Diveheart
By HILLARY MA | hma@scng.com
The Festival of Human Abilities — a two-day event aimed at celebrating the creative talents of folks with disabilities hosted by the Aquarium of the Pacific — will return to Long Beach next weekend.
The 21st iteration of the festival will feature live performances and workshops by dancers, musicians and artists, according to the event’s website, who have learned unique adaptive skills to hone their craft.
The Festival of Human Abilities will also showcase speakers from various organizations dedicated to serving folks with disabilities — including James Elliot, founder and president of nonprofit Diveheart.
Diveheart is an Illinois-based organization, according to a recent press release, with a chief goal to help people with disabilities through scuba therapy.
This year marks Elliot’s 13th year of presenting Diveheart and its mission during the Festival of Human Abilities.
In 2011, Elliot was the first person to receive the Glen McIntyre Award from the Aquarium of the Pacific — in recognition of the organization’s work to combine scuba diving and therapy for folks with disabilities.
“An organization that (recognizes) you, gives you an award, and has you come back to present to people with disabilities and help them imagine the possibilities in their life is huge,” Elliot said. “(It) is a great honor to be (in) association with the Aquarium of the Pacific.”
Elliot said that before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, he and Diveheart used to be able to scuba therapy demonstrations in the Aquarium pools.
“This year we are presenting in the Ocean Theater,” he said, “and we’re going to talk about scuba therapy.”
Diveheart, currently, is fundraising to support its goal of constructing an education and research facility — alongside a net-zero deep pool.
“Forget the fact you’re overweight, you have Parkinson’s, or cerebral palsy — or whatever,” Elliott said. “Let’s get you in, make you independent so you (can) control your destiny. Because, really, just breathing is all you need to be able to do (scuba therapy).”
General admission tickets to the Aquarium will grant free access to the Festival of Human Abilities. Aquarium members get free festival admission with reservations.
The Festival of Human Abilities will get underway at the Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 27-28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information on the event and ticket purchases, visit their website.
