Dylan Itzikowitz and Jonathan Silver
• – • Second City Toronto
About the speaker
Dylan and Jonathan are co-founders of The Forward Movement, an accessibility awareness and advocacy campaign using the adoption of a new symbol of access as a medium to educate society on the importance of creating inclusion through equal access.
Last July, Dylan was the pedestrian victim of a driver's collision, requiring him to have 4 surgeries and temporarily use a wheelchair for mobility. This forced him to defer his Masters at the London School of Economics in Social Innovation. During his recovery, he became disturbed by the lack of accessibility in Ontario and experienced first hand the way society looked down upon someone with a disability.
Jonathan is a design activist interested in how simple changes to iconography can have powerful impacts. He's also deeply committed to universal human equality. After hearing about the Dynamic Symbol of Access, he started noticing the outdated icon for access everywhere—they stuck out like a sore thumb.
They met last November, when Jonathan was using stickers of the Dynamic Symbol as a graffiti activism campaign. Together they launched the Forward Movement to add a formal top-down approach to supplement the grass-roots graffiti side. They now work closely with StopGap Foundation on ramp projects, AccessNow on mapping accessible locations, Kids Rehab hospitals on anti-stigma programs, several policy makers, among many other partners
Their campaign can be found:
Facebook: @theforwardmovement.ca
Twitter: @theforwardmove
www.TheForwardMovement.ca
Local partners
Venue Partner - The Second City Toronto
Beginning as a small cabaret theater on Chicago’s north side in 1959, The Second City has grown to become a comedy empire, with theaters in Chicago and Toronto and Training Centers in Chicago, Toronto and Hollywood. Launching the careers of Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert and countless others, The Second City is always good for a laugh. This event will be held at their mainstage!
Printing Partner - PrintNGOriginally from Newfoundland, Nola Grimes brought her passion for art and creativity to the printing industry over 20 years ago and has been managing all types of print projects for a diverse group of clients ever since. She enjoys working with designers and being part of the creative process. Over the years, Nola has built relationships with a network of suppliers and can produce everything from small postcard orders to catalogs and signage. Whether the project is simple, with a tight budget or more complex, with embossing and other special effects, Nola can help you meet your objectives and treats every order with equal care.
Illustration Partner - Visual Talks
VisualTalks present information your audience needs, in the way they can process it best. VisualTalks are whiteboard illustrations (or graphic recordings) to enhance understanding and retention, increase participant engagement and create concise and beautiful summaries of information.
We listen carefully, process what we hear, and draw it on the spot. We capture it truthfully, and present it in a way that facilitates further thought and discussion.
Accessibility Partner - The Forward Movement
The Forward Movement is an accessibility awareness and advocacy campaign working to get Ontario to adopt the use of the Dynamic Symbol of Access as an alternative to the currently used symbol. The Dynamic Symbol is an improvement to the old symbol in two major ways: (i) the person in the new image is more defined than the one in the old image, and (ii) the new image shows movement, a symbolic action that emphasizes differing abilities, and this reframes the way society views and interacts with people with a disability. The new symbol is also meant to spark conversations to educate the Ontarians about the importance of removing barriers—both physical and cultural—to make Ontario more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
Additional details
Theme
July’s theme, EQUALITY, was chosen by our Johannesburg chapter and illustrated by Katt Phatlane.
Location
