept that has mapped the course of his life which he dedicates almost entirely to educating others about the creation of accessible and inclusive communities.

He brought together a small community on the night of May 4 at the Robert McGlaughlin Gallery in downtown Oshawa for LIVE30, and event where participants discussed ways in which everyone can work to alter perceptions and break down the stereotypes and prejudices that are the obstacles of inclusion.

It was a diverse group; educators, students, social workers and media types all listened to the story of John’s experience as a person who never accepted anything but full inclusion in his community. When John was born, his brain was starved for oxygen and cerebral palsy has always affected his mobility and his ability to speak.

But it never affected his passion and lust for life, nor his compassion, intelligence and desire to use his many gifts and talents to help others know what a truly inclusive community is. We heard his story then broke into small groups and challenged each other to come up with a list of 30 things we could do that would help foster the spirit of inclusion.

Talking to others about language and word choice, for example, or encouraging local businesses to understand the benefits of inclusive hiring; these types of ideas were discussed. We shared our ideas, and we shared a common commitment to offer ourselves to the cause of inclusion.

I asked him afterwards about the root of his message.

“Accessibility and inclusion are not a disability issue,” he says, “It’s a community issue. Eliminating barriers and finding solutions is not solely reserved for disability advocates and politicians; it requires all of us to inspire change in our workplaces, family life and community.”

That night I couldn’t help but think about the first time I met John in an auditorium on one of the first days of journalism school at Durham. I remember others talking about this guy who couldn’t speak and was spastic in his movements from the seat of his electric wheelchair. They wondered what he was doing in our class.

I’m a storyteller, and I wanted to learn his story. I figured if he was in the class he had skill and something to offer, and from pretty much the instant I introduced myself we were friends. We hung out at the pub and tried to talk about school, but mostly talked about life.

We graduated; most of the other people in attendance that first day did not.

Without intending to throughout these past 11 years, he’s taught me what inclusion means and I know that in each of us lies the power to make a difference. LIVE30 once again reminded me.

Visit www.togetherwerock.com to learn more about John and his work towards the creation of more inclusive communities.

If you have questions or comments, please contact 800-294-0051, ext. 24, or e-mail kristian(at)axiomnews.ca.

Axiom News provides Stakeholder News Services to Community Living Ontario. This article was originally published to the organization's online news service. If you would like to learn more about our Stakeholder News Services, contact peter@axiomnews.ca.