2024 Capable Con Returns to Venture North On June 1 to Cap Off National AccessAbility Week

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The Council for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) has launched the return of Capable Con, a family-friendly free event that was announced at the Venture North Building on Tuesday morning.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Venture North Parking lot on June 1, the final day of National AccessAbility week.

Capable Con features fun activities, vendors, and live entertainment while promoting and creating healthy dialogues about inclusivity and accessibility.

“That's what we're aiming for: have fun, be engaged, learn, ask questions and just really enjoy themselves,” said Jason King, CPD marketing and programming coordinator.

Attendees have a chance to experience CPD's innovative Virtual Reality Simulation of the Time in My Shoes Program, offering a firsthand perspective on the daily challenges many individuals face.

“Disability touches every aspect of life and it's crucial that we ensure equal opportunities for all individuals, whether it's access to services, inclusive environments, or employment opportunities,” said Cody McIntyre, CPD Council Vice Chair.

The inaugural event launched in 2022. King says it is getting bigger and better each year with new annual features.

“Canopy Services is bringing their sensory tent to check out,” he explained.” It's designed to give you some place peaceful where you can have a weighted blanket or some textured items, noise-cancelling headphones, whatever you might need to calm yourself and relax. It's a really big deal when it comes to people with autism or with other types of intellectual challenges. 

Since the event’s inception, Capable Con has been bringing back its ‘Capable Crew,’ a team of everyday superheroes with disabilities who will visit various organizations to celebrate the community's diverse tapestry and promote inclusivity.

The following are the characters showcased for Capable Con:

  • Scout and traveller, a hero with vision loss and his guide dog

  • Amanda Auriel, a hero with hearing loss but can read body signals and lips to capture words spoken. She uses a skateboard with her name spelled out in sign language.

  • Power Pals Jordan and Jamie who are on the autism spectrum. They possess the power of hyper-focus, unconventional outlooks, pattern recognition, great memory and recall.

  • Bionica Bot, an amputee gymnast with interchangeable parts for her arm to suit the task at hand.

  • Cruze, a hero able to navigate anywhere with the power of his unique wheelchair

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JA-NEO and CPD Partner To Launch Accessible Welding Program at Fleming College

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Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA-NEO) and the Council for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) have launched the Accessible Welding Program in partnership with Employment Ontario and Fleming College on Tuesday morning.

Photo courtesy of JA-NEO.

The program is aimed at creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities to pursue careers in the skilled trades according to a press release.

The initiative aims to address the underrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in the trades by providing accessible training and support.

“We are thrilled to launch this innovative program in partnership with the Council for Persons with Disabilities, Employment Ontario and Fleming College,” said John McNutt, JA-NEO president and CEO. “By fostering inclusivity and accessibility in the skilled trades, we can unlock the potential of individuals with disabilities and strengthen our workforce.”

The specialized curriculum will have tailored support services for the participants as they will gain the skills and confidence needed to thrive in the welding profession.

“We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to pursue their career aspirations, regardless of disability," said Rachel Quilty of CPD. “Through the Accessible Welding Program, we aim to dismantle barriers and create pathways to success for individuals with disabilities in the trades.”

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Council for Persons with Disabilities Launches Second-Annual Capable Con For June 3

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Disability awareness and equality are coming back in a family-friendly event as the Council for Persons With Disabilities (CPD) has launched its second-annual Capable Con set for June 3, announced at the Venture North Building on Wednesday.

(FrOm left to right) Rachel Quilty, CPD event facilitator; Jason King; Zaun, King’s seeing-eye dog; Leslie Yee, CPD vice chair and Akira, Yee’s guide dog. The Capable Crew was created and illustrated by local artist Mariah Yee. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

This event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Millennium Park, taking place during the last day of National AccessAbility Week. It is a free, educational convention and designed to create open, healthy dialogues about disabilities and accessibility according to Leslie Yee, CPD vice chair.

“Disability is all around us and interconnected to everything,” she said. “Every person deserves a fair and equal chance, be it access to services they need, accessible sidewalks, or home and job opportunities.”

Fictional characters known as ‘The Capable Crew’, are returning to the con as a group of everyday superheroes with disabilities. They will circulate around schools and other business locations to celebrate the differences in our community to create safe spaces to learn, share and promote inclusivity according to a press release. Anyone is encouraged to take photos with the Crew and post them to social media using the hashtag #CapableCon2023.

The convention consists of scavenger hunt missions, arts and crafts, giant board games, educational activities, sports demonstrations stage entertainment, interactive and inclusive games, draw prizes and more. Irish Millie was announced as one of the live music acts performing at the event.

A virtual relation simulation is being featured called the CPD’s Time in My Shoes Program. It is an experiential learning program that simulates the daily challenges while having a disability.

“At CPD, we recognize that disabilities can be a person’s superpower and we hope that we can create an inclusive and celebratory environment bringing the community together,” said Rachel Quilty, CPD event facilitator. “I encourage all residents to plan on joining us on June 3 from 10 a.m – 2 p.m. for a day of fun, education and celebration!”

For more information, visit the Capable Con website.

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Peterborough to Host Inclusive Sport and Recreation Expo

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The City of Peterborough is hosting the Inclusive Sport and Recreation Expo, promoting inclusion and participation in sports and recreation in the community at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre on Nov. 19.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

In partnership with the Council for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the free event will run from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The CPD strives to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities in Peterborough by promoting equality, opportunity and inclusion and advocating to increase community capacity.

The expo is set to bring together the community of sport and recreation organizations and highlight/promote inclusiveness and participation for people of all abilities.

Families will have the opportunity to learn more about inclusivity in sport and recreation through demonstrations and peer engagement with local recreation groups. The event will include prizes, activities and a free swim.

The Inclusive Sport and Recreation Expo will feature approximately two dozen organizations including:

  • Peterborough Pickleball

  • Peterborough Cricket Association

  • YMCA East Ontario

  • Electric City Special Needs Sports

  • Peterborough Curling Club

  • Abilities Centre

  • Autism Ontario Central East Region

  • Peterborough Patriots Sports Club

  • Peterborough Special Olympics

  • Peterborough Challengers Baseball Association

  • Peterborough Athletics Concussion Awareness

  • Peterborough Petes

  • Junior Achievement Northeast Ontario

  • CapableCon-Council for Persons with Disabilities

  • City of Peterborough Recreation Services Division

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Council for Persons with Disabilities Seeking Participants for Disability Recreation Research

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The Council for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) is looking for people to participate in research on disability recreation announced on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of CPD.

The study helps CPD understand improvements for recreational programming for anyone with disabilities and create inclusive and integrated programs aimed at persons of all abilities in Peterborough according to a press release. 

This study and the programming to follow are funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

During the study, CPD wants anyone with backgrounds including being disabled, able-bodied and marginalized to participate in an in-person focus group. For those who would like to participate but cannot attend the focus group, there is a survey available online.

The study will take place on Aug. 10 between noon and 1:00 p.m. at Venture North, 270 George St. N.  

For more information or to join the study please e-mail Felicity Phillips, CPD recreation coordinator at felicity.phillips@pcpd.ca.

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Local Artist Brings Superheroes to Life For Saturday's Inaugural Capable Con

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New superheroes came to life as the biggest art project for local artist Mariah Yee as she designed all the characters for the inaugural Capable Con this Saturday.

Each character took approximately 40 hours to produce including their backstory and concept. Her mother, Leslie Yee is a CPD vice-chair and has vision loss. Leslie travels around with her guide dog, Akira. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The free event is held by the Council for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the VentureNorth building. A play-on word of the popular event Comic-Con, Capable Con is designed to create open, healthy dialogues about disabilities and accessibility.

Yee created seven characters, each with their own disability and superpower. Each character set took roughly 40 hours of work with all works completed over the span of seven months.

“It was a great opportunity for me to potentially do something with my artwork and do something impactful here in Peterborough,” said Yee, CPD communications coordinator.

CPD volunteers helped create the concept and ideas of the superheroes before Yee made the illustrations for them.

“Some of them were accepted pretty quickly and some of them had to go through some adjustments and that’s just a part of the design process,” said Yee, CPD communications coordinator.

Each superhero is being featured at the event. The following are the characters showcased for Capable Con:

  • Scout and traveller, a hero with vision loss and his guide dog

  • Amanda Auriel, a hero with hearing loss but can read body signals and lips to capture words spoken. She uses a skateboard with her name spelled out in sign language.

  • Power Pals Jordan and Jamie who are on the autism spectrum. They possess the power of hyper-focus, unconventional outlooks, pattern recognition, great memory and recall.

  • Bionica Bot, an amputee gymnast with interchangeable parts for her arm to suit the task at hand.

  • An unnamed hero in a wheelchair.

Yee began drawing at a young age and says art has always been her passion growing up. She keeps bits and pieces of her work as a reminder of doing what she loves.

Yee says she has a sense of pride knowing Peterborough will see her work on a local yet large platform and feels truly connected with the community.

“It still feels very surreal to even look at them and all of Peterborough is going to see those,” she explained. “I know the meaning behind them is worth so much more than words that I can put to them.”

Mariah moved to Peterborough in 2014. She grew up in Big Cedar and has lived in Haliburton and Newmarket. She graduated from Fleming College with a Visual and Creative Arts Diploma and a Certificate in Drawing and Painting.

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Council for Persons With Disabilities Launch Inaugural Capable Con

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In an effort to promote inclusivity and the community for living, learning, playing and working equally, the Council for Persons With Disabilities (CPD) has launched its inaugural one-day event ‘Capable Con’ on Tuesday.

(From left to right) Jason King, CPD volunteer; Zaun, King’s guide dog; Rachel Quilty, CPD digital marketing and event facilitator; Mariah Yee, CPD communications coordinator; Andrea Dodsworth, CPD chair; Leslie Yee, CPD vice-chair and Akira, Leslie’s guide dog. They are all joined by superheroes The Capable Crew that were unveiled during the launch. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

This inaugural event is scheduled for June 4 — the final day of AccessAbility Week — from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the VentureNorth building. The free event is designed to create open, healthy dialogues about disabilities and accessibility.

“Disability is not one thing; it is interconnected to everything,” Leslie Yee, CPD Vice-chair. Every person will have a disability at some point in their lives.”

The first-ever convention features a variety of all-age events:

  • Interactive and inclusive games

  • Virtual reality simulators

  • Scavenger hunts

  • Board games

  • Pokémon Trading Card Game tournament for beginners

  • All-Day stage entertainment

  • Draw prizes

In February, CPD received $26,340 in funding for their simulation software as part of their Time In My Shoes Program. The virtual reality experience allows people to experience the daily challenges many face through realistic simulation.

Simulations range from getting groceries while vision-impaired, navigating a street in a wheelchair and more.

(From left to right) Hearing Loss Hero, Samantha Aurel; Amputee Hero; Bionica Bot, Vision Loss Hero, Traveler and Scout; Twin Autism Heroes, The Power Pals and Wheelchair Hero (currently unnamed). The Capable Crew are fictional characters created as superheroes turning their disabilities into superhero powers. Photo courtesy of CPD.

The unveiling of ‘The Capable Crew’ occurred at the launch. They are a group of fictional superheroes that serve as ambassadors for the event. Each superhero uses their disability as a superpower. They were illustrated by Mariah Yee, CPD communications coordinator.

“We hope this creates a more inclusive and celebratory environment,” said Mariah.

Mariah Yee with her illustrations of The Power Pals, two superheroes who have autism. Yee has been drawing ever since she was at a young age. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

CPD encourages anyone to come including those who are able-bodied. The experience is supposed to educate others and bring awareness of disabilities in a fun and enjoyable manner.

"At some point in your life, you might have to rely on a pair of glasses or possibly a mobility aid as you progress throughout life or injury," said Rachel Quilty, CPD digital marketing and event facilitator. "Coming to Capable Con is just an opportunity to learn about different types of disabilities and types of accessibly in our community all while having fun."

The Capable Crew provides representation for those who never had any before. Quilty grew up with no left forearm or hand. She says her life would have been different if someone like Bionica Bot of the Capable Crew —a superhero with a lost limb — was publicly portrayed.

“If I grew up and saw her on a poster or on a TV show or in my school on a life-size cutout, I promise I would have had a different trajectory in my life,” said Quilty. “I think that having a Capable Crew in full form is a way to show children who are different that different is okay.”

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The Council For Persons With Disabilities Opens Auditions For The Capable Crew Superheroes

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The Council for Persons with Disabilities is looking for six volunteers to dress up and become The Capable Crew Superheroes! The Capable Crew is a bunch of ‘everyday superheroes’ living with disabilities, and their mission is to celebrate differences and promote inclusivity.

(LEFT TO RIGHT) ANDREA DODSWORTH, CPD CHAIR; MPP DAVE SMITH; LESLIE YEE; AKIRA, YEE’S GUIDE DOG; CPD VICE-CHAIR AND MINISTER RAYMOND CHO DRESSED IN CAPES TO HIGHLIGHT THE HEROES INVOLVED WITH CPD. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.

This is a volunteer position for individuals who would like to support the disability community through meaningful interaction with both kids and adults. Applicants looking to apply should also have the following requirements and skills:

• Outgoing and good with kids.

• Knowledge about disability through lived experience and/or study.

• Ability to facilitate discussions about disability with both children and adults.

• Public speaking is considered an asset.

• Police Record Check for Vulnerable Sector.

The Council For Persons With Disabilities is looking for individuals who may or may not have disabilities including but not limited to, limb loss, vision loss, hearing loss, autism, and/or rely on the use of a wheelchair. In all instances, they are looking for the person who can best portray the role regardless of height, weight, ethnicity, etc. Those roles are:

1. Vision Loss. A non-binary character with a guide dog. Well-spoken leader of the group. An individual who identifies with the First Nations Community is considered an asset.

2. Hearing Loss. A female-presenting skateboarder. Confident and spunky. Sign Language is considered an asset.

3. Mobility. A male-presenting character with no amputations. Adventurous and determined. A wheelchair can be provided.

4. Limb Loss. A female-presenting gymnast with limb loss. Optimistic and proud.

5. Autism. A male-presenting verbally outgoing character.* Outspoken and not afraid to speak their mind.

6. Autism. A female-presenting quiet character. Soft-spoken but not shy. *Twins or lookalikes are considered an asset.

“These auditions are a precursor to our big event called Capable Con,” said John McNutt, Executive Director of CPD. “This is an excellent initiative that shows the community of Peterborough that everyone is capable.”

Auditions will take place on April 13 from 3 - 6 p.m. at the Venture North building’s ground level, 270 George St, N.

For more information contact info@pcpd.ca or at 705-874-8661.

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Virtual Reality Simulating Life With Disabilities Gets Funded For Local Council; New Convention For Disability Awareness Announced

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The Council for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) received funding of $26,340 towards developing a virtual reality program to be showcased at a new convention called Capable Con announced Friday.

(left to right) Andrea Dodsworth, CPD chair; MPP Dave Smith; Leslie Yee; Akira, Yee’s guide dog; CPD Vice-chair and Minister Raymond Cho dressed in capes to highlight the heroes involved with CPD. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The Enabling Change Grant went towards the CPD’s Time in My Shoes program and was administered by Minister Raymond Cho who attended the event with local councillors and government officials.

The virtual reality programs simulate daily tasks while living with a disability so anyone can experience the daily challenges of having an impairment. Disabilities included mobility challenges, invisible disabilities vision and hearing loss.

"Whether it's an aging disability like hearing loss or sight loss or it's something that you're born with, everyone is going to have a disability," said Leslie Yee, CPD Vice-chair. “It's just important to understand what the barriers are and how easily the barriers can be taken away just to make life simpler."

“We're always looking to promote universal design and give people the opportunity to see what it's like so that everyone has a better understanding," said Jason King, CPD Programming and Marketing Assistant. "The physical program and the new virtual reality program, it's a great tool to help individuals get that first-hand experience that they normally wouldn't have."

@ptbo_canada Funding for VR software development of what it’s like to be disabled is being made for the first annual Capable Con for June 4! #disabilityawareness ♬ My Hero - Foo Fighters

Spreading awareness was one of CPD’s goals in developing the virtual reality software.

“All we're trying to do is create more empathy towards the reasons why we're asking for certain things," said Lee. "Making things more accessible, a lot of that is mobility accessibility which is totally great, that's what we need but it's trying to bring that awareness to everybody."

Minister Raymond Cho attempted to navigate with a wheelchair through a city in the virtual reality simulation. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Navigating in a wheelchair was the first simulation available as a demo where Cho was the first to test it.

The funding will aid in the development, equipment and staff wages to have the simulation program fully operable.

The finished product will be showcased at the first-ever “Capable Con” to teach anyone about disabilities, open a conversation and foster a community with those living with disabilities.

Family-friendly activities, entertainment and meeting community members will be focal points of the convention that will take place on June 4, the final day of AccessAbility Week.

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