Les Aidants du Haut-Saint-Laurent is launching a new immersive workshop to raise awareness of the realities people with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, or autism spectrum disorder may face – as well as those of their caregivers.
The “A Minute in My Shoes” workshop will allow participants to experience some of the physical, sensory, or cognitive challenges that these individuals contend with on a daily basis.
The idea for the workshop was born out of a need expressed directly by caregivers, said Sylvie Desgroseilliers, who works with Les Aidants du Haut-Saint-Laurent as a caregiver advocate. “Several individuals shared during a workshop that they often feel misunderstood by those around them, and they wished there was some way to change this,” she explained.
“The idea behind this was to help people who aren’t in this situation to understand what it is like,” said Desgroseilliers. Participants will experience what people with disabilities and their caregivers go through, she explained. The workshop will expose participants to different obstacles faced by caregivers and those they are caring for, as well as the different strengths and coping strategies they rely on, and their needs.
The workshop, which is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on March 26 at Chateauguay Valley Regional High School, will feature eight immersive scenarios, each designed to illustrate a specific aspect of the daily lives of people with disabilities or their caregivers. The evening will also feature information booths, a panel discussion, and a time for reflection.
“The strength of an event like this is precisely that you can experience it for real,” said Desgroseilliers, who notes the event will be bilingual, with speakers interacting in both languages or through simultaneous translation.
Advance registration for the event is required. Those interested can reserve their place online at https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/atelier-sensibilisation-di-tsa-et-proche-aidance, or by calling 450-826-1243.