By: Matthew Poirier

In early September, David Jahr, a faculty member at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, reached out to Community Living Toronto after doing some research on schools and organizations that are active in inclusive education here in the city of Toronto. David, along with four other colleagues at the University, was planning a visit to Canada later that month with 15 of their students. They wanted to pay Community Living Toronto a visit to hear more about the work we do to promote and foster inclusion in schools and communities.

All members of the group either study or work in the field of education and the aim of their visit was to gain a fresh perspective on what is happening in their field in other cities around the globe, with a focus on inclusive and democratic education. To many, Canada is often seen as a role model and a leader when it comes to equality and inclusion.

David and the group visited 20 Spadina Road on September 21^st to hear more about the work we do to support individuals with an intellectual disability and their families. They were excited to learn about Spinclusion and how we use it as a resource to actively engage children, youth and adults in conversations about inclusion and accepting differences.      Community Living Toronto staff facilitated a game of Spinclusion which spawned enthusiastic discussions, information sharing and lots of questions about the development and evolution of the game.

When the session was over, the group was excited to be presented with a Spinclusion game of their own to take back to Germany with them. Despite some language barriers during the game, the overall experience was one of mutual understanding, respect and camaraderie. We may come from different countries, but our desire to learn from one another and to better foster inclusive spaces is a language we could both speak and understand.

Currently, David is sharing his Canadian experience with students back in Germany, and was so kind to share a photo (pictured above) of them enjoying a game of Spinclusion. Community Living Toronto has also reached out to David and we are helping him to translate questions so the game can be more easily played in German. Meaningful experiences and partnerships such as this are so important to the success and sustainability of the work that we do each and every day.

Upcoming Central Events

Central Region Council Meeting
Tuesday November 8, 2016
6:00 pm,   20 Spadina Rd.
All are welcome                          .

For information regarding Central Events contact: Matthew Poirier at 647-727-1210 or matthew.poirier@cltoronto.ca