Dr Michelle Hewitt, Chair, is medically retired school principal, with advanced multiple sclerosis. Michelle believes in celebrating and supporting the incredibly talented and diverse population of disabled people in Canada. Her PhD research concentrated on younger disabled adults who have no option but to live in long-term care facilities that do not support their needs, and she continues to advocate for this group. Along with forming KALAS with Paul, Beth, Hana and Kent, Michelle volunteers on the City of Kelowna Accessibility Advisory Committee, and is Chair of the Board of Disability Without Poverty, Canada’s only charity solely focused on disabled people who live in poverty.
Dr. Paul Clark, Vice Chair, is a retired optometrist, three-time Paralympic wheelchair racer, accessibility advocate, and wheelchair user for over five decades following a traumatic spinal cord injury at age 15. Frustrated by the slow rate of change in accessibility, he is committed to making life more accessible for the next generation of disabled people. A Kelowna resident for over 30 years, he volunteers with his neighbourhood association and the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, and maintains strong connections with City Councillors and the wheelchair-dependent community.
Beth Flynn, treasurer, is a retired Montessori teacher, having raised five children and is now enjoying the fruits of being a grandmother.
At the age of four, she was stricken with polio (prior to the polio vaccine being developed), and for the past 30 years has been challenged with managing Post Polio Syndrome, a crippling condition which develops several decades later following acute polio. She continues to struggle with progressive loss of mobility and strength as PPS advances with no known cure. To have been selected to participate as a member of the Accessibility Advisory Committee addressing and strategically guiding the Kelowna City Council on the many issues facing our challenged community has been a privilege and profound honour for Beth.
Hana Cairns is the secretary of KALAS.
A seasoned marketing and communications professional, Hana has more than 15 years of experience across both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Throughout her career, she has developed and executed comprehensive strategies that deliver impactful results in strategic communications, brand management, fundraising, and community engagement.
A dedicated advocate and ally for equity-deserving communities, Hana is an active member of the City of Kelowna’s Accessibility Advisory Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of the Kelowna Museums Society. She holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University and is passionate about building more inclusive, accessible, and connected communities.
Kent Stewart is a board member of KALAS and as a long time resident of the Okanagan valley in British Columbia, Canada and a member of the blind community. He has experienced most levels of vision loss from having functional sight as a younger man to presently seeing contrast and light. He has not let the many obstacles accompanied with sight loss get in his way or hold him back from trying new things and taking on new challenges. Kent volunteers on the City of Kelowna’s Accessibility Advisory Committee and is a member of Adaptive Adventures in the Okanagan.