Workshops Tailored to Grades K-12

Youth aDAPT Program

Disability Awareness Practical Teaching for Students & Youth

Our Youth aDAPT Program

Student workshops designed for a Disability Awareness Practical Teaching - aDAPT

Youth aDAPT helps students see the world through a lens of empathy and understanding. By learning together, they discover that differences are not barriers, they are opportunities to connect, include, and grow.

Classrooms today are large, diverse, and complex. Teachers are managing wide ranges of learning differences and behaviours, often with limited support. Youth aDAPT is designed to help students in Edmonton, Victoria, and surrounding communities. This engaging, age-appropriate program gives students a better understanding of how to work together, support one another, and create classrooms where everyone can thrive.

Led by Gina Martin, who has presented to more than 200 classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12, Youth aDAPT brings real-world perspective and empathy to students. Gina teaches from over forty years of lived experience with multiple disabilities and through her deep connections within the disability community. Programs are offered in person in Victoria by Vanessa Pettinger and in Edmonton by Gina Martin. We also offer online sessions to classrooms across Canada because every student matters.

What To Expect In Each Youth Session

Each session creates a safe, comfortable, and non-judgmental space where students can get curious, ask questions, and learn. They gain insight into what disabilities are and, more importantly, what they are not. Students discover that no two people are the same, even when they share the same diagnosis. They learn that accommodations are not special treatment, but fair access that helps everyone succeed.

Throughout the session, youth explore how disability can enter anyone’s life through birth, accident, illness, or aging. They experience firsthand what daily life might be like for someone whose brain or body works differently. Students try completing tasks using alternative tools or techniques, helping them understand how much creativity and problem-solving are involved in adapting to the world around us. These activities encourage students to think outside the box and see how accessibility benefits everyone.

Language is another key focus. Youth aDAPT teaches that words matter; “just joking” or “I’m sorry” are not erasers for hurtful comments. Students learn how language shapes inclusion and that mindful communication promotes kindness, dignity, and respect. When we are kind, everybody wins.

Students also gain awareness of both apparent and non-apparent disabilities. They learn how to recognize when a classmate might be struggling and how to offer support in respectful and appropriate ways. The program explores topics such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, sensory overwhelm, low vision, hearing loss, and mobility challenges, always emphasizing empathy and understanding rather than labels.

Education With Lasting & Impactful Changes

Accessibility is presented as more than ramps or parking spaces. Students begin to see how design, technology, and attitudes can include or exclude people and how they can help build a world that works for everyone. These lessons inspire curiosity, compassion, and innovation, planting seeds that can grow into inclusive thinking and leadership in the years ahead.

Teachers often share that Youth aDAPT transforms the way students interact with one another. The experience creates more patience, understanding, and empathy within the classroom, helping educators build a stronger, more inclusive learning community in Edmonton and surrounding communities like St. Albert, Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Leduc, Beaumont, Sherwood Park, and Fort Saskatchewan.

In addition to classroom presentations, Gina also offers full-school assemblies to reach more students. Assemblies do not provide hands-on activities.

Experience The Youth aDAPT Program

Disability can be an uncomfortable topic.

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Our Professional Development Day Workshops

It's not just for students, but teachers, educators, & support staff too.

Teacher Workshops: Practical Skills & Applications

Gina offers workshops for Professional Development Days (PD Days). These sessions are tailored for teachers, educational assistants, support staff, and anyone who plays a role in creating inclusive schools. They provide practical strategies, language tools, and real-life insights to strengthen understanding and confidence when working with students who have diverse abilities.

Every student deserves to be understood. Every teacher deserves support. Youth aDAPT bridges that gap by bringing lived experience, meaningful education, and a message of inclusion that lasts well beyond the classroom.

Ready to explore Youth aDAPT or customize a workshop for your school? Book a get-to-know-you call with Gina Martin.

Principal testimony - David Mark

North Saanich Middle School

"We were thrilled to welcome Gina and Vanessa back to NSMS, this time to present to our entire school community of 450 students and staff, as we kicked off Accessibility Awareness Week. Their presentation was nothing short of inspiring.

Through sharing their lived experiences, Gina and Vanessa helped us deepen our understanding of accessibility and inclusion. Their message was engaging, educational, and deeply motivational, leaving a lasting impression on everyone in the room.

We then had Gina and Vanessa back to present to all 16 classes, individually.

We are incredibly grateful for their time and energy, and we cannot recommend Gina, Vanessa, and the Youth aDAPT program highly enough. They are truly making a difference."

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