{"id":38162,"date":"2026-05-14T13:59:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=38162"},"modified":"2026-05-14T13:59:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:59:36","slug":"accessability-week-will-ramp-up-awareness-in-aurora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/accessability-week-will-ramp-up-awareness-in-aurora\/","title":{"rendered":"AccessAbility week will \u201cramp up\u201d awareness in Aurora"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">National AccessAbility Week will begin May 24 and the Town of Aurora is inviting the entire community to take part and \u201cramp up\u201d their efforts to build a more inclusive community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The theme for National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) is \u201cRamp up to AccessAbility Week\u201d and the Town has put together a full program of initiatives that highlight the importance of having a barrier-free community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis special week allows us to continue shaping an inclusive Aurora \u2013 one that removes barriers and ensures that everyone has a chance to participate in activities with equal opportunity,\u201d said Mayor Tom Mrakas in a statement. \u201cWe are dedicated to ensuring accessibility for all residents and visitors, by continuously improving facilities and services to create an inclusive and welcoming environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several activities and workshops are planned to mark NAAW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Programming begins Wednesday, May 27, with a Behavioural Management System Training workshop set for the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex from 4 \u2013 9 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Behaviour Management System (BMS) Practitioner Training is a comprehensive, evidence-informed program designed to equip professionals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support individuals who display challenging behaviours,\u201d say organizers. \u201cGrounded in trauma-aware, person-centred, and strengths-based principles, this training prepares practitioners to create safe, respectful, and effective environments across educational, clinical, community and residential settings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Registration for the workshop is $25 per person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Programs continue at Aurora Town Square on Thursday, May 28, with a seminar on Brain Health hosted by the Alzheimer Society of York Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This free session, which runs from 10 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., is open to the entire community and anyone \u201cinterested in learning more about maintaining brain health for themselves, their families, or those they support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The week culminates in a full community celebration at the Stronach Aurora Recreation complex on Saturday, May 30, from 12 noon to 4 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The party includes adaptive sport try-it sessions ranging from Rhythmic Gymnastics and Bocce Ball with Special Olympics, Wheelchair Basketball and Sledge Floor Hockey with Para Sport Ontario, a Seated Fitness Class, open gym and public swim opportunities, arts and crafts, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a full schedule of events, visit aurora.ca\/NNAW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAurora continues to take active steps towards becoming a more accessible and inclusive Town,\u201d says the Town of Aurora. \u201cWe are proud of the partnerships, programs, and initiatives that promote meaningful participation and representation for all residents \u2013 including those with visible and invisible disabilities\u2026. We invite community members, organizations, and businesses to join us in this important recognition and to explore how we can continue to make Aurora a place where everyone belongs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAccessibility is more than infrastructure \u2013 it\u2019s about creating environments, services, and opportunities that work for people of all abilities. The Town of Aurora is dedicated to advancing accessibility through thoughtful policy, inclusive programming, and strong partnerships with local organizations and community leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This dedication is underscored in the official proclamation for NAAW in Aurora issued by the Mayor\u2019s Office which notes Aurora is committed to \u201cfostering a vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive community where all residents \u2013 regardless of ability \u2013 can fully participate and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAccessibility is a shared responsibility that requires ongoing collaboration, education, and action to eliminate barriers and ensure equity of opportunity and experience for all,\u201d reads the proclamation. \u201cThe Town of Aurora recognizes the importance of meaningful inclusion and the role of persons with disabilities in enriching the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our community. NAAW encourages reflection, dialogue, and action to create environments that are not only accessible, but inclusive by design and built in partnership with those with lived experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Brock Weir<br \/>Editor<br \/>Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n<a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox\" data-provider=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F38162&amp;t=AccessAbility%20week%20will%20%E2%80%9Cramp%20up%E2%80%9D%20awareness%20in%20Aurora&amp;s=100&amp;p[url]=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F38162&amp;p[images][0]=&amp;p[title]=AccessAbility%20week%20will%20%E2%80%9Cramp%20up%E2%80%9D%20awareness%20in%20Aurora\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Facebook\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/facebook.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox\" data-provider=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F38162&amp;text=Like%3F\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/twitter.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-mail nolightbox\" data-provider=\"mail\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share by email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=AccessAbility%20week%20will%20%E2%80%9Cramp%20up%E2%80%9D%20awareness%20in%20Aurora&amp;body=Like%3F:%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F38162\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mail\" title=\"Share by email\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/mail.png\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National AccessAbility Week will begin May 24 and the Town of Aurora is inviting the entire community to take part and \u201cramp up\u201d their efforts to build a more inclusive community. The theme for National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) is \u201cRamp up to AccessAbility Week\u201d and the Town has put together a full program of initiatives [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-9Vw","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-21 08:56:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38163,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38162\/revisions\/38163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}