It’s Time That Chronic Illness and Disability Become Election Issues
In my new essay for CreakyJoints Canada, I talk about why and how to make issues like mask mandates, pharmacare programs, and affordable accessible housing front and center during this year’s Ontario and Québec polls: “All over Canada, mask mandates, capacity limits, and all other protective measures have been lifted as the country collectively hit…
COVID-19 and the forgotten disability community
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare how profoundly devalued disabled lives and experiences are. The latest article from the Disability in Health team — of which I am a proud member — has been published in Healthy Debate: “People living with disabilities have long been accustomed to asking for inclusion without results: We needed telehealth…
Access/No Access: The Quest for an Accessible Hotel Room
I had to be out of my apartment for week while my landlord installed new flooring to replace the one that had been destroyed in a flood. But first, I decided to check out a few accessible rooms in hotels near my neighbourhood to see which would best fit my needs. Starting with a surprise…
If I Need Help, I’ll Ask for It: An Encounter with a Self-Obsessed Ableist
Updated September 27. 2020 I was on a small excursion, among other things returning books to the library and while I was there, I picked up another one. After getting checked out, I moved over about a meter and a bit to get out of the way so the person behind me could get to…
Sensitive to the D-Word: A Disability Discrimination Test
Updated March 5, 2021 When you mention the D-word (discrimination) in connection with people with disabilities you get the funniest reactions. People sort of wince, they cringe, they even get angry and question your conclusions. It’s as if they have accepted the concept of discrimination against other groups, such as racial minorities, women and aboriginal…