A Place Where I Belong // An evening event about disability & sexuality in Kamloops

Please register for this free documentary film screening. Everyone is welcome, no one will be turned away. There will be an audience Q&A discussion with local experts and film team. This event is brought to you by Kamloops Society for Community Inclusion, Speak-Up Self-Advocacy Awareness Society, and Story Money Impact. If you are neurodiverse or identify as intellectually and/or developmentally disabled, you may register at this link for the afternoon screening that is protected for self-advocates and their support workers only.

This event will start with a musical drag performance with local artist Miss Mousse. Audiences will have a chance to meet her and take photos before the film starts!

Trailer and Synopsis

Facing a system that does not fully see them as human, six 2SLGBTQIA+ people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) work to be seen, to love, and to be free through Connecting Queer* Communities, a bold program that is at risk of ending. Through CQC, the participants find safety and support while learning about their sexual feelings and gender identity. People with I/DD are often left out of queer communities because caregivers may feel uncomfortable with their sexuality, and they are often kept apart from society, which limits their chances to understand and express their queer identity. CQC shows how inclusion can change lives and helps create a world where everyone can find a place they belong.

*Queer is a word some people use to describe themselves if their feelings, gender, or who they love is different from what society expects. It can include people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and others.

Schedule

6:00pm - Doors open
6:30pm - Drag show and Meet & Greet with Miss Mousse
7:00pm - Film starts
8:00pm - 60-min talkback with guests/experts
9:00pm - Reception

Panelists

Rheanna Toy, film director, A Place Where I Belong
Rheanna Toy is a documentary filmmaker and videographer who has spent over a decade making videos in the community living sector. Her previous work led her to CQC: Connecting Queer Communities, a pilot program supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. After hearing from the program's organizers about barriers faced by queer people with IDD, she asked if she could pursue an independent film on the topic. What began as an exploration became a longer documentary commitment, shaped through months of relationship-building, trust, and on-the-ground filming. Supported by posAbilities, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and Kinsight, she created the film to expand public understanding of disability, queer belonging, and inclusion - and to help ensure these stories are seen, valued, and protected.

Tami Pedersen, Speak-Up Self-Advocacy Society
Tami Pedersen is a self-advocate with diverse abilities whose work centres on disability rights, independence, and belonging. After moving into her own home with limited formal supports, she strengthened her leadership through community and peer networks. Tami serves with the Speak Up Self-Advocacy Awareness (SUSA) Society and the Thompson Cariboo Community Council, amplifying diverse voices and helping shape inclusive community conversations. Tami is deeply committed to strength-based, positive, plain, and user-friendly language. She believes words matter and works to ensure information is clear, respectful, and accessible to everyone. She has led public sessions including “Being Me,” on self-acceptance and authenticity, and “An Amazing Race to Inclusion,” on practical steps communities can take to build real accessibility and belonging.

Andrei Ouspenski, Professor of Disability Studies, Thomson Rivers University
Andrei is a helper, a teacher, and a Registered Social Worker with Bachelor and Master of Social Work degrees supported by lived experience and informal learning. He identifies as a (dis)Abled individual living with sensory-neuro disability, mental illness, neurodiversity, and chronic pain. Most of his time is spent either teaching at Thompson Rivers University (including Intro to Disability Studies or as he likes to call it, Anti-Ableist Social Work Practice course). He supports the healing journeys of clients from various communities, with specific focus on supporting the queer and neurodiverse communities from within.

Moderator - Noah Fischer, Thomson Rivers University, 
Noah Fischer (he/him) was born in raised in Kamloops, the traditional, unceded territory of the Secw?pemc people. Noah holds the role of Manager of Gender and Sexual Diversity at Thompson Rivers University and has his Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, working as a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a particular interest in serving the 2SLGBTQPIA+ population. He is passionate about allyship, advocacy, and uplifting queer, trans*, and other 2SLGBTQPIA+ people and experiences and supporting forward movement towards equity, diversity, and inclusion through education, dialogue, and respectful curiosity.

Please share the event registration link and poster below with your friends and family!

www.storymoneyimpact.com/kamloops

Story Money Impact would like to thank the funders of the STORY TO ACTION program: