In Canada, Easter Seals is a group of

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

s which supports the development and advancement of people who are living with different types of

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...

. Founded in 1922 by a group of

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

s, it sought to emulate the success of the American Easter Seals program. Today, Easter Seals is set up as a federated structure led by Easter Seals Canada (which represents the organization's national interests), and provincially-licensed member organizations in each of the ten provinces that directly provide a range of programs, and services locally. Across Canada, Easter Seals supports over 40,000 children, youth, adults and their families each year. The best-known and largest of Easter Seals services are the summer camp programs. There are 12 Easter Seals accessible camp facilities across Canada that are geared towards providing camp opportunities to over 4600 children with physical or mental disabilities, including

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...

, and

spina bifida Spina bifida (SB; ; Latin for 'split spine') is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the vertebral column, spine and the meninges, membranes around the spinal cord during embryonic development, early development in pregnancy. T ...

. Set-up and activities offered at the camps differ from location to location but in general, the camps provide participants with opportunities to participate in a range of activities such as:

sledge hockey Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey in American English, and Para ice hockey in international competition, is an Parasports, adaptation of ice hockey for players who have a physical disability. The sport was invented in the early 1960s at a ...

, adaptive

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

, basketball, rock climbing, accessible High Ropes, canoeing and rafting, swimming, arts and crafts, music and drama, campfires, camping in a tent, and more. The camps welcome children, youth and adults, and families, and are provided at a heavily subsidized rate or at no cost to the families. In addition to the summer camps, Easter Seals also provides a range of other programs and services. These differ from province to province but include financial assistance for mobility equipment, assistive devices and technologies such as adaptive

computer A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...

s and communication aids, and

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

-accessibility modifications to vehicles and homes; academic bursaries and scholarships; year-round adaptive sports and recreational programs; employment preparation and job training services; respite services and accommodations in urban centers for families travelling for medical treatment; and social enterprise services. The Easter Seals Drop Zone, a multi-city event, is one of the organization's key fundraisers.

National programs

Access 2 Card Program

The Access 2 Card Program is an initiative developed by Easter Seals in partnership with

Cineplex Entertainment Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Entertainment and Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian operator of movie theater and family entertainment centers, headquartered in Toronto. It is the largest cinema chain in Canada; as of 2019, it operated 165 loc ...

, and administered by Easter Seals. For a fee, persons who are living with permanent disabilities can obtain an Access 2 Card which then provides the cardholder with either a free or a discounted ticket for a support person that is accompanying them while the cardholder pays the regular admission price to the facility. The card is valid at Cineplex movie theatres across Canada and over 500 other entertainment, cultural and recreational venues such as museums, art galleries, zoos, historical sites, and aquariums. There were more than 200,000 users of the card in 2013. CNW
Easter Seals Canada Wins New Accessible Tourism Award
Canadian Newswire, November 14, 2014, retrieved July 22, 2016.

Disability Travel Card

The Disability Travel Card is a program of Easter Seals which operates in partnership with

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

and

Coach Canada Coach Canada is the Canadian affiliate of Coach USA. Charter services (rental of bus with driver) originating in most areas in Ontario can travel to anywhere in North America. However, Megabus operations are confined to the provinces of Quebec a ...

intended for people with disabilities who require assistance from support personnel while traveling. The card enables the cardholder – the person with permanent disability – to obtain a reduced ticket fare for the support person accompanying them at the time of travel, while the cardholder pays the regular ticket price.

Red Shirt Day of Action for Accessibility and Inclusion

Red Shirt Day is an initiative of Easter Seals Canada which was first observed in 2019 as part of the Government of Canada's National AccessAbility Week celebrations. The event echoes similar events like

Pink Shirt Day Pink Shirt Day is an annual event against bullying held in Canada, New Zealand and thMädchengymnasium Jülich Germany. Participants wear pink shirts and attend or host informative events to raise awareness about bullying, particularly in school ...

(anti-bullying) and

Orange Shirt Day The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (sometimes shortened to T&R Day) (NDTR; ), originally and still colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day (), is a Canadian day of memorial to recognize the atrocities and multi-generational effects o ...

(solidarity with Indigenous Peoples in Canada) in that it seeks to honour and value the contributions of Canadians of all abilities, particularly those who are living with disabilities, raise awareness among Canadians of all ages about challenges and barriers that continue to impact the lives of people who are living with disabilities and their families, and promote actions to create an accessible and inclusive society in Canada.

Awards

In 2014, Easter Seals Canada was awarded The Tourism Industry Associate of Ontario’s (TIAO) Award of Excellence for Accessible Tourism for its Access 2 Card and Disability Travel Card programs. Easter Seals is the first recipient of this award, which recognises efforts made to make tourism destinations available to all Canadians, regardless of abilities.

Sports Celebrities Dinner

In the early 1950s, Ivan Miller and Bobby Hewitson organized the Ontario Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (OSSA), and established the annual OSSA Sports Celebrities Dinner for charity. The first dinner was held on March 13, 1952, benefitting the Ontario Society for Crippled Children. The Sports Celebrities Dinner later became the Rogers-

Conn Smythe Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe Military Cross, MC (; February 1, 1895 – November 18, 1980) was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs ...

Sports Celebrities Dinner & Auction in support of Easter Seals.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.easterseals.ca/ Charities based in Canada Organizations established in 1922 Summer camps in Canada Summer camps for children with disabilities Disability organizations based in Canada