in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 1, 20 18 | 46 Monday Nov.5th • 7-9pm in our office: 77 Bronte Road (Bronte Rd./Lakeshore) R.S.V.P. 289.813.1969 info@furtherafieldtravel.ca EXPLORING AFRICA Upcoming Presentations Scotland/Ireland DIScoVeR SoUth AfRIcA, ZImbAbwe & botSwAnA JOIN US Guest Speaker: Sandy Lidka 461972- 2017 Best Travel Agency Suite 300, South Oakville Centre • 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville 905.827.1100 travel@mctavish.comwww.mctavishtravel.com CORPORATE • GROUP • LEISURE O nt R eg N o 14 37 98 5 Dive the second largest natural coral reef on the planet! FEB 4 - 11, 2019 ROATAN, HONDURAS Join Oakville Divers at the Henry Morgan Beach Resort! This 7 Night Transat package includes: Round Trip Flights and Transfers, 3 Buffet Meals Daily, Unlimited Beverages incl Wine and Spirits, Daily Sports, Activities and Entertainment and an Exclusive Cabana Party! This is a great opportunity to travel with and learn from Oakville Divers' Dive Master and Instructor Robert Shannon. Rate $1389CAD total per person based on double occupancy. Add a 10 Dive Package for $399CAD. Divers and non-divers welcome! Contact Us for Details! Deposit of $200CAD pp required at the time of booking. Group Travel Terms and Conditions Apply. Subject to Availability. Rate Subject to Change. Contact Us For Full Details. Lake Louise Fiji The Gift that Keeps on Giving! From snow-capped mountains to warm sandy beaches, we've got a trip for everyone on your list. Visit www.travelalerts.ca/TisTheSeason those with anxiety or other sensory process- ing disorders. Sensory play is encouraged by de- velopment specialists and the toys were chosen in consultation with a special needs educator. Among the selection are colourful fidget toys, which provide tactile stimulation, and Lizzy the lap lizard, who acts similarly to a weighted blanket, providing com- forting deep pressure to help ground the body. Marcus Logan is the community information manager at the Oakville Public Library and the driving force behind the addition of this new col- lection. Logan understands the crucial role libraries play in providing acces- sible spaces, and recent- ly helped convene the The library recently added a unique new col- lection to its roster - sev- eral "sensory toys" de- signed to stimulate the senses of touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing. The toys can be espe- cially soothing for chil- dren and adults on the autism spectrum, or for Halton Disability Youth Advisory Council (HY- DAC), a group of young adults with a goal to em- power youth with any disability and build awareness and accep- tance. "Every person that comes into our library is unique - we like to cele- brate that diversity and ensure our collection re- flects the needs of our en- tire community," says Logan. Artist Aiden Lee, 15, is a member of HYDAC and a strong OPL supporter. Lee has autism, and ap- plauds OPL's move to- ward including more re- sources tailored to indi- viduals with special needs. Lee was instru- mental in the develop- ment of the collection - when OPL commis- sioned one of his art piec- es, he donated some of the proceeds toward pur- chasing the toys. "Lizzy the lizard is my favourite - I had one just like her when I was youn- ger and it helped me to learn and sit quietly," Lee says. OPL is consistently pushing the boundaries of what is typical for a public library, and prides itself on being a trusted space, where stigma and judgment are left at the door and acces- sibility is a first-line pri- ority. The toys are available at every OPL branch and can only be used in- branch. To keep up with the library's efforts to foster an inclusive com- munity space, visit www.opl.ca or follow OPL on social media. NEW COLLECTION OF TOYS STIMULATES THE 5 SENSES OPINION ESPECIALLY SOOTHING FOR THOSE ON AUTISM SPECTRUM, WRITES OAKVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY OAKVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM Meet the people in your neighbourhood. VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM TO LEARN ABOUT LOCAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY