INUVIK - Over saucy ribs and red-checkered table cloths, the Inuvik outreach office of the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities raised awareness and funds at its annual barbecue dinner, auction and dance last week.

Colin MacGillivary, left, adds some pepper to Walter Roberts' meal at the NWT Council of Disabilities Dinner on May 21. Roberts' table purchased MacGillivary for $350 to have him serve as a waiter for the evening during an auction at the beginning of the event. - Samantha Stokell/NNSL photo

Held on May 21, just prior to Disability Awareness Week from May 29 to June 4, the council hopes to raise awareness of the current challenges facing people living in Inuvik with disabilities.

"The challenges are with the invisible disabilities, like dyslexia or Alzheimer's and mental wellness of which a high percentage of the population has," said Patricia Davison, the support worker at the outreach office in Inuvik. "If someone is in a wheelchair or missing a limb, it's obvious what their issue is, but not with the other disabilities."

In the NWT, 5,400 people have a disability and more than two-thirds of those have a mild disability, such as a learning limitation. The NWT Council works to ensure those people can participate fully in all aspects of life in the territory.

While Davison has seen many positive changes, she still feels the NWT has to catch up with the rest of Canada. In Inuvik, where all buildings are raised above ground level, accessibility becomes an issue, but some organizations have tackled the issue head on. Aurora College has landscaped the area around its building so there is a slight hill up to the door and no stairs.

"It's great to see organizations and departments coming up with these solutions," Davison said. "We certainly have challenges, but some see it as a creative challenge."

The project receiving much of the outreach office's efforts is the proposal for aircraft accessibility at the Inuvik Airport. Right now, passengers who are in a wheelchair, medical patients, families with young children and the elderly must use the stairs.

Passengers are either being lifted manually up the steps to the plane or are choosing to crawl up the stairs. The solution proposed by the Inuvik chapter of the NWT council is to purchase a ramp, which would be faster and preserve people's dignity, independence and safety.

The council is finalizing partnerships with airlines and developing a ramp plan with those partners. It hopes to purchase two ramps near the end of 2011, one for a Boeing 737 that costs approximately $40,000 with shipping and another for a Beech/Otter at a cost of approximately $14,500.

While support has been strong, action has been slow. Once the ramps are purchased, the council hopes to have them implemented sometime next year.

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