Episode 045: An All-Inclusive Community: Supporting Social Accessibility with Michelle McClure
Butter Torts: A Truly Canadian Legal Podcast · Gluckstein Lawyers
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Show Notes
Brenda Agnew, your host, welcomes Michelle McClure, Executive Director at Ability Online, to have a conversation about the organization, its origins, its work, its mission, and the exciting news they have for the near future.
Key Takeaways:
[1:40] Michelle talks about Ability Online, a supportive online community for children with disabilities to connect with each other that started 32 years ago.
[8:18] Michelle explains the development of a young adult portal until Ability Online became an all-inclusive community.
[10:02] What does Ability Online offer?
[14:29] Michelle speaks about the safety, security, and confidentiality that Ability Online assures for its users.
[17:14] Have any of these online connections moved to an in-person relationship?
[19:04] How did Michelle and her Team keep Abilities Online going for 32 years?
[21:10] The pandemic brought a lot of members back to the Ability Online platform.
[23:41] The content in Ability Online comes from users' requests.
[27:45] Michelle describes how she created a manual for the community partners following the "Jenga model" where the child is at the top.
[29:01] What does it mean to support social accessibility?
[34:02] How is Ability Online founded?
[39:01] What are Ability Online's goals for the near future?
[43:38] There will be a new platform that will be called MyAbility.
[44:31] Michelle talks about Ability Givers, a program that any member could qualify for.
Mentioned in this episode:
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