My Word!

By Raymond D. Cohen

Welcome to the Winter edition of ABILITIES. With every issue, we seem to pass another milestone, or realize another goal we have set for ourselves.

Last issue marked our inaugural presence on the Internet.This issue, we are preparing to launch a new our,fifth alternate format of the magazine: a clear language supplement, prompted by a Nova Scotia woman who requested easier synonyms for words she had found difficult in a recent article. Her letter made us realize that the information and resources contained in our articles would be accessible to many more people with disabilities, specifically those with cognitive disabilities affecting reading comprehension, and perhaps others for whom English is a second language or who have low literacy skills, if we were to offer this clear language supplement in addition to the regular magazine. We are now developing this supplement, and encourage anyone who wishes to receive this enhancement, or who knows someone who might, to send us their name for a free copy.

As the magazine grows in both its spirit and its reach, it seems to crop up in more and more places. Readers have let us know they discovered ABILITIES not only on newsstands, but also at their workplaces, at their local libraries, in their doctors’ offices, at their schools, and at their friends’ homes. We continually get requests from teachers who wish to photocopy articles for their students. Organizations and companies ask for copies of ABILITIES to be available at their conferences and events. Even other disability publications as far away as New Zealand request permission to reproduce articles and photographs they originally saw in ABILITIES. But there is a responsibility that comes with the reuse and distribution of published articles.

And while we are absolutely thrilled that ABILITIES is serving all kinds of purposes, meeting diverse needs, there are also risks that go along with a wide circulation. The risks are associated with the concept that, as a publisher, one cannot always control how the printed word is being used, and in what context.

A few seasons ago, we published a section 0f which we are particularly proud. The topic was employment barriers against women with disabilities. We featured the opinions of several knowledgeable Canadian women in the work force with a wide range of disabilities. We printed these women’s perspectives on several different aspects of finding and keeping a job. Unfortunately, one woman’s words came back to haunt her. Months later, when she applied for funding from a government agency for an accessible vehicle that would help her get to work, her request was denied. She was sent a photocopy of the ABILITIES article, with her own words boldly highlighted. In the article, she had talked about job accommodations around the issue of transportation. Specifically, she had mentioned arrangements she was able to make with one employer where she would take taxis at the company’s expense and share transportation with co-workers in her neighbourhood. The argument of the government agency that turned down her request was: Fine, there’s your solution, so what do you need a vehicle for? Her words were taken completely out of context... and were offered up as proof that she did not require the vehicle! Their message seemed to be, you’ve shot yourself in the foot... you said this in a national magazine, and we’re holding it against you.

With thousands of copies of ABILITIES in circulation, and with almost half of our readers keeping every issue indefinitely, we are responsible for a lot of words out there. And, as I have said, we are very proud of any resources or ideas that people might reach through our articles. My wish is for ABILITIES to continue to grow and become even more of a vehicle for vital communication among people with disabilities. But I hope that people who borrow from our magazine will do so responsibly. This means respecting the expressed opinions of our contributors and not taking their words out of context. For example, job accommodations might be an ideal solution at one workplace, but that does not mean they’re being put into practice in all situations.

Happily, to the credit of most of you who encounter ABILITIES, whether it is at the store, through a conference, at work, at the library or delivered to your door, incidents like the one I have described above seem fairly few and far between. You seem to recognize ABILITIES for what it is intended to be simply a source of information, inspiration and opportunity, written mostly by people with disabilities, and read with an open mind and a view to consumer empowerment.

I thank you for your continued support. Enjoy this issue ...and the best of the festive season to your and yours!