Isabelle Ducharme

Ms. Isabelle Ducharme has been working on social integration of people with disabilities for more than 25 years. During these years, Miss Ducharme has presented at various conferences and facilitated multiple workshops on creating awareness for integrating people with disabilities. Her personal experience of living with a spinal cord injury since her car accident in 1988 gives her unique insight in the barriers many persons with disabilities face.

Ms. Ducharme is Chairman of the Board at Kéroul, a Quebec-based organization with the mission to make tourism and culture more accessible for persons with limited physical abilities. She is also active on the Board of Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES), the leading international organization dedicated to the promotion of accessibility of the built and virtual environments.

In the field of disabilities, Ms. Ducharme has delivered keynotes at various international conferences. She has developed and delivered sensitivity awareness classes to the travel industry www.keroul.qc.ca/en/training.html. She has created a new concept of accessible circuit to promote accessible venues: www.theaccessibleroad.com. She also has created and hosted a radio show to keep people with disabilities informed of products and services available: Accès libre http://canalm.vuesetvoix.com/. She is a touristic columnist at AMItélé.

She has a bachelor’s degree in communications at Université de Montréal and a Master’s degree in business and tourism planning at Université du Québec à Montréal. She also completed a course in ‘’communication and leadership’’ from Dale Carnegie to further refine her presentation skills.