Blog Articles About Disability

6 Tips on How to Have a Chronic Illness on Social Media

Are you on social media? Of course you’re on social media; everyone is these days. But if you have a chronic illness, be careful not to post photos of you spending time with people you like, or even smiling. If you do, it could get your disability claim rejected. Kayla Barry knows this firsthand. A…

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Should My Partner Have Sex with Someone Else Because I Have a Chronic Illness?

When you live with chronic illness and disability, pain and mobility limitations can make sex difficult. But does that mean your partner should find someone else with whom to have sex? I see this fairly often, mostly late at night on private Facebook groups where it’s safe to bare what’s deep inside. I’ve been there…

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Getting Organized: The Desk

I am not known for having a pristine home. Clean, yes. Tidy? Not so much. And this has two causes. via GIPHY One, tidying up is not in my top priorities. It doesn’t really hold much interest for me and besides, I usually know exactly where things are in the piles. Once it’s cleaned up,…

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Shortcuts, Traveling, and Loss

Alcatraz, 1992 At some point in the ICU, I had a transcendent experience. Buzzing with excitement, I waited for The Boy to arrive for his daily visit and then told him all about it. That as soon as I was better, the first major adventure we were going to have was to go to Giraffe…

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My Smoking Wheelchair & Praise for Soul

Starting today off with a small poem: The smell of burning insulation Smoke rising from my wheelchair(I’m okay) But I should start at the beginning. Day 1: In which my wheelchair develops a whistle Sunday afternoon as I was about to nap, I noticed a high pitched whine coming from somewhere. At first, I thought…

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Calling BS on CNE Entry Fees for People with Disabilities

Isn’t that nice of me? Instead of swearing in the title of my post, I tried to be a bit more polite. I suspect swearing will come later. This year The Ex, the affectionate nickname for the annual Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, will cease a previous policy of free admission for people with disabilities…

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Me Before You: Better off Dead Than Disabled?

Objections to the movie state that it is a disability snuff movie. That it has a message that the disabled life isn’t worth living, that you become a burden to others, and the person with a disability (and their death) being used as a vehicle for the character and personal development of the able-bodied characters….

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Construction Obstructions: A Walk in a Wheelchair Gets Complicated

This past weekend, we headed towards the ferry dock to go to the Islands. Because I haven’t been to the Islands yet this summer and I’ve been having a hankering.  Getting there was an interesting challenge. There’s been some road work along Queens Quay, the street that runs parallel to the lake in downtown Toronto….

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Barriers to Creating Accessible Housing, Part I: Ontario Building Code Accessibility Standards

As you may be aware, I have been doing advocacy work in accessibility for many years, serving on a variety of committees. In the last three years, I have been involved in the R-PATH Committee, which advocates for accessibility in Toronto Community Housing (TCH). I have long been very frustrated with the lack of usable…

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"I hoped that splints could prevent them from getting worse, as well as deal with the pain in my right thumb" title graphic for The Seated View, beige background with teal stars. A photo of a left-hand with RA joint changes in a splint on the thumb

Ring Splints for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Updated April 23, 2024   “Why don’t you try The Arthritis Society?” Do you remember my experience with a youthful OT when I tried to get splints for some finger deformities? If not, you may want to go read In Which I See an OT and Come up against a Stereotype first. I’ll wait with…

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Hello from the Disabled Side*

Dear Adele, Like every other person in the world, I was really excited about your new album, and even more excited when I heard you were going to come to Toronto. Not just one show, for four shows! I took a look at the dates and decided that the Friday show would be perfect. You…

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Dear Mercury: Are You Done yet?

Dear Mercury, Can we talk? I know that you going retrograde several times a year is something you have to do. I’m not quite sure why this is necessary, but I accept it. I also accept that historically, you’ve had a tendency to mess with Regan, my power wheelchair which has, for reasons (mostly) unrelated…

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