In our growth as a community organization, we are happy to announce that we have added a new position to our team for 2019.
Meet our Accessibility Coordinator, Deirdre Large!
This new position will help us realize our goal of creating an inclusive and challenging race series for runners of all abilities through answering your questions regarding assistance, accommodations, and venue and course information.
Awareness, Accessibility, and Inclusion
Deirdre is a longtime Run Waterloo community member. Already both a participant and volunteer, she is uniquely positioned to make an incredibly positive impact through this role.
In her own words:
“My running began 10 years ago. It began as a way of strengthening my core and relieving stress – both needed as I managed daily life with my youngest son. He is disabled and at the time required both a wheelchair and walker to get around. As a mother of a disabled child, I was continually looking for new ways to get stronger and healthier and always looking for ways to do the same for my son.
“Enter Run Waterloo. After participating in a number of races on my own, I decided to challenge my son, who was now just using a walker to run and take steps. I realized that with a little push from me and accommodations from the Race Director, he could participate in a few of the races with me. It allowed us to enjoy this time together, gave him new goals to achieve and so much awareness for our community.
“In my role as Accessibility Coordinator I hope to be able to help other disabled runners and their families navigate what is sometimes an intimidating recreational sport. Start the conversation. Ask the questions. Inclusion is only the first step.
“The possibilities are endless!”
We are eager to assist in breaking down barriers faced by runners with disabilities and we invite all runners with disabilities to join us in making this a reality in our running community.
Deirdre is a great addition to our team. You can contact Deirdre at [email protected].
