Announcements
Abilities Magazine
| November 24th, 2004 | |
The ForumUniversity Of CalgarySummer 2003. Issue 55: p. 45 Forumby Sylvie Zebroff We came together in Calgary for the first time in January, 2002, from all across Canada, eager to begin an innovative program. We were heading into a particularly transforming educational experience. The Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies (CRDS) Pan Canadian Program describes itself as a �small, dynamic, hands-on program responding to a field that is constantly changing.� The words �challenge� and �collaboration� appear frequently in the program literature, and with good reason. In the past two years, we have learned a great deal about challenge and collaboration, both professionally and personally: about ongoing challenges � social, historical, economic and personal � that are routinely encountered by people living with disability; and about challenges to perceptions � in our own practices, in our personal belief systems and in our professional knowledge base of community, rehabilitation or disability issues. Collaboration is a key component as well: students collaborate in the classroom; professionals support collaboration and interdisciplinary involvement within our daily practices. Collaboration is promoted while working within a very diverse consumer/client population, from disability self-advocates to government agency representatives, from insurance companies to community grassroots organizations. CRDS extends well past the confines of the classroom. As Jill, one of our classmates, puts it, �It changes just about everything.� Marcelle, another 2002 classmate, describes CRDS as �a unique life experience � a wonderful blend of challenges and rewards.� The CRDS program welcomes and promotes a diversity of participants. Our own CRDS class of 2002 is certainly a varied group � an unlikely collection of disability advocates, rehabilitation professionals, front-line community workers, medical professionals, clinicians, insurance company representatives, educators� all sharing our unique perspectives with each other around the same seminar table � and lunch table � sometimes even the dinner table. The CRDS curriculum incorporates a highly interdisciplinary approach that seems both organic and yet vital to working effectively within the rehabilitation and disability field. Rehabilitation and disability is, after all, where issues of health, education, justice, social and welfare reform intertwine. The CRDS holistic model manages to retain both academic rigour and real-world applicability. Marcelle describes how �from a professional perspective, the program has created opportunities for examining belief systems and adopting alternative ways of understanding the many facets of disability and community.� Several classmates note that the program has provided a broader view of what constitutes disability. Many participants in our class have had personal experiences with the lives of people with disabilities: I myself am the mother of a child with autism and a grassroots advocate. For us, the characteristics of the CRDS program resonate on multiple levels. There is a dynamic flexibility inherent to this educational environment, where ideas can be openly exchanged and constructively critiqued, where you are encouraged to thoroughly and passionately examine and pursue your particular path of interest in the field. Finally, there is the ability to participate in the CRDS program while carrying on a life in the workplace. Marcelle talks about the �supportive friendships forged from sharing our struggles and accomplishments� that have been helpful in addressing �the challenges of balancing family, work, and academic requirements in a personally satisfying manner.� Wayne values the association �with the others in the class who come from such varied backgrounds and work situations, yet who share a strong commitment and common interest in providing high quality services to people.� The CRDS program is, in many ways, a community � a community to which we are pleased to belong. For more information, visit www.crds.org or call (403) 220-3543.
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