Sharlene Taylor - Board President

I am so pleased to be the first contributor to Rehab’s member blog on our website. For those of you who do not know me, I have been a member of the Rehab Society of Calgary since 1978. After being on the board for the last ten years, I am ending my tenure by acting as President of the Board of Directors for 2025/2026. I am currently finishing my fourth round of being a board member for Rehab.

I have a very rare spinal cord disorder that resulted in me becoming a quadriplegic. While I have not been totally disabled all my life, for many years, I have been confined to a power wheelchair.

When I first started at Rehab, they had a work project that would help people interview for various organizations & companies. I helped develop the work project program, because I liked to see people with disabilities taking part in the community. I am deeply motivated by my observation of many people with disabilities experiencing poverty. As an organization, we still try to get as many work projects as we can even today, as it teaches our members how to develop sufficient work skills within today’s society.

I have seen Rehab at many different stages – we were originally set up for people with physical disabilities, but this has shifted over time. Currently we have 75% of our members who are cognitively disabled & 25% members with physical limitations. Since this change, support workers have become even more important to Rehab’s operations, & they are truly integral to the culture within our community.

The thing I love about Rehab is that it has always fostered a feeling of independence. That our members do not always need to come with a support worker, & they can make their own decisions while they are here.

My membership & volunteer role with the Rehabilitation Society are very meaningful to me. Without rehab I would be mostly sitting or laying at home, with not a lot to do during the day. Over the years, I have found many opportunities to volunteer with charities, as a meaningful way to give back to society. As the board president, despite my physical limitations I can bring my expertise in networking, as I have been tapped into so many different organizations throughout my career.

My hope is that in the years to come Rehab continues to be a useful organization for anyone & everyone that has any type of disability or limitation. That we will be able to assist all members from the age of 18 to 99 to access resources they need. Finding new ways to make our building accessible is especially important to me. I want all people with disabilities (from minute to total physical) to be able to come to rehab – anyone & everyone. Not excluding any type of disability, one might have.

Although I will not always be president of the Rehab, I will always be here in one capacity or another. Rehab has always been so appreciative for anything & everything a person can do for the organization, & I am so grateful that they give me a chance to give back.