Durham College alumnus receives provincial accessibility award Posted on June 1, 2017 at 2:16 pm. John Draper honoured with David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility Oshawa, Ont. — Durham College (DC) is proud to congratulate alumnus and Oshawa resident John Draper on his receipt of the David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility. The founder of Together We Rock!, a socially responsible business dedicated to inspiring learning and promoting inclusion for people with disabilities, Draper was honoured for going above and beyond to raise awareness about accessibility and nurturing a culture of inclusion across the province by the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, on May 25 at Queen’s Park. Since graduating from the Journalism program at DC in 2005, Draper has been a valued alumni guest presenter and in 2007 was honoured as a DC Alumnus of Distinction for his efforts in promoting accessibility and inclusion for all. While a student, he wrote for The Chronicle newspaper and Reflections magazine and further honed his writing skills as a student member of the Canadian Association of Journalists. It was during his time at DC that Draper envisioned building an organization that would champion and lead the creation of accessible and inclusive communities. After graduating, he made his vision a reality by founding Together We Rock! Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, he combines non-verbal humour with his journalism background to encourage his audiences to take one step to make a difference in creating a world where everyone belongs. “We are so pleased that John’s tireless work to promote accessibility and inclusivity is being recognized at such a high level,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “The groundwork laid during his time as a DC student has helped him achieve incredible things for the betterment of the greater community and we couldn’t be prouder.” Together We Rock! focuses on integrity, excellence and accountability by partnering with corporations, communities, educators, colleges and universities, to achieve their vision of accessibility and inclusivity. They do this by awarding leadership scholarships, bursaries and financial contributions to students, schools, including DC, and organizations who are working towards inclusion and accessibility. The partnership between DC and Together We Rock! is a natural extension of the college’s commitment to creating a fully inclusive campus. Recent work towards DC’s goal has included continued initiatives to meet the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act; continued initiatives to expand the campus capacity to support mental health; promoting inclusion for access to all; and establishing WCAG 2.0 A standards for college websites. -30- About Durham College At Durham College (DC), the student experience comes first. With campuses in Oshawa and Whitby and a learning site in Pickering, the college offers more than 12,000 full-time post-secondary and apprenticeship students access to more than 140 full-time and eight apprenticeship programs in a number of different disciplines, enabling them to develop the skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market. The Oshawa campus features the state-of-the art Student Services building and the college has recently broken ground on the Centre for Collaborative Education, a legacy project tied to DC’s 50th anniversary in 2017. The new facility will bring together local, Indigenous and global communities, providing a new home for several of the college’s most innovative and ground-breaking programs. The Whitby campus features the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, which includes Bistro ‘67, a full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a retail store featuring food prepared by students in the college’s culinary programs. For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000. Media contact: Meghan Ney Communications and Marketing 905.721.2000 ext. 2197 meghan.ney@durhamcollege.ca SHARE:
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