clockwise from top left: Editorial Team Members Tami Pedersen (Kamloops), Bryce Schaufelberger (Mission), Kara Anderson (Nanaimo), Chelsea Rinquinha (Kitimat) and Michael McLellan (Burnaby) connect from across the province to plan and create the Celebrate Diverse Abilities magazine.
A message from the Editorial Team
Thank you for reading the stories in this magazine about people who are self-advocacy leaders. When thinking about a theme for this edition, the Editorial Team, made up of self-advocates from around the province, talked about many ideas reflecting leadership.
One idea we had was to talk about CLBC’s 20th anniversary this year, and the role self-advocates played in helping CLBC to grow and improve. Twenty years ago, we helped create CLBC. Since that time, we have helped CLBC by being part of the Provincial Advisory Committee, Community Councils, the Editorial Board and by giving advice on many projects to improve services.
During the COVID pandemic, CLBC provided grants to self-advocacy groups around the province to support connection and invest in the leadership of the people CLBC serves. The stories in this magazine show how our groups are talking to leaders and being part of decisions.
But we still face challenges. Some people with disabilities do not see themselves as leaders. Many people in the community do not know what self-advocacy is and why it is important to support us. So we want to remind people.
Self-advocacy is a rights movement that started many years ago. It is made up of people who live with developmental disabilities who are working for the right to speak up and make life decisions without control. To be a self-advocate is to have a voice, to be respected, and to be equal partners in decisions that impact us.
When people take the time to listen and learn from us, they see that we have a lot to contribute and we can help make our communities better. We can also mentor younger people to become self-advocates.
So the theme we have chosen for this magazine is “Learning from B.C.’s Self-Advocacy Leaders.” The stories show that we have something to say. Many of the stories talk about us making presentations, being consulted, and being part of decision-making groups.
We hope these stories will encourage you to invite a self-advocate to make a presentation to your group soon!
Sincerely,
The Celebrate Diverse Abilities Magazine Editorial Team