Thoughts

As 2022 is ending, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has made this year outstanding. To my allies in advocacy and accessibility: Together we have removed barriers, challenged old school thinking, pushed back when our lives, goals, dreams, accommodations, and more were denied whether through lack of knowledge/awareness or hostility. We…

Every single day I need to explain how universal, accessible design does not mean ‘only people with disabilities’ can use an accessible space… that when designed thoughtfully, accessibility increases ease of use and equity for ALL people. Apple’s new ad (beautifully done) shows us (without turning us into inspiration porn) that adding accessibility features does…

One of my worst disabilities now is my severe cervical arthritis (C1 to C4 spine/neck). This disability causes nearly intolerable, daily chronic pain in the form of headaches and muscle spasms. Over the last decade this disability has gotten worse, there are many days that I struggle to function, including basic self-care and working. On…

Today marks the 14th anniversary of my mobility disability and I have many big emotions. Becoming physically disabled was traumatic, and since that moment my life has changed drastically! Every day I wake up in a body that is my enemy.  I have had periods of deep mourning for all that I have lost. Basic…

For months we have been seeing the talk of “return to normal”. I have a previous blog about it here. It has begun. A well-known conference for an organization focused on inclusion posted a link to their upcoming conference which would be held in person with “partial” virtual attendance (aka partially hybrid). I took a…

I have multiple disabilities but the ones I want to talk about in relation to Virtual Reality are specifically my physical disabilities, and my mental health and wellness. I was not physically disabled until 2008, and pre-disability? I was a runner. Nothing felt better to me than putting on my gear, getting outside and running…

Accessibility is not always what it seems. A few years ago, when I was a full-time wheelchair user, my wife and I decided to go out for lunch. We called a sushi place that we wanted to try, just to ask if they were accessible. The response was – Yes, we are accessible, no problem!…

I wanted to take a moment today and post the links for Elections Canada so that those who need/want to can register to vote by mail and avoid all the challenges around accessibility + covid19. If you choose to vote in person please do your best to stay safe. We are very much in the…

In the disability community we talk a lot about language… and while we do not ALWAYS agree on what language should be used, there are strong leanings toward language we prefer “as a whole”. Some key things that almost everyone seems to agree on are as follows: Do not call someone with a disability inspiring,…

A lot of people in the disability community are talking about what life after the pandemic might look like for us.  Yes, everyone wants to know what it will look like around masking, “vaccination passports”, traveling, etc. but the burning questions for those of us with disabilities are much deeper. Pre-pandemic life for those of…

This is an unplanned follow up on my last blog post about employment and disability. Today I was surfing the internet and came across this tweet from user @stephshantz (Steph Shantz): “I had two people tell me today that if I can’t sustainably work full-time in an office because of my medical condition maybe I…

I have touched on this topic in relation to Tourette syndrome and disclosure in THIS POST but I wanted to write a more in-depth post about employment and disability in general. In 2017, Statistics Canada completed a survey that found 6.2 million Canadians had one or more disabilities. That means one in every 5 people,…

I am seeing a lot of news articles around e-bikes and how they are being banned in cities both in Canada and the USA, and every time I see one of those articles it breaks my heart a little bit more. Come with me on a journey if you don’t mind indulging me. In 2008…