Festival of Human Abilities Features Performances and Free Art Classes for Everyone

January 17, 2017

What: At the Festival of Human Abilities, visitors can watch performances and learn unique adaptive skills taught by artists and other experts with disabilities. Festival performers include hip hop wheelchair dancers Auti Angel, The Rollettes, Infinite Flow, a sign language choir, Kodi Lee, a singer who is blind and has autism, Dat Nguyen, a guitarist who is blind, and other inspiring artists.

The Aquarium will also feature art demonstrations and displays, including mouth-stick art by local artists with disabilities. Diveheart will present adaptive SCUBA demonstrations to show that people of all abilities can enjoy this therapeutic sport.

A variety of free creative workshop classes will be held on site, lasting thirty to forty-five minutes per session. Participants will have the opportunity to learn to sing in sign language, create wheelchair art, paint a hat, and try hip hop wheelchair dancing. All major programming will have sign language interpreters, and the Aquarium will provide audio tours for guests who are blind.

Honoree: This year’s Glenn McIntyre Heritage Award honoree will be Andrew Skinner. In 2008 Skinner co-founded the Triumph Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Triumph Foundation promotes maximizing recovery and return of function through regular exercise, living a healthy lifestyle, focusing on independence, and keeping a positive attitude.

Through Triumph Foundation, Skinner has spent many volunteer hours mentoring and offering support to people with spinal cord injuries. The cornerstone of their outreach is giving newly injured people care baskets that provide information and resources about SCI support organizations, assistance programs, and activities.

When: Saturday and Sunday, January 28-29, 2017, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Award ceremony: Sunday, January 29, 2017, at 11:45 a.m.

Sponsor: Marriott Long Beach