Getting their groove on
Student group Beyond Abilities enters dance team for Move ’N Groove-a-thon
Dance for five hours straight? This is what Alan Bridgeman and his Beyond Abilities dance team intend to do on April 30 at the University of Manitoba Fort Garry campus.
The Move N’ Groove-a-thon is a five hour dance relay that supports The Movement Centre of Manitoba, a rehabilitation organization working with children and adults with mobility challenges including cerebral palsy, head injury, stroke, MS and Parkinson’s Disease.
“It will be fun to dance in the Move’N Groov-a-thon. It’s also a chance to connect with people with disabilities outside the university,” says Bridgeman. He leads the student group Beyond Abilities, which promotes an inclusive and barrier-free university for students with disabilities.
Alan Bridgeman, third year computer science student who leads the Beyond Abilities student group.
Connecting with others and having fun are central to the sixth annual Move ’N Groove-a-thon, which this year takes place at Fort Garry campus.
“We want to support this event because our students living with disabilities might make use of the centre,” says Bridgeman. The university has approximately 3,000 registered students with disabilities in any given year.
Accessibility and barrier-free work and learning are important to the University of Manitoba. The U of M has a history of improving accessibility and awareness through student advocacy and accessibility services, the office of human rights and conflict management, and initiatives such as Access Awareness Day. Since 2014, the university has supported the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA). Implementing the AMA will help remove barriers to education and lead to a more encouraging and welcoming environment for all students, faculty and staff.
For more information about Beyond Abilities, visit their student group page.
Information about the Move ’N Groove-a-thon can be found at movengrooveathon.com
See more on the AMA at the U of M: umanitoba.ca/human_rights/AMA.html
See more about accessibility at the U of M: student advocacy and accessibility services; the office of human rights and conflict management