MIR x Accessible Futures

Free one-on-one consultations for arts administrators to connect with mentors to support your organizational accessibility goals, frameworks and advocacy.

In collaboration with North York Arts, we are pleased to announce the Mentor in Residence x Accessible Futures program.

This program will offer a professional development series of 4 sessions (2 hours each) presented online in the fall. These sessions will be focused on increasing the capacity of non-disabled led organizations* to work with artists with disabilities/disabled artists and program staff.

In addition to being able to attend one or multiple sessions, participating organizations and staff will also have the opportunity to book free one-on-one consultations to connect with mentors to support their organizational accessibility goals, frameworks and advocacy.  

Topics that will be addressed at the sessions include: 

• Disability Justice for Organizations - Sept 15, 2022
• Disability Justice Journeys Sharing Circles - Sept 22, 2022
• All About Accessibility Baseline - Sept 29, 2022
• Race and Disability Justice for Organizations - Oct 6, 2022

All sessions will have ASL interpretation and CART available.
*All organizations are welcome and invited to participate should the series topics be of interest.

BOOK MENTORS

To book a one-on-one consutation with our Accessible Future mentors, please click the registration button below or click here. Consultations are available on a first come, first served basis.

MEET THE ACCESSIBLE FUTURES MENTORS:

DEV RAMSAWAKH
Dev Ramsawakh is a disabled and non-binary multidisciplinary storyteller and producer. They were the 2019 TVO Short Docs Contest winner and their short films have been screened at CaribbeanTales Film Festival, Inside Out Film Festival, Toronto Queer Film Festival, and ReelAbilities Film Festival, among others. Their work has been published on Chatelaine, CBC, them, Xtra, and other publications. They’re included in the Disability Visibility anthology edited by Alice Wong and have fiction in the anthologies Two Times Removed and Toronto 2033. They also write poetry and facilitate workshops independently and with CRIP Collective around disability justice, storytelling, and more.

*Consultations with Dev are no longer available.


NATASHA "COURAGE" BACCHUS
I am Natasha Cecily Bacchus. I am an athlete and interdisciplinary visual artist, passionate about deaf advocacy, fitness and physical expression. Throughout my life, I have nurtured my passion for fitness competing as a professional athlete and securing medal positions in the Deaf Olympics, Pan Am Olympics and many other competitive sporting events. As an actress, I have participated in numerous theatre and film productions and have a strong desire to continue to grow and develop as a performing artist, expanding representation to include differently-abled persons and empowering Black Deaf women in Canada to shine on and off the stage.

 

*Consultations with Courage are no longer available.
 

SIVERT DAS
Sivert Das is a biracial, visibly, and invisibly disabled immigrant actor, voiceover artist, writer, musician, comedian, and activist based in Toronto. He a University of Victoria's performance program and the Second City Conservatory graduate. He is the first physically disabled person of color to graduate from those programs. He has worked all over Canada as an actor. He has worked with Realwheels theatre, The Citadel Theatre, Second City, Bad Dog Theatre, Exitstageleft Productions, Workman Arts and the Phoenix Theatre. He has written two plays, “My Right Arm” “Zordon” .the former was read as part of Realwheels programming and the latter has been supported by grants from Cahoots Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille. His writing has also been published by Intermission magazine. His work combines the absurd and the fantastical mixed with poignant social commentary. His activism focuses on raising awareness for Disabled and BIPOC communities. He is grateful to be part of this process.

*Consultations with Sivert are no longer available.


WY-JOUNG KOU 
Wy Joung Kou is an interdisciplinary artist, based in Treaty 13 Territory (Toronto), with a practice rooted in frameworks of disability justice. Their body of work spans mosaic, poetry, sound, movement, performance, video, and installation, and their educational trajectory as a professional artist has followed a path combining mentorship and community-models of learning & skill exchange. Kou is the Associate Artistic Director of ReDefine Arts, a performing member of Raging Asian Womxn Taiko Drummers, the inaugural winner of the 2018 JRG Grant for Artists with Disabilities, and an ILGBT Artist Residency alum. www.wyjoungkou.com 


*Consultations with Wy-Joung are no longer available.


PREE AKA STICKY MANGOS
Pree (they/them) is an artist educator currently based in Tkaronto, originally from Tiohtià:ke. They're a child of immigrant settlers from Panjab. Pree's work is an ode to their extended youth as a trans and non-binary person, and create art for their inner child. Their main medium is watercolour, but Pree also embroiders, creates short films, writes and performs drag. They have an interdisciplinary arts practice under the name: Sticky Mangos. Pree's online shop has been featured in CBC, Xtra magazine, and BlogTo. Their art has been featured in Luminato Arts Festival, Design TO festival and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

*Consultations with Pree are no longer available.

JOCELYN BROWN
Jocelyn is a performing artist who is proud to return home to Canada. After studying at American Musical & Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and New School University in NYC, Jocelyn became involved with creating accessible theatre. From volunteering for TDF Autism Friendly Performances, directing pieces for Sign&Sing (Deaf & Opera performers sharing the stage), to teaming up with Drag Story Hour, Jocelyn is looking to expand inclusive art opportunities by sharing her learn knowledge and personal experiences. She has been advocating with award winning disability groups (CIDNY in New York City and Canadian Hearing Services in Toronto), she has developed a wide range of skills with the goal of achieving access for all in creative industries.

Additionally, Jocelyn continues to perform in a myriad of projects with voiceover work, the latest being artist informational videos for Deaf Spectrum. She also has become inspired learning from other artists through the pandemic in different practices and now creates watercolours and ink illustrations.

*C.onsultations with Jocelyn are no longer available