Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)

Enabling Minds (www.enablingminds.ca) is a project of The Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division (CMHA), in partnership with YMCA Ontario, and Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO). Its goal is to reduce barriers that prevent people with mental health-related disabilities from accessing physical activity programs and resources at community centres, fitness clubs, parks, and other recreation and fitness facilities.

Enabling Minds comprises mental health accessibility training for anyone who works in the field of sports, fitness or recreation – especially those with a customer service role.

It is a tool designed to support organizations & practitioners in the recreation and physical activity sector to meet the requirements of the customer service and information and communication standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, (AODA) 2005. The target audiences for the training resources include policy-makers, staff involved in marketing, communications and membership development, and front-line program/service staff.

As Project Coordinator, Mehak, Kelly was responsible for coordinating, and reporting on, the activities of a 6-member Steering Committee, a 21-member Advisory Committee of stakeholders, several project staff, and 18 agencies that were recruited to pilot the training. Mehak, Kelly was also engaged in planning and developing, administering and analyzing stakeholder input through: an Ontario-wide, on-line survey directed to the users and providers of physical activity and recreation services; focus groups of service providers and users, in both northern and southern Ontario.