Pacific DAWN

Please watch and share this vid about BC's PROP, which enables the freedom of ventilator dependent people like...me! They are truly the best.

Not to mention how problematic it is to equate evil with mental illness. "If believing wild claims about election fraud were enough to qualify for a psychiatric label, most Republicans would be diagnosable. That premise is not just condescending and pseudoscientific but morally misleading, since it lets people off the hook for endorsing grave allegations with no basis in fact, whether sincerely or cynically."

Too bad it's news. But it's news!

January 2021 Working Definition of Ableism https://www.talilalewis.com//january-2021-working-definiti "This version simplifies some of the language from pre...vious versions and explicitly includes desirability, misogyny, imperialism, language and religion as ideologies/characteristics used by societies, institutions, people to assign value to others. Please review context provided with the previous versions of the definition (see link for details) https://www.talilalewis.com//january-2021-working-definiti See more

Event Information: UNOSD Webinar Series 6: "Leaving No One Behind - Persons with Disabilities and Inequalities in our Cities and Communities" Persons with Disabilities and Addressing Inequalities in our Cities and Communities With the devastating impact of COVID-19, cities everywhere are facing key challenges in ensuring that the basic needs of people living in hardship are met. As cities implement actions to strengthen public services in the face of the pandemic, they must a...Continue reading

Accessible Community Forum: Accessible Transportation Survey

But what about those with Down syndrome, who can lead happy and productive lives? Or the growing practice of sex selection, with boys overwhelmingly favored in places like China and India? In one case, Bolnick said, a deaf couple wanted to select an embryo for implantation that carried the hereditary form of deafness so the family could be part of the same community but the fertility doctor refused, believing the condition was a defect that should not be deliberately brough...t into the world. Stern said some disability rights advocates are concerned about the technologies such as those in the Down syndrome community who fear they involve breeding them out, she said. And yet the technologies can help those with fertility issues create the kind of family they desire, she added. This is where you get into really dicey terrain, Stern said, with tension between supporting reproductive autonomy and the eugenic baggage of judgments about race, intelligence and disability. https://www.latimes.com//uc-berkeley-disavows-eugenics-res

A polite reminder folks - simply placing a blue and white wheelchair symbol on your dash, in your windshield or anywhere else on your vehicle does not exempt yo...u from the requirement to display a valid accessible parking permit issued under Division 38 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations. Doing so can net you a fine of $109 under provincial legislation and more under some municipal bylaws. #StandardsMatter #playbytherules BC Transportation and Infrastructure To obtain a permit contact SPARC BC or your local disability resource centre. B.C. Motor Vehicle Act Regulations Division 38 Offence 38.08 A person commits an offence who: (d) stops, leaves standing or parks in a disabled zone a vehicle that does not display (i) a permit issued under this Division, or (ii) a permit of similar nature issued by another jurisdiction,...

I am Autistic with a capital A. I prefer Identity First language. 1. I am Autistic is a reclamation of identity, taking back what is mine. I stand proudly Au...tistic and I reject attempts made to stigmatise and stereotype who I am. 2. Autism is as much a part of my heritage and ancestry as the geographical nature of where I descended from. It runs through my blood lines, generations past. 3. Autism amplifies my connection to my children and myself, bringing a new understanding and awareness of my being, doing and thinking. 4. Autism is central to my being. It influences all there is about me; how I sleep, eat, think, move, relate to others, write, speak, respond to my environment. I would not be who I am if I were not Autistic; nor would I be a "better" or "more functional" version of myself. 5. I am not a non Autistic person first. I am an Autistic person. When others tell me I am a person first, it connotes a negative consideration of Autism. It translates to Oh, it’s okay if you’re Autistic, you still have worth despite it. 6. All that is good and worthy, all that is luminous and fierce, my qualities, my strengths; are all because I am Autistic and not despite it. 7. I am not a non Autistic person with a side of Autism. I have observed the danger in this understanding; a common translation that where there is a person first, the Autism can be treated so that the PERSON (non Autistic) shines through more. This is evident in the foundation of most therapies and the term Early Intervention. 8. I am Autistic. I AM defined by Autism. See above. When someone says Your Autism doesn’t define you, it translates as There is so much more to you than Autism as in, Autism is not a good thing and let's salvage some remnants of worth from in there somewhere. 9. Being Autistic is a good thing. I don’t have it, I can’t drop it off somewhere, it isn’t something I can ever be rid of or recover from and there isn’t a real me trapped inside. I have challenges, and so do you. I'm still happy. And when my challenges are associated with being Autistic, I'm still happy to be Autistic because I am happy to be me. 10. Autism is a brilliant thing for me. I LOVE, accept and embrace being Autistic. Why would I not? Should I not love, accept and embrace myself? When others say You’re romanticising Autism, it translates to You’re making out that you’re worthy and valuable and ignoring that underneath it all, you’re a bit shit. 11. When non Autistic people have problems, mental health challenges or face adversities in life, as a society we don’t make it all about them being NON AUTISTIC. We should not do this to Autistic people either. 12. Being Autistic means I am a particular type of human being. I share commonalities with other Autistic human beings, in the way I think, feel, do and be. I’m not disordered. I belong to a family of neurobiologically diverse human beings, often referred to as Neurodivergent people. 13. I am not ashamed of being Autistic. I don’t hide it, use more palatable words to describe myself or attempt to be Non Autistic. Those 30 odd years are over. 14. I speak openly and publicly about being Autistic to dismantle stigma and stereotypes and to offer a lived perspective so that our coming generations are better understood. I am not alone in this, there are many Autistic advocates doing the same. 15. Autism is my identity and my culture. A Jewish person is not a second rate non Jewish person with Judaism. A Transgender person is not a second rate cisgender person. A Black person is not a second rate Non Whyte person. We are all of value, complete and whole with our own identity and culture. This is called Diversity. 16. To expect me to behave, think, socialise and relate to others; to do, be, think and exist as a Non Autistic person is culturally disrespectful and ableist. 17. To assume a child or a person unquestionably requires a plethora of therapies because they are Autistic is also culturally disrespectful and ableist. We are people. People with varying needs. Every single human being is a person with needs. 18. The term "Early Intervention" is alarmist and ableist and incites fear and panic in families, creating disconnection and disempowerment. Language really matters. The way we refer to Autism influences our self worth as Autistic people and also influences society's understanding and attitudes toward us. Supports should be needs based and specific to the individual across the entire lifespan; with a drive for actualisation and not normalisation. Therapies with a focus on behavioural change harms the autistic person and completely dismisses their inner experience and behaviour as a communication. 19. Autistic people share commonalities in our thinking, being and doing. But we are still individuals. There is no high functioning or low functioning, there is no mild or severe Autism. Just as there is no high or low functioning, mild or severe human being. (How human being are you?) We are impacted by co-occurring conditions that vary, and our quality of life is often sadly defined by a non Autistic, biased focus on our behaviour in comparison to Non Autistic behaviour and deemed as functional or non functional. This is culturally disrespectful and ableist. 20. Autism is a disability, yes. My disability fluctuates according to how well supported or accommodated my Autistic way of being, thinking and doing is; and how well it is accepted and understood. 21. When I say I am Autistic, and I prefer identity first language, that’s all I’m saying. I say what I mean, and I mean what I say. It does not translate to This is the one and only truth for all. It is my truth. It is my choice. It is my experience and it is my preference. I am not telling others what to do or how to identify. . . . . . KF . . (Image description: A black and white photo of a woman shot from the waist up. Her hands on her hips and she is smiling wryly at the camera.)

ICYMI: The annual Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing Symposium has gone virtual! Sessions will be taking place throughout the month of October. Please make ...sure to take this opportunity to understand the various challenges that self-identifying womxn and non-binary individuals face in this country as well as be enlightened by solutions. Join us Friday morning for Session 5 as we discuss physical supports and safety for women in rural and remote communities. #PCVWH2020 #HousingforAll If you would like to participate in any of the other sessions, please email [email protected]

Wow, this looks like an amazing resource. Does anyone know who's behind this organization?

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and #RDSPAwareness Month. We're celebrating by bringing you 3 virtual information sessions! Find out more and register at https://www.wavefrontcentre.ca/deam/ #DEAM #accessibility #inclusion

October 20th- International Mast Cell Disease Awareness Day I used to raise awareness for a dear friend who helped educate me on these rare diseases... I thoug...ht that was hard enough.. Till it hit home. Today we wear purple for our daughter, EllaKate Along side all those battling Mast cell Disease, though tomorrow the fight continues! This has been the hardest thing I've ever been through and we are just getting started. There is no cure for Mast Cell Disease. We can simply try to manage symptoms & avoid triggers while hoping for the best. Some days I'm not sure what's harder. Managing Ella's symptoms, watching her in so much pain while treatments don't help, educating everyone around us including doctors, people simply not understanding or swallowing the ignorant comments people make. Saying "at least it's not cancer", "the doctors will fix it" is the absolutely farthest thing from comforting. Did you know that she's 1 and it will never go away? The doctors can't "fix" it like a broken bone, they can simply manage it to improve her quality of life. Ella is currently having reactions almost daily. Her emotions cause reactions, Simple blood draws call for an Epipen, temperature change calls for rescue meds & that stuff you put on in the morning that you think smells nice filled with chemicals... could put her in the hospital. Daily we have no idea if something new could cause her a reaction and or anaphylaxis. The first time Ella needed an Epipen, she turned blue and stopped breathing. She may not look sick but her body is constantly attacking itself. So while we manage Ella's blood tests, bone marrow biopsies, skin biopsies, and many tests. Please for Ella & all those battling these rare diseases, wear purple, get educated, reach out, think before you speak & be kind #mastcellawareness #october20th #mastcell #raredisease #wearpurple