Blog Articles About Disability

Freaks, Redux

Back in the day, people were so squicked out by disability that governments felt compelled to make ordinances preventing citizens who had disabilities from being in public places. They were called “ugly laws,” not referring to the laws themselves, but to the state of appearance which they were intended to curtail: “No person who is…

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Real RA: The Benefit of RA Hands

Sometimes, RA doesn’t just take. Sometimes, RA gives. When I still lived with my parents, I was in charge of pies. I’d found the perfect recipe for the crust and loved experimenting with different fillings. Our kitchen wasn’t very wheelchair accessible, so my mother would place the ingredients and tools on the dining room table…

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Seating Arrangements

Last Friday, I went to a Toronto concert hall to hear David Sedaris read from his new book Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls — a book that apparently has nothing to do with diabetes, although owls do make a rather hilarious appearance. I had no idea what to expect. In fact, on some level I…

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Anger Has a Place, But So Does Joy

A while back, Laurie suggested that I watch Pink Ribbons, Inc. and it’s been on my list of movies to buy. It turns out that sometimes, when you lollygag long enough, really good things happen. Last week, she posted this news: The National Film Board of Canada is currently offering the movie as a free…

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Real RA: Talking with Your Hands

Updated May 2, 2021 There is a legend in my father’s family. A long, long time ago, a Spanish mercenary supposedly had his way with a female ancestor. Equally supposedly, this explains why families with two children always have one with dark hair and one with blonde hair. Writing it down like that makes it…

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Real RA: Opening a Pop/Soda Can

RA hands can make a lot of things difficult, some of them big, some of them small. Sometimes it’s about the jar, sometimes it isn’t. And sometimes, it’s about something as simple as a can of pop. Over time, you develop tricks and workarounds to do what you need to do. Today, I share mine…

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Rediscovery

image credit: Darius Sankowski Seven or eight years ago, I stopped being able to read regular books. My neck and shoulders couldn’t handle holding the book or the looking down part. Before that, and for as long as I can remember, I carried a book with me wherever I’d go. Reading was my first love….

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Domino Effect

About 10 days ago, I had a bit of a wonky transfer. The person helping me to get from my bed to the chair put her foot half an inch closer to me than it should have been, blocking my left leg from moving and my left ankle twisted. These things happen. My left leg…

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Generational Dissonance

The automatic door opener on my apartment’s front door decided to become processed this weekend. Perhaps it is Regan being a bad influence. Regardless of cause, the thing started opening the door repeatedly without provocation or encouragement from me. This was a tad unnerving. It was also extremely frustrating, as this is the mechanism that…

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Strive to Include

I was going to take a break from writing about accessibility and barriers to same. There was enough of an inaccessibility flurry before my birthday, what with Winners and Metro, the LCBO and Buskerfest and to be honest, I’m tired. Tired of not being able to use stores and spaces the same way my able-bodied…

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The Annual Rant

This might be my last rant about Buskerfest. Despite it having become an annual tradition to which I know you’re all looking forward with bated breath (no?), it may be time to close the series (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011). Not because Buskerfest has magically become a paragon of accessibility – were it only so….

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Driven to Drink

The universe is continuing the theme… There’s a bit of a celebration going on this weekend and although I normally don’t partake of alcohol (it gives me headaches), I decided to go in search of a particular product. I first learned of Woody’s pink grapefruit cooler when it was handed out free on the street…

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