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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 22, 2015 | 16 Oakville ballet dancer and guitar player Maggie Hawes uses a device that better enables her to play the guitar. Hawes hopes the label of disability will one day be eliminated. | submitted photo CHAMP-ioning elimination of the label `disability' by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Maggie Hawes is a teenage girl -- talkative, bubbly and energetic. When the 14-year-old Oakville resident speaks about ballet, her voice is noticeably more animated as she shares details about working on the Nutcracker performance. She practises ballet six days a week for five to six hours at a time and loves playing the guitar and riding her bike. At the same time, she has moments of insecurity like many do. The St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School Grade 9 student recently shared with the Oakville Beaver how having been born missing part of her left arm can present challenges. Stares she receives from time to time, or when people refer to her arm as a disability, can be hurtful, she noted. Perfectly capable "Even though I was born missing part of my left arm, I can still do anything anyone else can and I'm perfectly capable of doing things," Hawes said. "It's not a disability, it's something different." Hawes recently returned home from The War Amps 2015 Ontario Child Amputee (CHAMP) Seminar in Ottawa. She said she's grateful for support she's receiving from the CHAMP program, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary of serving children under 18 in Canada, who are born missing a limb or have lost a limb due to an accident or medical causes. "When you go to War Amps, they'll always be there for you. They know exactly what you're going through and they give amazing support," said Hawes, noting sometimes people's assumptions and misjudgment can be disconcerting. Through the program, which has provided many child amputees with financial assistance for artificial limbs, Hawes has been connected to others who dislike their differences being labelled disabilities. "I want to work on Even though I was born missing part of my left arm, I can still do anything anyone else can do and I'm perfectly capable of doing things. It's not a disability, it's something different. Maggie Hawes Oakville CHAMP trying to eliminate that word from our vocabulary because everyone has their unique special talents and we should just celebrate that rather than putting a label on people," she said. CHAMP hosts annual regional educational programs where child amputees and their parents can learn about the latest developments in artificial limbs and discuss dealing with issues such as teasing and bullying. At the recent seminar, Hawes demonstrated a device she uses to play the guitar. Device has silicon sleeve "It's specifically designed for the guitar. It's a device with a silicon sleeve to put my arm in, with a pick attachment at the end of it that you just clip in," she described. "It's almost like one of those quick release attachments and you use an Allen key to tighten the device so the pick can be held securely." Hawes obtained the device two years ago because playing with her bare arm became painful. She said she now plays guitar painlessly and enjoys every minute of it. For more on CHAMP and War Amps, visit www.waramps.ca. People love AtlasCare. Maybe a little too much. Maybe it's our promises always kept, or our red carpet service that makes you feel like you're on one. Perhaps it's the respect we show for your home, and for your time by giving you a service window as small as one hour. Year after year we're the highest ranked heating and cooling service in the GTA. You and your home are all we care about. Although, the occasional cake is nice too. Call us today 905-829-1296 or visit AtlasCare.ca