Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods

"In other words, your place in society plays a large part in determining how healthy you are, and even how long you will live. It’s understood that every social class is healthier than the classes below it, and sicker than the classes above it. The COVID-19 pandemic has sharply emphasized these differences. From the start, we’ve been assured that we are all in this together. Dr. Tam knows better. Some of us are well-insulated from COVID-19, while others can’t escape it. For... poor people and other marginalized groups, they make this a syndemic, far more dangerous than for those better off." (Image: Close-up of Dr. Tam's face in front of Canada flag.) https://thetyee.ca//Theresa-Tam-Diagnosis-What-Ails-Cana/

If you, like me, are wondering, how the fuck are BIPOC supposed to just go to work and do life right now... Remember that that's the point of capitalist white s...upremacy. If you can, if it feels okay to do so, be more tender with yourself, allow yourself some space to be, connect with those who actively believe in your rights. It is okay to keep some distance from folks you don't trust or question. Beautiful, magical, powerful, BIPOC, especially Black, Brown & Indigenous folks... Take care of yourselves. And white folks who give a fuck, please step in and talk to your white family members, peers, colleagues whose politics seem neutral or questionable. Reading books on anti-racism on your own does not translate into an anti-racist society. This is not just America. This goes for all white supremacist societies including Canada, Australia, and the UK. Canadians must remember that we are in the same basket of eggs that Britain birthed in its global colonial project of building white societies on stolen Indigenous land with stolen Black people. Our colonial, white supremacist roots are no different than that of America. Image Description: 3 images with a frame of yellow flowers and black text on a white box at the center reading the first three paragraphs of this caption.

Please be kind and patient with yourself and others right now. It's a good practice at all times but especially during a pandemic and such uncertainty. (Image: An egg in the lower right corner. Stars before each point. Things to normalize during a global f*cking pandemic: weight gain or fluctuating weight; being unproductive & unmotivated; being over-productive & throwing yourself into work; feeling ok one moment, then awful the next; random waves of sadness or anxiety; being unresponsive to messages’ falling off of routines & healthy habits; frequently trying to distract yourself Credit: @InternetStacy and @TraumaHealingCo)

Rainbow Wave 2020: 17 LGBTQ+ Candidates Who Won on Election Night Sharice Davids, the first out LGBTQ+ Native American elected to Congress is re-elected. Ritchie Torres became the first gay LGBTQ+ Afro-Lainx member of Congress in New York’s 14th Congressional District.... Jabari Brisport, is the first Black LGBTQ+ member of the New York State legislature. Sarah McBride became the first out trans person ever elected to a state senate seat. Kim Jackson became the first LGBTQ+ person elected to Georgia state Senate. Stephanie Byers being elected to the Kansas state House makes her the first out trans person of color ever to be elected to a state legislature. Mauree Turner has notched history in a few ways. They have become the first nonbinary state legislator having won a seat in Oklahoma's House of Representatives. They are also the fist Muslim to serve in the state's legislature. (Image: Photos of three of the representatives mentioned in the article. Brianna Titone, Ritchie Torres, and Sharice Davids.) https://www.out.com//all-lgbtq-candidates-won-2020-electio

"It cannot be overstated - we are collectively living through challenging times. In many places, we are well into the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and a monumental US election looms large on the horizon. This is compounded by constant events of police brutality, domestic terrorism, environmental devastation, and a dark winter ahead. ... Sending an out of office responder doesn't take away the hardship of what we are experiencing. However, it can set really important ...boundaries between you, your team, and your clients. Especially when teams are working from home, it can be easy to blur the personal and professional lines and expect that people have endless time because they are not commuting or socializing as much. In fact, quite the opposite is happening; tasks take longer, deadlines seem scarier, and the build-up of emails is overwhelming." (Image: A Black man sitting and looking sad with a busy city in the background.) https://www.welcometostratagem.com//election-anxiety-pande

A tweet thread about the #Sia controversy {image description: Screenshots of 3 tweet thread from @IjeomaUluo ... { image 1 Imagine saying that you made a movie about autistic people because you love and respect autistic people, but then with that same mouth trying to say that you don't think that autistic actors can handle the stress of portraying autistic people in said film } {image 2 If you're making a film about autistic people and you find that autistic actors "can't handle" portraying autistic characters chances are 2) the role is written as an external and abelist view of autism & actors can't connect to the inauthentic character.... } {image 3 2) the audition and/or set conditions had little respect for the actual needs of autistic actors 3) you did little or no research on how to work with neurodivergent people 4) working with the community you say you love isn't actually a priority for you }

For our friends living with chronic pain Posted @withregram @colourblind_zebra Yes, I'm in pain 24/7 . I recently watched a TV program in which a doc...tor said that if a patient says their pain is high (i.e. an 8/10), but doesn't look in pain, then they're lying or it's all in their head . This completely neglects the fact that many chronic pain patients live with constant pain . Our "normal" on the pain score may be a 5/10 where someone without chronic pain should be 0/10! . If you add more pain to our bucket, it may overflow to an 8/10, but that's only 3 more points above our "normal" . Whereas for a person without chronic pain, 8 is a massive jump from 0 . Doctors really do need extra training on chronic pain and why pain scores don't work for people living with it . image description: An illustration of a quote that reads "yes, I'm in pain 24/7. The words yes and pain are bold and rainbow. On either side of the quote are multicoloured pills. . . #TheBodyIsNotAnApology #TBINAA #RadicalSelfLove See more

Wayne Pogue (Team Lead, Biomedical Engineering) and Ean Price (Innovation Strategist with TFL) are engaging in dynamic back and forth discussions about the merits and downsides of different types of cutting-edge technology that may be of use to their peers. Wayne and Ean are planning to host WE TALK TECH shows every first Thursday of the month. The next one will be out on November 5, 2020. Episodes run for approximately 15 minutes. You can expect their honest expert opinion, ...presented in their easy-going style. Special bonus for our members: you have the option to contact TIL about any of the things the two guys are talking about and see about an installation possibility in your home. (Images: Photographs of hosts Wayne and Ean, in between photos are two drawn characters talking to one another.) https://mailchi.mp/technologyforli/introducing-we-talk-tech

Have you thought about attending the 2020 Disability and Work in Canada Virtual Conference? To read more about the conference, click on the following link: http://www.crwdp.ca//annual-conference-2020-disability-and The theme for this year’s conference is the Strategy in ActionPathways and Impacts, with subthemes for each day as follows:... Wednesday November 25, 2020 The Big Picture--Challenges and Opportunities Thursday November 26, 2020 Progress in the Workplace Tuesday December 1, 2020 Strengthening Supports for Workers Wednesday December 2, 2020 Moving Forward Together The Disability and Work in Canada Conference has been taking place since 2017. Before the pandemic, it was held in Ottawa, but this year it will be a virtual event, making it easier for people from across the country participate. It’s also spread over four days, from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm ET on each day, so hopefully easier than giving up full days. This event is sponsored by three community organizations (CCRW, Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups, Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy). It’s not a Government event, but usually one or more Ministers participate. There is usually a strong line-up of speakers for this national event. There are registration fees, but much lower than usual. Remember - Mark your calendar: November 25 & 26 and December 1 & 2) from 12:30-3:30 EDT. (Image: Green sprouts growing amongst each other.)

(Image: A person of colour with long black hair and red lips, who is wearing a pink choker and red pyjamas with yellow splotches. Text on them reads: It’s ok to be unsure of your sexuality.)

Happy Autistics Speaking Day! Today is a day to elevate autistic voices and appreciate the various ways of autistic communication and expression, including echo...lalia, stimming, through our AAC devices, and through our behaviors! Today originated as a reclamation of an ableist movement in 2010 called, "Communication Shutdown" which was a call of action for people to voluntarily refrain from social media for a day and instead go to a Communication Shutdown site and download an app that raises money for an autism "charity" with no autistic involvement or leadership. While people who participated in "Communication Shutdown" day a decade ago may have had good intentions, this day was ableist because it ignored the ways autistic people do communicate, which are not all verbal. Autistic people who are nonspeaking have a lot to say, and Communication Shutdown shuts down their voices and invalidates autistic communication and expression. Autistic advocates, Corina Lynn Becker and Kathryn Bjørnstad voiced their opposition on Twitter to Communication Shutdown day in 2010 and started a counter movement called, Autistics Speaking Day. Ever since, Communication Shutdown is no longer participated in on a wide scale, and ten years later, this day has successfully been reclaimed as a positive and powerful day instead to elevate and celebrate the many ways of autistic communication. Ways to elevate autistic voices today: - Support autistic led organizations such as The Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, Autistics United Canada, Autistic Inclusive Meets Community Group AIM, A4A: Public Page, and Fierce Autistics and Allies! - Share stories, posts, and articles by the autistic community! Lydia X. Z. Brown - Autistic Hoya, Autistic Bride, Fierce Autie, Autistic, Typing, Autistic Grandma, and Autistic On Wheels are just a few examples of some great Facebook pages run by autistic advocates. - Read literature by and for the autistic community! Some great books include Loud Hands, Welcome to the Autistic Community, All the Weight of Our Dreams, The Edge of the Playground, Odd Girl Out, I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was this Lousy Anxiety Disorder, and The Reason I Jump. - If you are autistic and want to share a story or article you have written, you can go to the Autistics Speaking Day Facebook page and post it there, or use the submission form here to have the page feature your writing: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSeDp_NWtH1TaNPRnl/viewform More about Autistics Speaking Day: "Autistic History: Autistic Speaking Day" by Fierce Autie: https://www.fierceautie.com//autistic-history-autistic-spe Blog that initialized Autistics Speaking Day by Corina Lynn Becker: https://nostereotypeshere.blogspot.com/.../real... By The Autistic Self Advocacy Network: https://autisticadvocacy.org//autistics-speaking-day-201/ Image description: Image with a white background with the rainbow neurodiversity symbol at top that reads, "Autistics are Speaking!" in black, bold text. Underneath in red bold text it reads, "Are you listening?" In bold blue text under that it reads, "Happy Autistics Speaking Day! November 1st, 2020."

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), a day to to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Trans Day of Remembra...nce began in 1999, founded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a trans woman to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was killed in 1998. Every year, hundreds of trans people who are murdered each year, the majority of whom are trans women and femmes of colour and sex workers, and their murders are rarely solved. Transgender Canadians report they are more likely to have experienced violence since age 15, and are also more likely to experience inappropriate behaviours in public, online and at work than cisgender Canadians. The numbers go up for Black, Indigenous and / or People of Colour (BIPOC) transgender people. The Huffington Post reported on a study of BIPOC Trans Canadians conducted last year, nearly three in four respondents said they were verbally harassed and 1 in 3 trans Canadians of colour report being sexually assaulted. Almost one in four said they experienced physical violence. This time of Covid has underscored how lacking existing medical services are for people of colour. Structural barriers to access and a dearth of race-based data have been linked to worsened outcomes in general; in the context of COVID-19, there have been more hospitalizations and higher death rates. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is mean to raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, as well as to publicly mourn and honors the lives of our members of our community who might otherwise be forgotten. There is a 2020 Trans Day Of Remembrance "Vancouver" PHYSICALLY-DISTANCED march today from 6:30 to 9:30 PM at Jim Deva Plaza, you can also live stream it. You can also donate to help support their GoFundMe to make the event possible. Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2636908869953016 GoFundMe: https://bit.ly/2UM7ARK Art by @sarah.epperson in IG [Image Description - An illustration of Black person’s hand in the air with rose tattoos on their wrist and multiple gold bands on all their fingers, nails painted pink, holding a pink, blue and black trans flag that says Black Trans Lives Matter.]

The chutes increase access. It doesn't pressure those who have difficulty with steps to climb them and it doesn't exclude those with mobility aids. Credit: Allison Goldstein Reynolds (Orange background with white text. Before you dump your candy chutes, please realize that this Halloween became more accessible to kids with physical disabilities who can be challenged going up steps to your front door. Keep the chute. It just makes Halloween better.)

(Tweet by Stray @Straya_Stray Text: Hot take: ADD, Autism, and ADHD are only disorders under capitalism. Otherwise they are neurodivergence: different needs, thinking and working styles and sensory issues than neurotypical people. They are only problems due to our hierarchies and modes of production.) #ADD #autism #capitalism #neurodivergent #ADHD #disorder

It's almost Halloween, which means it's time to haunt your local transphobe! -- [Digital illustration of a person with purple skin and ombre green hair. The...y are wearing a black jacket with a trans pride pin, a pink triangle pin and a patch that reads, 'punks respect pronouns.' Around them are little spirit ghosts, and a green glow is illuminating a tree silhouette behind them. The text reads, 'haunt your local transphobe'] See more

CAN has started a campaign to increase accessibility on social media. We have decided to start with capitalization and hashtags and @ signs. If you want to help us spread the word, please privately message or comment on posts that don't use capitalization for their hashtags and @'s. You can copy and paste the below paragraph. (If you are interested in other ways to make your social media more accessible, DM me and CAN will share, for free, a document we created.) "Accessibil...ity tip: Capitalize the first letter of every word in hashtags so that people who are blind, who rely on screen readers, have the words read out properly and not as one scrambled word. This also helps separate words for people with learning disabilities, and those learning literacy or English. (This is applicable to @ names/words as well.)" (Image: Two speech bubbles, one blue, one orange, the blue one overlaps the orange one. Inside the blue speech bubble are the words "Spread the Word".)

When I do CAN's Disability Awareness workshops, people often think I have created them to deliver to non-disabled people. The truth is, there is a lot of ableism within the disability community and a lot of work to be done to help people feel comfortable in their identity as a disabled person. My workshops are for everyone. It is, however, particularly gratifying to get comments like this (from my Calgary Pride workshop today): "wow.....thanks for unpacking all this informat...ion and helping me to claim the word disability". Comments like that are why I love my work! (Image: A white background with a yellow post-it note. The black text reads "I love my job". In place of the word "love" is a red heart.)