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FASD Community Gathering and Move-A-Thon

JULY 29, 2024

FASD Community Gathering and Move-A-Thon

Moving Forward FASD Social Justice

Join Us and Show Your Support

Guest Speaker Myles Himmelreich
Sunday, September 8th 11am-3pm
St. James Park
Toronto, Ontario

Join us on September 8 at St. James Park for the first FASD Community Gathering: Moving Forward FASD Social Justice to come together to bring public attention to FASD and move-a-thon for better inclusion.

Why Are We Gathering?

Stigma and lack of awareness around FASD are causing significant social inequities and a lack of opportunities for equal participation. This results in broad discrimination and higher risk to vulnerabilities, particularly in overrepresentation in the criminal justice systems, greater risk of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well overall inequitable access to needed supports for individuals with FASD. Individuals with FASD deserve access to equal rights. This requires better awareness, education, consultation, and inclusion of those with FASD.

Event Details

The event will begin with a traditional land welcoming by Traditional Healer Pete Keshane and a speech on social justice issues and FASD by Myles Himmelreich, a renowned motivational speaker. The event will feature community service info tables, interactive activities such as temporary tattoos, face painting, button making and awareness t-shirt giveaways.

We will then engage in an awareness demonstration led by Indigenous traditional dancers and a traditional drummer to support healing and to clear the path forward for the community in a good way. The group will journey from St. James Park to the Toronto Courthouse on University Ave, just north of Queen Street. When the 3 km round trip ends back at the park, participants will have an opportunity to speak with community services and make connections.

Map of Downtown Toronto with the walk route highlighted

Driving and Transit Directions

Traveling by Streetcar: The park can be reached via the 504 King Streetcar from the east or west. The nearest stop is either Church Street or Jarvis Street.

Traveling by Subway: The nearest subway stop is King Station on the 1 (Yellow) Line. After exiting the subway station, it is a 5-minute journey east along King Street to reach the park.

Traveling by Car: Traveling from the North or West (Simcoe County or Peel Region), use the Gardiner Expressway East to Lower Jarvis St. and take a slight left onto the ramp towards St. Lawrence Market.
Traveling from the East (Durham Region), use the Don Valley Parkway South and take exit 1 towards Richmond St., merge onto Eastern Ave and turn slightly right onto Richmond St. E.

Parking is available around the St. Lawrence Market, all parking locations are an approximate 4 minute walk to St. James Park.

Map view of parking lots around St. Lawrence Market

Speaker

Renowned Speaker Myles Himmelreich

Myles Himmelreich is a well-known motivational speaker, sharing his experiences of living with a disability. He facilitates mentoring groups for other youth and adults with FASD. He has done a great deal of work consulting and training for agencies to improve their capacity to understand and create inclusion for individuals with neurodiversity. Myles has presented at many conferences, including the International FASD Conference, and was invited to and spoke at the Legislative Assembly of BC. Myles was also a co-lead of a ground-breaking study on the health and physical issues of adults living with FASD. Myles is a local, national and international trainer on living with a disability, FASD in the legal system, as well as the school system. He is a system changer and advocate with a passion for creating inclusion for community members. This can be seen by the entirety of his body of work including, that with the Representative of Children and Youth in the province of BC. His goal is to inspire audiences to change the way they view disability and empower those with diversity to know and find their purpose.

Special Guests – Red Shoes Rock

Maggie May

Maggie May is an adult who was born with FASD from Ireland. Maggie speaks internationally about the effects and impact it has had on her life. She provides advice for those living and working with those with FASD, and supports others with FASD. Maggie also runs online support and social groups for kids, teens & Adults living with FASD in 5 different countries every Month. In addition she is an ambassador for FASD Awareness Uk charity and is also the FASD Red Shoes Rock Ireland’s ambassador. Maggie is also a member of the International Adult Leadership Collaborative of FASD Changemakers .

RJ Formanek

Having not received an FASD diagnosis until his late forties, RJ Formanek was startled to find how many of the strategies he had used throughout life were a result of FASD. While being educated in FASD at the Anishinabek Educational Institute in North Bay, Ontario RJ found that the sharing of these strategies were a helpful educational tool and that, along with founding the Facebook support group “Flying With Broken Wings” gives him a unique insight into living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, which he shares freely.

He is co-founder of the FASD advocacy and support group “Red Shoes Rocks” which shows that FASD is real and many people are dealing with it every day, all around the. RJ also speaks widely, advocating for people living on the spectrum. It is through team effort that there is more research and education being done, and getting this out to the public is important.

Project Partners and Sponsor

Project Partner

SickKids Lotus Health Clinic
Red Shoes Rock

Sponsors

Ontario Brain Institute

Health Nexus

Pantree

FASD T-Shirt for Purchase and Giveaways

For the second year in a row, the Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity will be designing a t-shirt that will be for sale. This year, the theme of the shirt is FASD and Social Justice. In addition, there will be a raffle and giveaways over the course of the event.

Purchase a T-shirt

T-shirts will also be available for purchase at the event.

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By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO