Kawartha Lakes, Ontario – When we set out to launch National AccessAbility Week in the Kawartha Lakes, we knew we wanted to create an event that would bring people together to learn more about accessibility in our community. What we didn’t know was just how much excitement the day would spark, and how many people would leave thinking about what accessibility could look like in their own lives.
On May 29, Ampere took over the gym at I.E. Weldon Secondary School in Lindsay for AccessAbility in Motion – a day of stories, sport, learning, and community. Athletes, families, community organizations, and curious folks of all ages came together to celebrate accessibility and explore what inclusion can look like in Kawartha Lakes.
At Ampere, we talk a lot about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), but really, STEAM is just another word for creativity and innovation. And accessibility is full of both. From adaptive equipment to inclusive spaces and sports designed for all abilities, innovation is happening everywhere.
We kicked off the day hearing from two local accessibility legends: Jon Thurston and Wynn Van Kooten.
Fresh off winning gold at the 2026 Paralympics in Italy, Jon shared how a workplace accident at 24 changed his life forever. But his story wasn’t about limitations. It was about community, perseverance, and finding new opportunities. As a world champion in both wheelchair curling and adaptive waterskiing, Jon reminded us that disability doesn’t define a person’s future; it just means the path might look a little different.
Wynn’s story carried that same message.
A local teen athlete, Wynn spoke openly about her battle with osteosarcoma and the life-changing surgery that followed. Through the support of her family, her community, and the accessible sports community, she found wheelchair basketball at the Abilities Centre in Whitby and discovered a new passion.
For me, that’s what stuck most throughout the day.
Accessibility is about more than removing barriers. It’s about creating opportunities and helping people discover something they didn’t know was possible.
Wynn’s connections also brought Paralympian Tamara Steeves and Team Canada wheelchair basketball player Eric Voss to the event, where they hosted a wheelchair basketball clinic open to everyone.
With a little bit of coaching and a lot of laughter, the gym quickly filled with people racing across the court, testing their skills, and cheering each other on. Some people came to watch and ended up playing. Others came because they were curious and left asking how they could get involved.
That’s really what AccessAbility in Motion was all about.
It started with curiosity, but by the end of day you could feel something new: confidence. Confidence in ourselves, confidence in our community, and confidence that a more accessible future isn’t something we have to wait for. We can build it together.
Ampere’s National AccessAbility Week programming is made possible in part by funding through the Government of Canada’s Accessible Canada Fund – National AccessAbility Week stream.
Ampere−ᑯᑦ ᒥᒃᓵᓄᑦ:
For over a decade, Ampere (formerly the Pinnguaq Association) has partnered with rural, remote and Indigenous communities to provide access to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education and opportunities. Founded in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Ampere applies a Lifecycle approach to ensure that its supporting learners at every age, and every stage of life. Ampere offers programming directly through Makerspaces in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Bathurst, New Brunswick, and in the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, and works directly with community partners, social organizations, governmental funders and educational institutions from coast to coast to coast.