Turn ‘hump day’ into BINGO DAY with weekly Wednesday afternoon Bingo!
What better way to add some fun to the middle of your week? Join Recreation Manager, John Spataro and your friends at Epilepsy Toronto for a fun-filled afternoon.
Interested in joining this group? Please speak with your Epilepsy Toronto counsellor or complete an intake form to be connected with one.
The Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy returns! After a 2 year hiatus, due to Covid-19, plans for the 2022 festival are now underway. The event is scheduled to take place over the Labour Day weekend, Sept 2 – 5, 2022 at Woodbine Park in the Beaches Neighbourhood. For more details please visit our BuskerFest website and for current updates, follow our social media, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy features spectacular circus artistry; music, magic and mime; feats of the impossible, and the ridiculous, performed by comedians, fire jugglers, acrobats, aerial artists, clowns, daredevils, stiltwalkers, and much more. What makes this world-class festival truly unique is that it is produced by a local charitable organization, Epilepsy Toronto. Established in 1999, the event is one of the biggest street performer festivals in North America, and is the largest epilepsy event on the planet!
The Epilepsy Toronto Board of Directors and staff are thrilled to welcome Dr. Patrick Akos, professor, advocate and person living with epilepsy, to be our guest speaker at our Annual General Meeting this year. Dr. Akos will share his dramatic personal story of discovering he had epilepsy, what he has learned on his journey and his priorities for advocacy.
Dr. Patrick Akos’ professional experiences as a teacher, school and college counselor inform his work as a Professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In his work with children, adolescents and young adults, he discovered the power of self-awareness and agency toward strengths and well-being (e.g., positive emotion, relationships, engagement, meaning). Especially in vulnerable moments of transition – he promotes hope within students and clients – both goals and pathways to success. In his professional roles, he strives to be empathetic and research informed to co-construct and empower others toward flourishing.
He is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Supervisor, as well as a licensed K-12 school counselor and secondary and middle grades teacher in North Carolina. He has served in a variety of leadership roles and was recognized as the American School Counselor Association’s Counselor Educator of the Year.
Overall, he strives to lead, teach, counsel and serve others consistent with a strengths orientation.
This event will take place virtually through Zoom. To receive a link to attend, please click the button below to register.
The 2021 Epilepsy Toronto Annual General Meeting was held virtually on Tuesday, May 25, 2021. For a copy of the minutes from this meeting, please email mackenzie@epilepsytoronto.org.
The Epilepsy Toronto Board of Directors and staff are thrilled to welcome author, Registered Social Work, mother and advocate, Jennifer Nunes to be our guest speaker at our Annual General Meeting this year.
‘Making it to Monday’, Jennifer’s Amazon best-selling book, is an emotional memoir that chronicles the road to recovery following her son’s medical crisis and epilepsy diagnosis that changed the course of her and her family’s lives forever. Jennifer will speak about the strength in vulnerability and the powerful potential we all have within ourselves to create joy and happiness in our lives, even through the chaos and darkness.
This event will take place virtually through Zoom. To receive a link to attend, please click the button below to register.
The 2022 Epilepsy Toronto Annual General Meeting was held virtually on Thursday, May 19, 2022. For a copy of the minutes from this meeting, please email mackenzie@epilepsytoronto.org.
Our Youth Support Group is an opportunity for teens, ages 14 – 17, living with epilepsy to meet, and connect. It will be a place to share lived experiences, gather resources and learn information in a supportive, friendly environment.
An intake with parent/caregiver will be required for all new participants prior to attending.
For more information, please email katie@epilepsytoronto.org.
Elana Ellison, Epilepsy Toronto’s Child & Youth Services Co-ordinator, leads a playful new program of Music and Movement for Babies and Tots.
Join Elana in Christie Pits Park for a virtual song circle and parent chat! Enjoy songs, rhymes, and stories with your little one. Connect with other parents of young children who experience seizures. Siblings are welcome!
For more information or to register, please email Elana at elana@epilepsytoronto.org.
Health precautions and COVID-19 screening will be followed. In the event of inclement weather or changes to provincial health regulations, the program will be held online via Zoom.
Our Employment Services Department’s “Ask Me Anything…” webinar series is an opportunity for employers to talk about their recruitment process, company, or a topic related to job search they are are experts on; and a chance for our clients to ask them questions in an easy, open, comfortable environment.
Nirav Patel will be joining us on Wednesday, June 22nd 2022 @ 1 pm-2 PM for an AMA (Ask Me Anything!). He will take questions around job search and disclosure of a disability. Nirav will be speaking as a person with years of experience in these areas, not as a representative of OPG. Please join us for an enlightening AMA with Nirav!
This online workshop is presented by Epilepsy Toronto’s Employment Services Department. To receive a zoom link to join, please complete this form to register.
Nirav Patel is Vice President of Human Resources at Ontario Power Generation. He has been with the generation utility for 20 years taking on various roles within HR and leadership. He has a special interest in recruitment, and ED&I and was recently awarded as the 2021 Agent of Change award for his commitment to inclusion efforts in the electricity sector by the non profit Electricity HR Canada organization. Nirav is currently engaged in a number of HR transformations as his organization continues to focus on people, process and technology to create the HR organization of future focused on great employee experience. In his spare time, Nirav is an avid cycler and continues to raise funds to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre through the Ride to Conquer Cancer.
Our Employment Services Department’s “Ask Me Anything…” webinar series is an opportunity for employers to talk about their recruitment process, company, or a topic related to job search they are are experts on; and a chance for our clients to ask them questions in an easy, open, comfortable environment.
Have you ever wondered what recruiters look for in resumes, cover letters and interviews? How do they choose a candidate? Recruiters receive lots of resumes and are skilled at filtering information – they need to quickly identify the skills and experience their employers are seeking.
Danielle Helsby-Kwong will be joining us on Wednesday, July 20th 2022 @ 1 pm-2 PM for an AMA (Ask Me Anything!). Danielle, who has years of experience working as a recruiter, will take questions about the recruitment process, with the goal of enlightening job seekers on best practices when self-marketing for a job.
This online workshop is presented by Epilepsy Toronto’s Employment Services Department. To receive a zoom link to join, please complete this form to register.
Danielle is an accomplished Human Resources Professional with demonstrated business knowledge in full-cycle Recruitment, HR Consulting, Coaching, HR Policy Design and Change Management.
The topic of disclosure is often a difficult choice for people with invisible conditions like epilepsy to make.
Who do I disclose my disability to?
What are the consequences, if any, of disclosure?
Are there any laws to help me in this regard? How do I disclose and when?
These are just some of the questions that will be explored in this informative panel discussion followed by a live Q&A that offers three distinct points of view from a job seeker, a recruiter, and a lawyer. Special guests will offer their unique spin on a challenging subject!
Epilepsy Toronto’s Employment Services Manager, Carter Hammett moderates this Facebook Live event, which will include an interactive Q&A with the panel. Join him at 2 pm on Thursday, November 5th on the Epilepsy Toronto Facebook Page.
Jessica De Marinis is a staff lawyer at ARCH Disability Law Centre in Toronto, Ontario who practices human rights and disability rights law. Jessica joined ARCH in August 2017. Prior to working at ARCH, she practiced employment and human rights law in Hamilton, ON. Jessica has appeared before various courts and administrative tribunals, including the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, and the Ontario Superior Court.
Shonet D’souza, BHRM, CHRL, is a Human Resources Specialist, Diversity, Inclusion & Invisible Disabilities Advocate, Speaker, Writer. She is a Certified Human Resources Leader with over a decade of people and culture experience. She is currently a Talent Strategist at Powerhouse Talent Inc. where she partners with organizations to develop their employer brand, consistently market their recruitment strategy and attract the right talent. Besides her work in HR, she is a passionate advocate for diversity, inclusion and invisible disabilities. She is a speaker, writer and guest contributor to various online publications. Shonet is an Epilepsy Ambassador at Epilepsy Toronto and Global Epilepsy Exchange and is also part of the United Way Greater Toronto Speakers Bureau.
Alyson Silk is a young professional and graduate of Queen’s University with diverse experience studying and working in Accounting, Data Analysis, Biology, Mathematics, and Statistics. Since she was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2017 and has faced numerous challenges in adapting to a life with this condition, including the pursuit of a career in finance and returning to school. She is currently a job-seeker navigating the hiring process as a person with a disability for the first time. Concerned with tackling the big questions of “when” and “how” to disclose, she has been working closely with Epilepsy Toronto to develop a disclosure plan and prepare for career success in the quickly-evolving modern workforce. She is excited to share her experience and learn from others to address the obstacles presented by disclosure of an invisible disability.
Are you craving some social time with old friends, or a chance to make some new ones?
Join John Spataro, on Thursdays at 7pm for an online Socially Distant Social Club. A chance to connect with other members of the Epilepsy Toronto community, engage in lively conversations, catch up with old friends or maybe make new ones. In this time of physical distancing – the need for connection has never been greater – so come drop in on us!
RSVP to John at john@epilepsytoronto.org and he’ll provide you a zoom link.
