Neil Squire Society staff member Katrina Tilley will participate in the Living Library event at the 2019 Pacific Innovation Fair (opens in a new window).
The Pacific Innovation Fair is a FREE initiative for public servants, external partners and members of the general public to participate in activities, seminars, panel discussions and a huge tradeshow showcasing public service innovation. Partners from different levels of government, along with changemakers from the private sector will come together to share insights, promote growth and development, network, provide mentorship, answer questions and challenge participants to expand their horizons.
This year’s themes, Agile, Inclusive and Equipped will be demonstrated and discussed through 22 unique seminars and activities covering topics such as Working in Virtual Teams, Executive Decision-Making, Digital Transformation, Changemakers’ Challenge, Living Library, Dragon’s Den on Staffing, Positive Space (LGBTQ2+), films, VR experience and much more.
The Living Library is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. Real people will be living “books” on loan to “readers” to share their life experiences of diversity and inclusion to enrich and influence others.
Katrina Tilley will be participating in the Living Library at this event. Katrina is an Occupational Therapist and has been with the Neil Squire Society since November 1985. She worked with Neil Squire himself as he learned how to manage with a high-level spinal cord injury. While working with people with disabilities at the George Pearson Centre from 1983-85, she became a consultant to the now famous Creekview 202 project which saw six individuals with high level tetraplegia (five of them relying on ventilators for breathing support) moved from George Pearson Centre to independent apartment living.
Katrina’s work with individuals with multiple types of disabilities has continued over the years where she has specialized in areas such as Ergonomics and Assistive Technology, Workplace Accommodations, Low Vision and Spinal Cord Injury consultations. Today, as manager of Neil Squire Solutions, she works in close collaboration with a talented team of Occupational Therapists and Assistive Technology Specialists who perform detailed assessments on clients with varying and complex disabilities.