The Aquarium of the Pacific hosted their annual Festival of Human Abilities over the past weekend, providing fun events and activities for people with disabilities. Special awards are given out, and there are music and dance displays performed by persons with disabilities. The event is sponsored by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Redlands College student Cody Under earned the 2009 Heritage Award for her nonprofit organization Cody Under’s First Step, which helps others with their disabilities. Unser has been paralyzed from the chest down since the age of 12, and became the first person with a disability to SCUBA Dive at the Aquarium of the Pacific during the festival.
The event also featured a wheelchair hip-hop dance group and a painter who uses the wheels of his wheelchair as brushes.
Yvonne was on hand to bring us these images from the festival.
ASL interpreter for the deaf, Gilbert Portida
Ali Adams of Swim with Mike, & President of Disability Rights California Ben Rockwell
A SCUBA Diver in the Aquarium’s tropical reef
Joe Robdo, inflicted with muscular dystrophy, paints with his mouth
Ruben Rios paints with his mouth