Winter 2007

Artists and art lovers converged at The Abilities Arts Festival: A Celebration of Disability Arts and Culture, held from October 25 to November 4 in Toronto. The 10- day showcase of dance, theatre, photography and visual art was a smashing success, and it gave artists with disabilities an opportunity to share their unique perspective.

When the mercury drops and a chill creeps into the air, many of us retreat indoors, determined to hibernate until the snow melts. That’s too bad, because there’s a host of exciting sports that can make winter a lot more fun. Why not try something new this year? Read on to learn about cold-weather adaptive sports and how to get started. Also, check out “Feel the Rush,” the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s campaign to get more Canadians involved in adaptive sports, at www.paralympic.ca/feeltherush/.
By Jaclyn Law

It’s like clockwork. Every Friday night at college and university campuses across Canada, students pour into the streets, eager to find a place to hang out with their friends and enjoy a pint or two. It’s a time-honoured rite of passage, and some say a necessity for students to survive the stress of school and pressure brought on by exams. Young people with disabilities are no different. The problem is, there are often barriers that get in the way of having a good time.
By Scott Bremner

As with many issues in the lives of people with disabilities, the health of our bones generally takes a back seat to the primary condition with which we must contend. This is understandable, given how demanding conditions like spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and the like can be. But, it’s also dangerous, because osteoporosis — a decrease in bone quantity and quality — can mean serious damage, often without any signs until a fracture occurs.
By Raymond D. Cohen

You may have heard that some parents are enrolling their young children in sign language classes — even though no one in the family has a hearing disability. While at first blush this sounds like a fad, sign language can benefit children with other disabilities and, indeed, people of all abilities.
By Melissa Martz

Steve Estey is bleary-eyed when he greets me at his house in a quiet neighbourhood in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He has just spent 30 hours over the past two days travelling home from Seoul, South Korea, where he attended the 7th World Assembly of Disabled Peoples International (Sept. 5 to 8). Considering the long flight, the jet lag and the fact that he helped organize the event, it’s amazing that Estey’s upright, let alone coherent.
By Anna Quon

For years after much 1987 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, I dreamed of going for a jog. I had been an avid runner, but my lack of strength, leg coordination and balance made jogging a distant memory. Instead, I took short strolls with my cane and later, a walker. Then, in 1998, I discovered a new way to indulge my love of running: deep-water jogging. Like many people with MS, I experience increased mobility in cool water (26-29°C).
By Nancy Chamberlayne

Being able to remember things is something most of us take for granted. We may get frustrated once in a while when we misplace our keys or forget to return a phone call, but in general we are confident about relying on our memory.
By Gloria Troyer

When Jim Darley, a computer consultant in Mississauga, Ontario, feels the going getting tough, he has a simple solution: he reaches across his desk and hits the big red “easy” button.The five-dollar item, purchased at an office supply store, utters a pre-recorded voice stating, “That was easy!” and, for a time, the world feels a little less heavy. That’s because the soft-spoken Darley, 58, who was only diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in September after decades of self-doubt and repeated failures, is still adjusting to his new label. The button serves as a kind of self-regulating “check-in” tool that helps keep him focused.
By Carter Hammett

By Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres

By Canadian Centre on Disability Studies

By Canadian Council on Learning

By Dis-IT Research Alliance

By Variety Ontario

By Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada