Easter Seals Ontario is set to celebrate Red Shirt Day, an annual day of action for “AccessAbility” and inclusion of people living with disabilities. 

Red Shirt Day features acts of advocacy and awareness: Ontarians and others across the country join together and wear red in schools, workplaces, and community spaces. This visible show of support for persons and families who are living with disabilities is a way to acknowledge the achievements of people living with disabilities and to pledge their commitment to helping create a fully accessible and inclusive society that honours and values the contributions of people of all abilities in all aspects of life. 

Established in 2019 as a national initiative to increase awareness of the contributions that people living with disabilities can and do make to Canadian society, Red Shirt Day has quickly gained momentum, with more and more individuals and organizations sharing photos of themselves wearing red on their social media accounts each year.

Easter Seals Ontario’s President and CEO, Kevin Collins, notes, “Building a fully accessible and inclusive Canada requires the year-round commitment of all Canadians to removing physical, attitudinal and systematic barriers in schools, workplaces and communities. As Easter Seals Ontario marks our 100^th year, we are proud of the work we have done over the past century to improve accessibility and inclusion and we are excited about the momentum that Red Shirt Day will generate for the cause.”

Held each year on the Wednesday during National AccessAbility Week (NAAW), Red Shirt Day 2022 will take place on Wednesday, June 1, with NAAW scheduled this year from Sunday, May 29 to Saturday, June 4.

“We encourage everyone across Ontario to join us in celebrating Red Shirt Day,” says Kevin Collins, noting that there are several ways to get involved:

• On Wednesday, June 1, 2022, post a selfie or a group photo with friends, classmates or colleagues – all wearing red – on social media, using the hashtags #RedShirtDay, #RedForAccessAbility, #EasterSealsOntario, #UnstoppABLE and tag @EasterSealsON.

• Take and share your personal Red Shirt Day Pledge on social media.

• Join the Join the Red Shirt Day mailing list to receive updates on Red Shirt Day and free resources to help you mark National AccessAbility Week and Red Shirt Day.  

For more information and ideas, visit redshirtday.ca, or https://easterseals.ca/en/redshirtday/.

source: media release