WHAT: At the Festival of Human Abilities, visitors can watch performances and learn unique adaptive skills taught by artists and other experts with disabilities. Featured at the festival are hip-hop wheelchair dancers, a sign language choir, a singer who is blind and has autism, a guitarist who is blind, and other inspiring performing artists.
Along with these music and dance performances, the Aquarium will feature art demonstrations and displays, including mouth-stick art by local artists with disabilities. Cody Unser First Step Foundation 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 for guests who are deaf, and the Aquarium will provide visitor guides in braille and audio tours for guests who are blind.
2018 Glenn McIntyre Heritage Award Ceremonies:
Saturday, January 27, at 2:30 p.m.
Honoree: Auti Angel
In 1992 Auti Angel, a professional dancer with a promising career, faced devastation when she experienced a life-threatening auto accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Returning to her first love of dance, she pioneered wheelchair hip-hop dancing worldwide and built a successful career in music and acting. Auti Angel inspires, motivates, and empowers audiences with her own life example of overcoming obstacles.
Sunday, January 28, at 2:30 p.m.
Honoree: Haben Girma
The first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Girma travels the world consulting and presenting lectures, teaching clients the benefits of fully accessible products and services. Girma is a talented storyteller who helps people frame difference as an asset. She has been honored by President Obama and President Clinton for her disability rights advocacy.
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, January 27-28, 2018, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802
COST: $29.95 adult (12+), $26.95 senior (62+), $17.95 child (3-11), and free to kids age three and under and members
SPONSOR: Marriott Long Beach
INFO: (562) 590-3100 or http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/festival_of_human_abilities/
AQUARIUM: The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important challenges facing our planet are explored by scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in search of sustainable solutions. The Aquarium is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature's services by building the interactions between and among people. Home to over 11,000 animals, Aquarium exhibits include the FROGS: Dazzling and Disappearing, Our Water Future, and archerfish exhibits. Beyond its animal exhibits, the Aquarium offers educational programs for people of all ages. The Aquarium won a 2015 Travelers' Choice Award for Aquariums, as awarded by TripAdvisor® travelers, and the 2017 TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence. The Aquarium offers memberships with unlimited FREE admission for 12 months, VIP Entrance, and other special benefits.
