Registration is now open!

The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is excited to announce the 2024 Building Community: Advancing Anti-Ableism in Education Symposium. This one-day event will take place during National AccessAbility Week.

This inaugural event invites educators, community members, families and caregivers, students, and local leaders to come together and learn more about ableism and how to dismantle it in education systems and throughout the community.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, May 30, 2024
Time: 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Location: Wilfrid Laurier University – Waterloo Campus – Bricker Building (22 Bricker Avenue, Waterloo, ON N2L 3B4)
Parking: For those who register, information about parking will be sent to you closer to the date.

Registration and Workshop Information

Registration is now open, and spaces are limited. Workshop information is now live.

Donation

Attending this event is free, but if you are interested in making a donation to the Waterloo Education Foundation Inc. (WEFI), that would be greatly appreciated. 

Whether you donate $1 or $100, your contribution funds will be used to dismantle barriers in support of disabled students and caregivers in the WRDSB.

How to make a donation

  • Head to the WEFI donation portal to begin the process
  • Under the “Donation Details,” select “Donate Once” or “Donate Monthly”
  • In the “Form” field, select “Eliminating Barriers for Students with Disabilities – 0371”
  • Finally, fill in the rest of the form to complete your donation.

Donate now!

Schedule-at-a-Glance

  • 8 to 9 a.m. – Registration Desk Open
  • 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Welcome and Keynote Presentation
  • 10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Workshop Block A
  • 12 to 1:30 p.m. – Lunch
  • 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. – Workshop Block B
  • 3 to 4:15 p.m. – Keynote Presentation and Closing Remarks

Core Values

To ensure the best possible experience for all participants and presenters at this symposium, we value and are committed to:

  • Beginning with ourselves and making intentional changes in spaces that we can grow, create, and sustain.
  • Making small interruptions to daily practices, as well as engaging as a changemaker to eliminate large systemic challenges.
  • Authentic, ongoing, and humble work that does not invite praise.
  • Each person for who they are, for their humanness outside of their productivity.
  • Thoughtful, collaborative, community-centered practices over one person’s ideas
  • Lived experience over expertise or degrees.
  • Honesty and accountability, even when it is hard to hear.

Become a Workshop Presenter

Call for Presentations is now closed!

Thank you for your interest in the symposium.

Community Partners

We are grateful for our Community Partners who are helping us plan this event:

  • City of Waterloo
  • KidsAbility
  • Waterloo Region Family Network
  • Bridges to Belonging Waterloo Region
  • Camino

 

Logo - The City of Waterloo Logo - KidsAbility Logo - Waterloo Region Family NetworkLogo - Bridges to Belonging Waterloo RegionLogo - Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health