Tag: holidays

Welcome to 2020!

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Hi Everyone! A warm welcome to 2020 from DisabilityPride.net!

Mary and I are working on a 2019 recap. Recaps are always interesting. They remind you of where you’ve been and sometimes they hold little surprises – accomplishments you’ve forgotten about. For instance, between January 23, 2019 and December 17, 2019 our followers on DisabilityPride.net’s Facebook Page doubled in readership!  To each of you, we extent a very heartfelt thanks for your interest in what we are doing.

As I said, a 2019 recap will be forthcoming soon. We are not yet sure what form this might take – whether it will be a blog post, a newsletter, or some other form. We’ll just let it take on a life of it’s own and see what it grows into – maybe a “magletter!” There!!! I likely just created a new publication term. Haha!

Depending on its formation, we may turn this into a bi-monthly or quarterly paid subscription publication, which we will of course make available through DisabilityPride.net’s Online Shoppe. Also of course the first edition will be free!

Anyone interested in learning more about the subscription can just shoot us a message on our Facebook page, and we will keep you posted. Of course you already know that your subscription fees will be supporting the work of this blog, and all that we do.

One new  venture that 2020 brings and starting next week, is that I will once  again be “a student”‘ of sorts, in TEAMWork Cooperative‘s Self Employment Program. It  will be an interesting venture and I look forward to seeing what is to be learned from it and the new contacts that Mary and I are bound to make.

So, 2020 seems off to a roaring start for DisabilityPride.net.

We hope that your 2020 will be likewise.

Pay the Phantom Tollbooth

 

Save Yourselves!

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By: Mary M. Wilson

Taking the ferry to Dartmouth today, we noticed the safety video was missing instructions for people who rely on wheelchairs and mobility aids. @hfxtransit should be aware that traditional life jackets and inflatable rafts are not useful for wheelchair users and should include instructions for our safety too!

When You Need’em Most

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Ahhh! It’s so nice to know that when you’re in your most vulnerable medical need, our Emergency Health Services (i.e. the paramedics / ambulance) are right there for ya….with a bill – that you can’t afford to pay. 

In Nova Scotia, for some bizarre reason, our ambulance service is privatized, which means and depending on where you are when you need an ambulance service, you’re gonna pay for it,  and if you’re like the majority of those with a disability who’s on low income, you’re gonna pay BIG!!!

On December 29th, after several days of being sick with Strep Throat plus a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotic for the Strep, I arose with extreme pain in both upper arms. I immediately realized that I could barely drive my power-chair within my apartment, never mind driving to a bus stop, or a long trek (by foot/wheel) to emerge. Still, I needed to know fast what thee hell was happening to my arms! Was this going to be a long term / permanent condition? If so, how the hell would I get around – even in my own apartment?

So at my direction, my attendant called 911. The paramedics were great. Both were very kind and helpful. They got me to emerge quickly. I would like to be able to say that once in emerge all went well, but I can’t. Even though it’s on my medical data that I’m allergic to Sulfa, (and with any allergy, the triage staff always put a red identifying band on your wrist) I unknowingly was prescribed a medication which contains Sulfa. This led to a second allergic reaction, resulting in blisters developing on both wrists for several days.

All this was by no means fun, but it’s life. Shit happens, as they say. But then a short time later, (when I barely had time to start recovering) I get 2 EHS bills (one for going to emerge and the other for going home since I didn’t have my power-chair with me) totaling nearly $300!  Ouch man!

I’ve been told in the past, that if you’re taken by ambulance from a public place, i.e. a minor street accident, the EHS is free, but if they’re required from your home, look out for a huge bill.

In thinking about this, the EHS billing criteria seems more than unfair. If you get a few scrapes, you get a free ride – literally, but when you no other means to get to emerge from your home, you pay through the nose.

My hope in posting this little story is that someone within the system will read it, recognize the problem affecting many people in situations similar to mine, and will work on finding a fairer billing fee structure.

So Much To Say!

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Wow! I have so much I want to say – so much to write about. As I’ve said before, I only wish I could type as fast as my brain spits thoughts out.

First, the closing of 2018? Christmas? What?….. What? How did I miss your leaving? Where did you go?

I feel like I missed you completely, because I was in a weird vortex of medical “Lord knows what,” which now it seems completely surreal: A minor cold, getting caught in snow storm without a hat on, which led to Strep throat, which likely led to being on antibiotics a bit too long, which led to a severe allergic reaction, which led to a reaction to the meds used to treat the allergic reaction, which led to being put on a med containing Sulfa – which I’m allergic to, which led to a blistering rash on my wrists, which led to thinking it could be Shingles (for a second time in my life), add frustration of walk-ins being closed, more snowstorms, unavailable wheelchair taxis, and ohh yeh, a short supply of available attendants due to holidays, a few quitting, new hires not following through, and on and on. That’s how I missed you! I’m so sorry I missed you! Advent, my favourite season, you’re a Blur. Christmas Eve Service, I’m glad I saw you, but I missed so much else. And 2019, you snuck in without me even realizing it. I’m glad you’re here. I hope we’ll get along. But 2018, you left without a proper Good-Bye. I’m sad about that. Overall, you were good to me. We did a lot of “firsts” together and I wish we could have finished on a much more upbeat note. But I do thank you for all that we shared. It was awesome and amazing. Thank you.

2019! Right, lets do this! Bring it on!