{"id":48399,"date":"2017-12-11T13:36:33","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T18:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=48399"},"modified":"2018-03-07T09:09:57","modified_gmt":"2018-03-07T14:09:57","slug":"brock-student-receives-accessibility-and-inclusion-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2017\/12\/brock-student-receives-accessibility-and-inclusion-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock student receives Accessibility and Inclusion Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Jessica Lewis is not busy training for track competitions as a T53 racer or working on the final year of her Recreation and Leisure Studies degree, she\u2019s bringing awareness to equality issues surrounding disabilities.<\/p>\n

Lewis has been speaking out for the differently abled much of her life. To acknowledge her work towards making communities more inclusive for all, Brock University presented Lewis with the Accessibility and Inclusion Recognition Award on Friday, Dec 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because you are differently abled doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t achieve anything you set your mind to,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for all the support Brock has been giving me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis feels it is important for people to shift their thinking away from notions of disability to the idea that we are all differently abled.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

President Gervan Fearon and Brock AODA Co-Ordinator Chris Lytle present Recreation and Leisure Studies student Jessica Lewis with the Accessibility and Inclusion Recognition Award on Friday, Dec. 1.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe all have different things we can and can\u2019t do,\u201d said Lewis. \u201cEveryone has an inability to do something, being differently abled is a more positive term and puts the person first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis has demonstrated her different ability through participating in international wheelchair track racing competitions as an athlete. She was the first Parapan athlete representing Bermuda in 2011, and the first medalist at Toronto Parapan Am Games in 2015. In addition, Lewis represented Bermuda at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t the only reason Recreation and Leisure Studies Associate Professor Colleen Whyte nominated Lewis for the award.<\/p>\n

\u201cJessica is such a tremendous role model and an amazing ambassador for our program,\u201d said Whyte. \u201cShe often speaks at events and provides video messages sharing her experiences and thoughtful commentary to help people see that they are capable of achieving anything they want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through her motivational speeches, Jessica always introduces the person-first perspective and promotes the awareness of disability and inclusion, explains Recreation and Leisure Studies Associate Professor, Sanghee Chun.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an illustration of an accessibility-related issue, Jessica shared with our students that it took two years for her to figure out accessible paths to seminar rooms in Mackenzie Chown Complex,\u201d Chun said. \u201cThis is where most seminars are held for undergraduate programs. With her insightful explanation, our students now have a greater understanding of accessibility at Brock, and in Niagara.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Brock University Accessibility Advisory Committee selected Lewis for her considerable work and innovation in the field of inclusion and accessibility.<\/p>\n

On receiving the award, Lewis shared her \u2018lead by example\u2019 philosophy.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s life path is different,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cWe all have different dreams, we all experience limitations and obstacles that come up, but we have the ability and strength within us to do and be anything that we want in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

During her time at Brock, Lewis has left an indelible mark on University faculty, staff and students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have often wondered about the lasting imprint of Jessica\u2019s presence on others at Brock,\u201d said Whyte. \u201cIt is safe to say that no one Jessica has met will ever doubt the capacity of individuals living with disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Jessica Lewis is not busy training for track competitions as a T53 racer or working on the final year of her Recreation and Leisure Studies degree, she\u2019s bringing awareness to equality issues surrounding disabilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":48402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,3319,1,4],"tags":[4597,5541,3243,6102,83],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48399"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48404,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48399\/revisions\/48404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}