Category: entrepreneurs with disabilities

The First

      Comments Off on The First

[responsivevoice_button voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Listen to Post”]
The first poem in our series, available to watch on our Patreon!

It’s available free to everyone, and we plan to keep it that way, however we have started our Patreon with the belief that our supporters on the blog will be interested in supporting us as patrons as well.

This poetry series is the first of many new projects we have on the go. With your support of our Patreon campaign, we will be able to bring some exciting new work to you.

A Good Day

      Comments Off on A Good Day

[responsivevoice_button voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Listen to Post”]
Last evening, we happened to take a look at this blog and realized that it’s been a while since we’ve actually posted something on here! It’s amazing how time flies!

Now, that doesn’t mean we haven’t been doing anything. Actually, the opposite. Mary and I are always putting stuff on the Facebook page and if you want to see the latest of what’s going on, you can always visit us there.

So, some of the highlights since the great wheelchair debacle:

We are plugging along with Teamwork’s Self Employment Program, every Tuesday and Thursday, and so far even with the snow, rain and ice, I think we’re becoming better than Canada Post, because we haven’t missed a class yet!

Beyond the SE Program at TW, Mary and I, along with my assistant Kristina and also help from Victoria, we are in the midst of the annual drudgery of doing T4s, (Yay) which is always a bit of a nightmare. If anyone thinks this is a simple process, think again. Things have to be checked and double-checked at every step, and inevitably there are always mistakes to be corrected, which can lead to ALL KINDS OF FUN! – Not!!!!!

However, there’s still lots of fun stuff to do, such as taking part in today’s “Biz Success Tips,” a business seminar and panel hosted by CEED (Centre for Entrepreneurship, Education and Development.) We got to hear from graduates of the “Plan to SucCEED” program and get first voice advice about everything from self-care to bookkeeping, to work-life balance, to setting and meeting realistic goals, and much more. The panel were all excellent speakers and very willing to share their personal experiences with the audience.

After the seminar, we made a short visit into the March of Dimes {MOD} office, (in the same building as CEED) to introduce ourselves and DisabilityPride.net. We had a nice chat with Beth Lynch, who is the Lead Conductor, of their Conductive Education program. During our conversation, Beth gave us two pieces of information to share. First, on Thursday, February 20, the MOD Bayers Road office is having an Open House, from 3pm-5pm; and second, they’ll be starting a Cerebral Palsy Mobility Pilot program, as well as a Free Balance and Mobility Program for Stroke Survivors, soon. So, If you’d like to know more, visit: www.marchofdimes.ca/ce

And with it being Valentine’s Day and all, we decided to celebrate a little by going out for our first “Business Lunch” at the Chameleon Café and Supper Club, where we had two excellent servers and we want to give a big shout out to Erin and her coworkers. We thanked them in person for their excellent service, but want to acknowledge them and he Chameleon Café, here too.

And of course, we want to wish all our readers, followers and supporters a happy Valentine’s Day!

Don’t forget to check in with us on Facebook. We love hearing from y’all!

The Phantom Tollbooth

      Comments Off on The Phantom Tollbooth

Mary here! You may notice something new on the blog. You may not notice it either and that’s why I’m writing this. Either way, I would like to draw your attention to our Phantom Tollbooth. This tollbooth will be occasionally appearing as a link at the bottom of some of our posts, or elsewhere, it’s unpredictable like that. It’s a link to our PayPal.me site and we are hoping that folks who see the Phantom Tollbooth will pay the toll. There is no set minimum (or maximum) for the tollbooth, if you would like to chip in $1, $5 or $42 to help support the work of Gerianne and DisabilityPride.net, we would be endlessly grateful. Our work is important and with enough support we can grow even more, bring more content to the blog and maybe even expand our team with some freelance writers, especially writers with disabilities.

The Phantom Tollbooth is mysterious. It disappears and reappears at random and never refuses any payment. If you see it and choose to ignore it, we’ll never know because we didn’t even know it would be there! That said, the tolls keep the booth (and DisabilityPride.net) open. If you choose to pay a toll, we will be grateful.

International Day of People with Disabilities

      Comments Off on International Day of People with Disabilities

Hi everyone! Mary here. Today we recognize the International Day of People with Disabilities. To celebrate, we attended a flag-raising, award ceremony and reception Dec. 2nd, 2019 at HRM City Hall. We had many interesting conversations, including an important take on the history of Disability Rights and Inclusion from Gerianne. She reminded us that is wasn’t that long ago, only 1980, that restaurants had the right to kick her out for no reason other than existing with a disability and wanting to eat.

Gerianne’s lesson in history is valuable reminder as to how far we’ve come and how far we have left to go to ensure the full inclusion of people with disabilities in every aspect of life. It was a stark reminder to hear Gerianne’s experiences after we were let in the side door, because the front door of City Hall is not accessible. Yesterday, a group of people walked into City Hall to be recognized, a group that would not have received the same treatment 30 years ago. We have much left to do but today, we will celebrate inclusion, diversity and uniqueness.