Comments about Sandi and her team.

• I felt very comfortable with all of you, (but you also challenged me) thank you for doing this workshop
• Thank you for your dedication. Your energy rang through. Your passion and experience and skill was inspiring.
• Thank you for the honor of learning with and from you. I personally feel rejuvenated ever time I revisit these issues and feel I   learn more every time. I hope to have another chance to participate with Sandi again
• Excellent mix of knowledge sharing, personal experience stories (Sandi, Dorothy, Dean) and experiential learning for us. 
• Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience & helping broaden my perspective & world view
• I have been with my organization for 20 years and this is the best training I have ever been to
• This was a real eye opener and a must do for everyone in life
• Stories through experience were extremely helpful in understanding the content of the course
• Wonderful facilitators, made the content much more impactful
• Very good at relating diversity to life
• Great team. Their sharing of personal experiences is touching and thought provoking

Comments about the workshop

• I think that it would be better to set aside more than a day for this training. IN general, I would like more time to explore the topics covered
• Should be mandatory for all staff.
• Longer session. I wanted more and never once thought of the time
• The experiential activities were truly an eye opener.
• Thank you for helping me understand some of the feelings that disabled family members have
• This needs to be further broader and wider in the organization
• This workshop should be given to community leaders and new comers as well, so that know what to expect
• Perhaps spread out over two days, even though the pace was good, there is a lot of material to digest.
• Important in this kind of work to involve policy makers and bureaucrats
• Really appreciated input & the attitude of the facilitator and her assistant
• Enjoyed  really brought topic to forefront and realize need to look at everyone as a person first and expand frame of reference

What participants learned about themselves and the community

• I am on the right path & still have a ways to go
• That racism issues are still on the table to be looked at, and discussed
• It makes us realize what we have and to walk into what it is to have disabilities. Really think it will change how to approach people with a disability
• I was less aware than I thought I was; did not want to be seen as a Person With a Disability (surprised me)
• Reminded me to be patient & open minded also, to remember the little things
• Some things I thought I understood (like being in a wheelchair), I didn't
• I have blinders that I was unaware of
• How exhausting and frustrating some tasks can be when you have a disability
• To adjust my perceptions of people with disabilities
• How easily frustrated I can become when certain movements / senses / abilities are inhibited or taken away.
• It is important to be aware of how disabilities can affect fears, emotions, performance
• What term to use which are appropriate
• I need to be more patient
• I still need a long way to go and be more humble
• Personal power, systemic power and difference
• Need to foster ongoing awareness
• About my power (individual social) about to analyze more my frame of reference
• Another example of how much I don't know.
• Thank you for the knowledge that I gained
• That I understand racism but will always be able to learn more
• To learn and recognize where the power is
• I did not know as much as I thought
• The impact of various disabilities / illness & how difficult they are to live everyday
• I do have stereotypes and fears surrounding people with disabilities

How participants  will use the workshop learnings

• At work, in advising employers, in delivering training
• When interacting with dealing with clients & general population
• To communicate more effectively
• As a way to be more aware not only of situations around me, but language
• As soon as I leave this room
• Every day. Eye opener
• In my everyday life personally and professionally
• In everyday life, with my colleagues, friends, family and daughters
• In dealing with complaints and in understanding better their situation and where they are coming from
• To broaden my horizon and increase my frame of reference
• To deal with people and allow them time to communicate what will need/expect
• In designing programs; community consultation
• Level of difficulty faced by PWD in doing ordinary things
• How much trust is required for people with disabilities
• Role model. Seeing & listening to Sandi inspired me and helped me to see a balanced approach in getting the message across
• TOOLS! Having been to some training sessions before I am always left wanting hands on practical tools to use and am excited to put them to use.

One thing participants learned and will use in their life

• I learned a lot about racism and that its not just something of the past. I'll be more aware now and do more about it
• Better terminology
• Accept each other
• That everyone's differences need to be celebrated
• That while you think you are saying something kind and might not be taken that way so you have to be aware of your words and make sure your actions show that you mean well 
• I will learn to stand up to racism between groups
• That I should never doubt that one person cant make a difference
• Diversity goes far beyond integration, assimilation and unity
• I learned how to approach people with different culture

 Sarah