Today@Dal

When you see Tanya Packer on the stage at Convocation this Monday, she’ll be sitting in a different chair than most of her colleagues.

The director of Dal’s School of Occupational Therapy is one of 12 business, education and public sector leaders who are taking part in Chair Leaders Day. The event, organized annually by the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Paraplegic Association, sees individuals spending their normal working day in a wheelchair, raising funds and awareness for the association.

For Tanya, that means meetings, convocation ceremonies and other tasks, followed by an obstacle course competition with her fellow Chair Leaders at 4 p.m. at Halifax Shopping Centre.

“In the School of Occupational Therapy, accessibility is an issue we work with every day,” she says. “This is an opportunity to do something fun to raise awareness for accessibility issues across Halifax.”

Even just preparing for Monday has given her a feel for the experience of living with a mobility disability, reaching out to Dal’s Convocation team to ensure access to the stage in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.

“They’ve been incredibly supportive, but it only reinforces that for someone with a mobility disability, nothing can be left to chance; every part of the day, every trip, has to be planned out… hopefully Chair Leaders Day helps remind people that we can all do better to support people with accessibility challenges on campus and beyond.”

Last year, Pam Williams, director of the International Centre, took part in Chair Leaders Day.

The Canadian Paraplegic Association (Nova Scotia) assists persons in Nova Scotia who are living with spinal cord injuries or who are wheelchair users as a result of any mobility disability to achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation.

Visit Tanya’s page (http://sci.akaraisin.com/chairleadersNS/c0ba5d8147384f0982a8cb2b53b90e70) to donate to the CPA and visit http://www.thespine.ca to learn more about Chair Leaders Day.

Bruce Bottomley photo