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Communities Take Action During Access Awareness Week NS

Published: May 22, 2024

Communities Take Action During Access Awareness Week Nova Scotia

From May 26 to June 1, communities across the province will commemorate 2024’s Access Awareness Week Nova Scotia (AAWNS) through silent discos, education sessions, scholarship presentations, film screenings and more under the theme “Communities For All: Taking Action on Access Awareness.”

For 37 years, Nova Scotians have come together during Access Awareness Week to bring attention to the importance of removing barriers for people with disabilities. Through public awareness, community partnerships, education and dialogue, Access Awareness Week aims to foster an environment of equitable participation for persons with disabilities.

AAWNS is coordinated annually by the Partnership for Access Awareness Nova Scotia  (PAANS) committee with representatives from community organizations, and municipal and provincial governments. PAANS is chaired by Sherry Costa Lorenz, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities (NSLEO) and engages partners in the planning of events and raising awareness, culminating with the annual week-long celebration of inclusion.

“Access Awareness Week demonstrates the power of collaboration and engagement as communities from around the province and representatives from across sectors come together with a single focus for the week, to raise awareness on accessibility and inclusion”, states Sherry Costa-Lorenz. 

Among the events taking place during AAWNS this year are:

  • Flag-raising and Provincial Proclamation at Province House
  • Halifax Regional Municipality Proclamation and the Mel Hebb Hourglass Action Awards Presentation
  • ‘Stumbling into Advocacy: Stories from Accidental Activist’ online panel 
  • Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Presentation and Luncheon
  • Human Rights on Screen Online Film Screening and Panel: Our Hearts Aren’t Disabled
  • Both in person and province-wide virtual Silent Disco Dance Party

Under Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act municipalities are among those public bodies required to enact accessibility plans that guide commitments to inclusion and accessibility within their own organizations. Collaboration and coordination has been instrumental in raising awareness, knowledge and capacity among municipal accessibility leads. The last few years have seen greater numbers of municipalities celebrating AAWNS with proclamations, flag-raisings, and increasingly creative and fun public events.

The Association of Municipal Administrators of Nova Scotia (AMANS), through their Municipal Accessibility Support Program is partnering with the Nova Scotia Accessibility Directorate to co-host a pan-provincial Access Awareness Week Silent Disco to be experienced live and virtually. Silent Discos are popular worldwide as an inclusive, accessible event through music and movement, while building community through a shared playlist.

Municipalities applied to be hosts for this hybrid event with options to join in-person sites (headsets provided) and invitations for anyone to join through Zoom. Richmond County was selected to host the live DJ Silent Disco, with a pitch that included extensive outreach to community partners serving the disability community. The live DJ Silent Disco is to be held at an accessible, newly renovated venue of the Louisdale Lion’s Club with capacity for up to 100 participants for this event

"Our guiding hope for this event is to foster a welcoming, accessible space for all,” said Danielle Martell, Community Development & Special Project Officer for the Municipality of the County of Richmond. “Where music and technology unite to break barriers, raise awareness, celebrate, and create inclusive fun! By hosting this Silent Disco in a rural community, we foresee greater opportunities for other rural communities to host future accessibility events.”

Adding to the excitement, the Municipality of West Hants will be hosting a simultaneous dance party with live DJ in front of their newly acquired giant video screen. The Silent Disco will take place in-person and virtually Saturday, June 1 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

For details of these events and more information about how you or your community can get involved in Access Awareness Week you can visit https://nsleo.com/access-awareness-week-nova-scotia/ or by searching “Access Awareness Nova Scotia” online.