ABOUT

Project Citizenship was a pioneering initiative running from 2010 to 2015 that aimed at helping people with disabilities be seen and included in our communities as full contributing citizens.

The way the project was leading positive social change was through co-creating with people with disabilities stories in film, photographs and other art forms depicting people with disabilities making our communities better places. The stories themselves are powerful change agents that challenge negative stereotypes and we hope inspire people to take action to include people with disabilities in all aspects of community life. The 50 plus stories that were documented have been shared internationally and were showcased as an important social innovation in the renowned innovation magazine - the Stanford social innovation review.

Read the article here

Why the project matters

Many people with disabilities in our communities still live on the margins in isolation and are not offered the same opportunities most citizens are afforded. Inspiring stories have the power to shift attitudes, build empathy and move people to action. The project also mattered because it is a unique approach to education in that people with disabilities, University of Alberta students and SKILLS Society staff explore together what being good citizens can mean and about how we might dissolve barriers to citizenship for people with disabilities.

How the project began

Project Citizenship was launched in 2011 with help from a partnership grant from the University of Alberta Community Service-Learning program. The initial partners included University of Alberta Community Service-Learning, SKILLS Society and Nina Haggerty center for the arts.

Project Leads

Ben Weinlick, MA, Skills Society

Debbie Reid, MEd,

Nancy Spencer, PhD, University of Alberta