Aspiring to succeed…let’s meet the challenge!

Partners’ Day, hosted during the Défi sportif, is an occasion to gather and exchange ideas, and this year’s 8th edition will follow that theme to the letter. Participants will discover working methods and models to draw inspiration from in the context of their own needs. “The goal is to ensure that those attending Partners’ Day are provided with new tools with which to offer a higher standard of services to people living with a disability,” states Linda Roy, Director of Recreation, Sports, Culture and Social Development for the Rivière–des-Prairies/Pointe-aux-Trembles/Montréal-Est borough, and a member of the organizing committee. There is no doubt that the community will be well served indeed this year, as evidenced by the successful partnership established between the City, regional associations and disabled persons.

Five success stories in particular -- one for each borough on the Island of Montreal -- will be discussed. These projects, combining the efforts of the boroughs, school boards, the City and other agencies, and which met with great success, will be presented by the principal players involved.

“Partners’ Day not only provides a venue to meet with colleagues, but also spurs interesting discussions with representatives from the various boroughs and the City.”
- Participant

At Partners’ Day, all signs point to good communication. Those attending this year will be treated to a crash course in Quebec sign language. They will likewise make a discovery of paramount importance: simplified communication and alternative communication techniques for persons with an intellectual disability. These new modes of communication, developed by a research team at the Université de Montréal, are unlike any others used around the globe. “This is one presentation that I recommend no one miss out on,” insists Monique Lefebvre, Executive director of AlterGo and a member of the organizing committee.

Partners’ Day, organized by the Table de concertation pour le loisir des personnes handicapées à Montréal (Discussion Forum for the Recreational Needs of Disabled Persons in Montreal), and attended by representatives from recreation associations, the boroughs and the City of Montreal’s Central Services, will be held on Thursday, April 28, 2005, at the Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard. Please visit this site regularly for further updates on Partners’ Day 2005.