Vision, Mission and Membership
The Association québécoise pour le loisir des personnes handicapées (AQLPH)/Québec Handicapped People Recreation Association is funded annually by the provincial Ministry of Education and Higher Education. For over 40 years, it has developed its leadership and expertise by working closely with 17 regional associations in the province of Québec. AQLPH and its network serve over 500 affiliated community organizations and municipalities.
How ALQPH is Supporting Inclusion and Access for Persons with Disabilities
AQLPH works closely with the Québec Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPHQ or Office des personnes handicapées du Québec) which is a government agency that helps increase the social participation of people with disabilities through policies, research, and the development of resources and programs, such as Parcours sans obstacle and Carte accompagnement loisir (the recreation support card), which offers free access to programs and activity sites for caregivers and guides accompanying people with a disability.
AQLPH also works with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, which is responsible for sports and recreation and is involved in a long-term mission to develop and disseminate tools and programs. Responsibility for the development and promotion of recreation opportunities for people with disabilities is also shared with the regional associations that work on the front line throughout the province.
AQLPH partners with Keroul, a Montreal-based not-for-profit organization internationally renowned for its work in promoting accessible tourism, and with the Défi sportif AlterGo, the largest accessible sports event in Canada with its 8,000 athletes. The recreation sector in Québec has a culture of working collaboratively on research, bringing together scientific partners from several universities in Québec. Promising leisure, accessibility and inclusion projects have spawned multiple tools and programs that meet the needs of the community.
Community Spotlights: La Ville de la Victoriaville
The City of Victoriaville is one of the finest examples of an accessible city. Dedicated to accessibility since the adoption of their accessibility policy and workplan in 1999, it is also the first city to have received the certification, Destination pour tous (Destination for All) from Keroul. The certification covers all municipal services (such as planning, parks, day camps, transportation, etc.). They offer awareness workshops to elected officials and city staff so they better understand the needs of persons with disabilities. The city ensures that equipment such as adapted bikes and kayaks or joëlettes are made available to citizens and visitors with a disability. Always a pioneer, the City of Victoriaville has also developed various initiatives to promote the integration of children with a disability in its regular day camps. The city has developed innovative methods and tools that assess their needs.
