things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #14
One of our regular Readers’ Den customers approached me with her usual long list of movies. She researches movies online, prints out lists, and comes to the desk to see…
Disability
An Interview With Me About Caregiving and Writing About Family Life & Ideas
Recently, I gave an interview to Kris Bone, a writer with the Puritan Magazine (a Canadian literary journal). Here’s his article about my book, “The Four Walls of My Freedom:…
Blog Challenge Week One: My Connection to Disability
This summer, I’m participating in a blog hop. The first topic of discussion is ‘My Connection to Disability’. It was 1972 and I was seventeen. I remember it was hot…
Innovating for Caregivers at The SIX Vancouver Summer School
I’m on a plane now, reading over the notes I’ve made from the last four days. I’ve just come from a week of listening, sharing and thinking about how society…
not a funny story: ned vizzini, youth fiction, and suicide
It’s so hard to talk when you want to kill yourself. That’s the first line of Ned Vizzini’s excellent 2006 youth novel, It’s Kind of a Funny Story. By the…
The Meaning of Friendship
Some friends are for life. Some friends stick with you through thick and thin. Friendship is a really, really big deal for everyone, but especially for our loved ones with…
what i’m reading: the fault in our stars, a truly great novel for youth and not-youth
I am in the middle of reading The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, a book almost too painful to read but impossible to put down. It’s achingly funny,…
wmtc rebooted
I was in the middle of writing a post about my plan to get back into an exercise routine… when I broke my foot. Doing almost nothing. Walking along in…
Deafness, speech and the Performance of Gender
Deafness, speech and the Performance of Gender This weekend I had the privilege of participating in a conference on Disability and Ableism at Ryerson University. Let me just say first…
marxism 2012 program notes: from each according to their ability: the role of socialists in disability movement
This is the final post of my notes from the 2012 Marxism Conference. This was the first Marxism conference to include a talk on disability, an exciting development full of…
follow-up memo to children’s aid: we told you so. happy christmas.
Back in May, I blogged about a family in my area who faced a nightmare: social services had threated to remove their child from their home. Both parents have disabilities,…
An Idea for Justice for you and you and you….
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the barriers to people with disability or infirmity to pursue their aspirations and achieve their potential with the support they need and…
from the archives: paralympics integration with olympics, the athletes’ perspectives
Oscar Pistorius’ historic run as the first double-amputee Olympic athlete has revived the ongoing discussion of whether or not to integrate the Paralympics into the Olympics. (Stories in The Guardian,…
in defense of drugs: anti-depressant medication saves and improves lives
Friends, if this post sounds like a conversation we’ve had, please don’t take it personally. I’ve had the same or similar conversations with many people. This is a subject that…
Under Siege by the Fates
Here’s the thing about being a parent to a son or daughter who is totally dependent – as you get older, you feel more vulnerable, not less. You begin to…
Beauty and Difference – A Celebration
I love clothes, I love fashion, I love feeling wonderful in clothes I love, I love shoes, I love getting dressed up for parties, I love getting my hair done,…
memo to children’s aid: people with disabilities can be capable parents
This story makes me so angry and frustrated. I can only imagine how the parents feel! I’ve reached out to some activists I know who are people with disabilities for…
canadian profile: justin hines
In the March issue of New Mobility, I have a cover story about Canadian musician Justin Hines. You can see it here. I wrote this over my winter break –…
School’s out forever: No more pencils / No more books
Today, I handed in the final requirement for my Master’s degree, a major (90 + plus page) research paper. As someone who finds reading and writing arduous, over-rated and shamefully…