Mélange Accessibility for All Magazine January 2021 | Page 38

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Camp Horizon – Bragg Creek , Alberta . Opened in 1965 .

Easter Seals Canada

Inspired by the formation

of the National Society for Crippled Children ( later Easterseals ) in the US three years earlier , Easter Seals in Canada had its beginnings in the province of Ontario on November 28 , 1922 , when 10 representatives from seven Rotary Clubs throughout the province came together to form the Ontario Society for Crippled Children ( later Easter Seals Ontario ). As was the case with their US counterpart , this organization ’ s concern was the lack of services and resources available to children with physical disabilities , and its goals were to ensure adequate treatment and raise public awareness about the needs of these children .
Over the next 34 years , similar organizations that would eventually become part of the Easter Seals family were established across Canada . In 1937 , the Ontario Government turned to Easter Seals for expert assistance following a devastating poliomyelitis ( polio ) outbreak . That same year , Easter Seals in both Ontario and Nova Scotia opened the first Canadian adaptive camps for children with physical disabilities .
Today , Easter Seals and its ten independently governed provincial affiliate organizations have offices and provide programs and services to people living with disabilities in provinces and territories all across Canada , and plans are well underway to celebrate Easter Seals ’ 100th anniversary in 2022 .