New KPU collective hosts talent show for students with disabilities on Oct. 13
The KPU Students with Disabilities Community will make space at Grassroots Cafe for performances and art from self-identifying students with disabilities
The KPU Students with Disabilities Community is hosting "Talent Tapestry" on Oct. 13 for students with disabilities to showcase their skills and artistry. (Submitted)
A new Kwantlen Polytechnic University collective will run a talent show for students with disabilities on Oct. 13 from 3:00 to 5:30 pm at Grassroots Cafe.
The KPU Students with Disabilities Community, led by Usha Gunatilake, the Kwantlen Student Association’s students with disabilities representative, will host its first event called “Talent Tapestry” for all students self-identifying with a disability to showcase their skills.
“In the world, you get all these labels put on, you get all these restrictions, and there’s a lot of hassle, even when you’re trying to get accommodations, the paperwork, the red tape, it’s exhausting,” Gunatilake says.
“As a student with a disability, I can tell you it is very tiring and demotivating. So I just want them to have a space where they can have fun doing what they love along with their friends. [They can] have some food, sing a song, and enjoy themselves.”
Gunatilake says students with disabilities can share any talent for the show, as long as it is “within the university regulations” and not “harmful or discriminatory to any community.” Some examples include open mic readings, lip syncing, comedy, magic tricks, and skits.
However not all the talents participants wish to share have to be performances.
“I had someone ask whether they could [put] up a little piece of visual art. [For] things like that, we have space so we can put it up on the side of Grassroots Cafe,” Gunatilake says.
The time a student has to present is up to them, depending on their type of performance and how long they need, and Gunatilake says she is also working on booking people to share presentations in between performances.
“We are trying to get about two speakers who will either give a little more information to the students with disabilities about services and facilities in KPU that they can get the benefit of, or someone who will help them, encourage and empower them to just live their life will-free.”
Participants will also receive a $10 gift card from Grassroots Cafe.
While Gunatilake originally planned for the event to be an open mic, she decided to expand it so students can share various acts in a judgement-free environment.
For those who attend the event and do not have disabilities, Gunatilake says she hopes they “see people for people.”
“For everyone, all the students, I hope it will help create more awareness and empathy towards the students with disabilities community, so everyone will learn to be good friends, no matter whether they are students with disabilities or not.”
Besides having fun and feeling like they are a part of a community, Gunatilake says she wants participants to have their talents appreciated.
“It’s not about objectively being good,” she says. “It’s about embracing every part of yourself and putting it out there and flourishing it.”
Interested students with disabilities can email Usha.Gunatilake@kusa.ca to register, request accommodations, or ask for more information.
Students with disabilities and allies can also join the KPU Students with Disabilities Community on its Discord server to access support along with more socializing events and sessions.
