Red Deer is making headlines this week for improving the lives of individuals with disabilities.
The provincial government announced that two of its awards through the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities will go towards the City of Red Deer and Early Access to Supportive Education School (EASE).
Plus, a new award has been named after Red Deer’s Marlin Styner, a man who became a quadriplegic in 1981 and has been a strong advocate in helping people with disabilities.
He’s been a member of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities since 2005 and was council chair from 2008-2011. The Premier’s Council gave the Marlin Styner Achievement Award to Mark Lantkow of Calgary.
His mission is to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities by promoting, advocating and implementing the principals of universal design for City of Calgary projects.
The Premier’s Council Award of Excellence in Education went to EASE, a preschool for children, aged two-and-a-half to six, who have severe disabilities.
The school is part of Aspire Special Needs Resource Centre, a non-profit organization offering various programs and services for children with unique needs, their families and communities that support them.
The City of Red Deer was one of two Alberta recipients of the Council Awards of Excellence in Community.
The city has become a more accessible city for individuals with disabilities by listening to the community and working together to support and provide services to citizens with disabilities.
The city has supported projects and initiatives led by those with disabilities, plus it’s also created accessible transportations services. All Red Deer Transit buses are low floor ones, plus bus stops are paved.
It also made changes to the application process and cost of city recreational facility passes to include all citizens.
When the 2010 Olympic torch came to Red Deer through the International Day of Persons with Disabilities planning committee, the city waived the facility costs.