Winners and Losers
Weirdly coincidentally, the universe has conspired to push me in the direction of a follow-up. If you’ve been reading for a while, you may remember my experiences with some interesting accessibility issues at Winnersabout a year ago and the grocery store Metro in late fall 2010 (as well as the very satisfactory resolution of both)….
Presumption
Every now and again the universe conspires and lets me know without prevarication that I’m supposed to write about something. It started when I (somewhat belatedly) read Dave’s post about World Down Syndrome Day, which had a lively and at times disturbing conversation in the comment section. A discussion which included responses to a comment…
Faces, Earthquakes and Ebola: Making Pain Scales Work in Real Life
“Please rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10.” Said by many doctors and it sounds pretty simple, right? It isn’t. When you live with chronic pain, rating that pain becomes a really complicated question. Pain scales are an attempt to assign an objective measurement to a subjective feeling. And it gets very…
Talking About the Money
“You assume that it’s all covered.” It was at the tail end of my interview with the CBC – no, not shameless name dropping, actually relevant to this post. (shameless self-promotional links to two of last week’s interviews at the end of this post). I was chatting with the reporter and cameraman as the equipment…
Disabled? Disposable. Help Save the Hardship Fund
I had a plan for this week. I’ve had that plan for about a year. Because the International Day of People with Disabilities is on December 3 and for the last couple of years, that meant that I go to Variety Village to take part in the City’s celebration of this day. It’s a terrific…
A Wonderful Evening. Or Not.
I’ve had the most delicious opportunity. I subscribe to a magazine called Canadian Living. Terrific magazine with helpful articles and really wonderful recipes and a few weeks ago, I discovered another good thing about it. Because that’s when I got an e-mail with a special offer for subscribers that was out of this world. An…
An Open Letter to Dr. Phil
Dear Dr. Phil, Late last week, there was a bit of a kerfuffle on Twitter about a statement on your website. In the summary of the show Saving Alex, youare quoted as stating that as a consequence of being obese, Alex may develop “medical complications … including rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension and heart attack.” Rheumatoid arthritis…
Oh, Brother: Disability and Romance
Updated June 14, 2020 “Is that your brother?” We get this all the time, The Boy and I and I don’t know why, except that we are both somewhat rounded and wear glasses. Well, that’s not actually true, because I do know why. It’s because able-bodied men don’t date women in wheelchairs. To be even…
Winners
Last week, I wrote about an experience at Winners where it was impossible for me to pay for my purchase due to the pin pads at the cash not being accessible. I intended to also communicate with Winners directly about this issue, doing the advocacious thing. Especially as they have a link on their home…
This Again?
Sometimes, it comes in waves… One evening, not too long ago, I was captured by the light of the lowering sun and headed out with my camera. I’d already changed into my not-going-out-again evening outfit of red tartan flannel pants and a comfy cardigan (I call it The Lene Andersen Street Urchin Collection). My attendant…
Sugar Beach Accessibility Tour
Remember my attempt to get to Sugar Beach? And remember how Bruce Sudds, the Communications Manager for Waterfront Toronto wrote me an e-mail committing to making some changes? And remember that Community Planning Meeting? At that meeting, my MPP Glen Murray – who is a thoroughly decent man with a passion for universal design –…
I’m Healthy/No I’m Not
My Writing Buddy has done it again. The woman keeps making me think and I intend to speak sternly to her about it one of these days. Laurie’s latest post In Translation is about coming back to the oncology centre for a monthly treatment and being asked how she feels in this question in particular…