Tag: true stories

We Think You’re Awesome, We Want You To Feel Awesome Too!

disabilitypride July 1, 2021 Comments Off

We are extremely excited to announce that Gerianne’s online course, Empowering Your Self-Confidence is ready and available!

For $39.99 you get access to Gerianne’s uplifting and useful tips and tricks for building your self-confidence.

With this course, Gerianne helps you discover your inner strength by sharing her personal struggles with her self-confidence and how she overcame them. Activities and quizzes help you learn how to practice the skills you are building and Gerianne teaches you how to include these activities in every-day life to continue your path to increased self-confidence long after you have completed the course.

A Podcast Recommendation; Canadian True Crime

disabilitypride November 13, 2020 Comments Off

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The International Disability Day of Mourning is March 1^st, we mark it every year here and remember the victims with heavy hearts.

One of the victims Gerianne and I discuss often is Tracy Latimer. Her murder was a shock to all Canadians and is still at front of mind when we think and talk about filicide of disabled people. The support her murderer has received, still receives, is something neither of us can wrap our heads around.

I have been on a bit of a true crime kick lately, listening to the Canadian True Crime Podcast on my frequent long drives dropping my kids off and picking them up from school. I’m going through the episodes, oldest to newest, and a few days ago I came across Episode 37, Tracy Latimer, originally released in December, 2018.

When I saw who the victim was for this podcast, I was immediately ready to delete all subsequent episodes from my phone, I was mentally preparing myself for a take that was sympathetic to Tracy’s murderer, as is so often the case but I was willing to give the host, Kristi Lee, a shot. She had impressed me with her reasonable and balanced take on many other crimes and I had a slight hope that she would be able to tackle this one with the same fairness.

I was right to give her a chance. I still got very angry listening to Tracy’s story and the story of her murder but not at the host. Lee presented the case well and was incredibly neutral in her discussion of the details of the case, the support Tracy’s murderer has received and the anger about both that has come from the disability rights community. I could not tell whether Lee supported Tracy’s murderer or thought his conviction was just.

If you are unfamiliar with the Latimer case and are interested in learning more, I highly recommend Canadian True Crimes Episode 37, Tracy Latimer. It does go into a lot of detail so if you’re uncomfortable with descriptions of murder, this may not be the podcast for you. I learned a fair bit about the case and about the push for adding “compassionate homicide” to Canada’s legal code.

Accessible Online Banking?

disabilitypride September 3, 2020 Comments Off

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Gerianne sitting at her desk wearing her head pointer and typing with it

When out and about in the “real world” we encounter a number of barriers to accessibility. A step into a store that’s too high for a wheelchair to climb safely, sidewalks closed for construction, signs in the middle of paths making it impossible for a wheelchair, powerchair or stroller to pass, doors without automatic openers, the list goes on…

I tend to think of the internet as a place with fewer barriers to accessibility. Most computer users with mobility issues have figured out adaptations to use their hardware, people who are hard of hearing, Deaf, or deaf have access to closed captions, folks who are vision impaired, blind, or have reading comprehension problems have screen readers, people with writing difficulties have voice to text for typing (which doesn’t work well for people with accents or speech impediments but that’s another story), etc…

But sometimes a barrier crops up that I don’t expect, in a place I never imagined. Gerianne was looking into online banking and came across a prompt for a digital signature. This is a barrier to access for folks who don’t have the dexterity to use a mouse and don’t have a touch-pad connected to their desktops.

We’ve encountered other barriers to access online too and they usually involve proving identity or the “I am not a robot” things. Timed tests for proving you are not a robot are the most common ones we encounter but I’m sure there are more. We do our best to navigate through them but I’m growing more aware of the lack of inclusion in the design process in a space that I thought was truly for everyone.

User experience designers need to be more aware of the barriers their users encounter, the same way designers of physical spaces need to build that awareness. I don’t have a solution for any of these barriers but it is important to make note and call them out when we encounter them so that we can have a more inclusive, accessible experience, online and offline.

Having one “standard” model of human that all of our environments are build around prevents full, equal access. No two bodies or minds have the same abilities and that’s part of what makes the world interesting and fun.

Construction Season is Coming! Don’t Let This Happen Again!

disabilitypride February 28, 2020 Comments Off

As February ends, we can start to smell spring. With the warmer months come countless infrastructure and public works projects. With these projects comes signage. While we understand that some spaces become inaccessible due to the nature of construction, this is unacceptable! A whole sidewalk blocked with signage! It could have easily been placed on the green strip!

Please, please don’t let this happen again this year, HRM. We’re watching you.

A Good Day

disabilitypride February 14, 2020 Comments Off

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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!