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October 21, 2016.

This article from BBC talks about the discrimination persists against people with mental disabilities. Previous US president Barack Obama was announced in March about the opioid epidemic during his speech. A presidential task force a serious recommendation to rise 9.3$ million in funding for helping an improving health assistance for mental disabilities.

Gold, J. (2016, October 31) PBS NEWSHOUR. Discrimination persists against patients with mental illness and addiction, panel says Retrieved from:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/discrimination-persists-patients-mental-illness-addiction-panel-says/

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Jan 06, 2017

I found this article about Kessler Foundation and University of New Hampshire release a report related employment gains for American with disabilities. It’s increased by 7.9% from Dec 2015 to Dec 2016. Although, the labor force participation rate for working age people with disabilities increased from 30.1 in December 2015 to 31.7 percent in December 2016. Which means (up 5.5 percent; 1.6 percent points) its a little increased which consider a good approach for working people with disabilities.

Reference:

Brenna-Curry, A. (2017).nTIDE Jobs Report: Record Gains in Employment for People with Disabilities, (January issue). Retrieved from:

http://researchondisability.org/news-features/2017/01/06/ntide-jobs-report-record-gains-in-employment-for-people-with-disabilities?mc_cid=70c768339a&mc_eid=168c367a8e

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September 14, 2016.

Wheelchair pushers to help the person with disabilities and elderly perform their pilgrimage. Pushers take pilgrims on laps around the Kaaba and religious places in Mecca, Suadi Arabia.

Berenstein, E and Hadid, D. (2016, September 14) TimeVideo. [Postcards from the Hajj: Pray on Wheels]. Retrieved from:

https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/100000004645504/postcards-from-the-hajj-pray-on-wheels.html

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2016.

Ontario Human Rights Commission, OHRC

I found this government website related to Ontario Human Rights Code, which protects the dignity and equal rights and opportunities, also freedom from discrimination. As all those codes applies to all the area of employment such as facilities, services, housing and goods. The code also conduct of arrange some accommodations for people with mental disabilities.

Name of Government Agency. (Year of Publication, Month Day). Title of document: subtitle if given. (edition if stated and only if it is not first edition). Retrieved Month Day, Year you viewed, from URL

OHRC. (2016) Disability and human rights (brochure 2016). Retrieved March 26, 2017.from:

http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/disability-and-human-rights-brochure-2016

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October 21, 2016.

This article from BBC talks about the discrimination persists against people with mental disabilities. Previous US president Barack Obama was announced in March about the opioid epidemic during his speech. A presidential task force a serious recommendation to rise 9.3$ million in funding for helping an improving health assistance for mental disabilities.

Gold, J. (2016, October 31) PBS NEWSHOUR. Discrimination persists against patients with mental illness and addiction, panel says Retrieved from:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/discrimination-persists-patients-mental-illness-addiction-panel-says/

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Sisters Create 'The Disabled Life' Comics Highlighting Life With a Disability

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Sisters Create 'The Disabled Life' Comics Highlighting Life With a Disability

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This article is about two sisters who have an undiagnosed genetic condition and uses wheelchairs. They are artists who poke fun at the struggles they have to deal with. Like getting a tan but not being able to have a tan back because they cannot move into a position to do so or how crop tops don’t look any different on them because they are sitting down. Its all about they thing they find funny together. As well their pictures have descriptions so the visually impaired can enjoy their work as well. Jordan Davidson. (2016, 06)

I really love their comic they are funny and true to what these girls have had to deal with and it makes the audience laugh with them and find the same humor without it being mean or insensitive.

Jordan Davidson. (2016, 06) The Mighty. Sisters Create 'The Disabled Life' Comics Highlighting Life With a Disability. Retrieved from https://themighty.com/2016/06/sisters-create-the-disabled-life-comics-about-life-with-a-disability/

Danielle Warren

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Illustrators and sisters Jessica and Lianna Oddi have a lot to say about living with a disability - but have decided to draw their thoughts instead.

Noting a lack of comics featured disabled people, the two created a blog on Tumblr - The Disabled Life - to showcase their talents as artists, as well as connect the disability community.

"It actually started as a Twitter account, where we'd make fun of things that had actually happened to us, or just make up some funny pop culture references," Jessica Oddi, 24, said in an interview with The Mighty.

Both Jessica and Lianna live with an undiagnosed genetic condition and use wheelchairs. Their illustrations reflect their personal experiences navigating life as disabled 20-somethings.

Their wrecking ball illustration, for example, was inspired by how they feel when they use their lift.

Each illustration is done with exceptional care and provides a thorough written description for those who are visually impaired.

"[Image Title: Me vs. Crop Tops. Image: A mannequin wearing a crop top, and next to it a girl in a wheelchair wearing the same crop top that is way too long and looks like a regular top, saying in frustration 'ugh stupid scoliosis ' ]," the description for their "Me vs Crop Tops" illustration reads.

The sisters also post humorous captions, giving further insight into the inspiration behind their drawings. "Shout out to our peeps who also can't get out of their chair to tan. Always half done, never fully cooked."

So far the pair has created 15 illustrations, and each sister has her favorites. "I can't pick between 'What I Think My Butt Looks Like' and 'Personal Space,'" Lianna, 26, said. "Both are just true things we all think about, or have to deal with."

Through their comics, the sisters have reached an audience far beyond their hometown of Ontario, Canada. "The best part is reading through all the messages, seeing that they could totally relate, or that they love our posts," Jessica said. "We try to keep it to our own experiences, but it's really cool to know there's a community out there who just get it," Lianna added.

As humorous as many of their illustrations are, they raise some important points about the ignorance people with disabilities face.

"I wish people would just see us as human beings, like the rest of society," Jessica told The Mighty. "Sure we have limitations or differences, but we're all people. Just because my random mutation at birth changed some cells around, doesn't make me less than any of you normies."

"Personally I feel I'm stronger because of what I've dealt with," Lianna noted. "I wouldn't have it any other way!"
All illustrations are credited to Jessica and Lianna Oddi. To see the rest of the series, visit their blog The Disabled Life.

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These Sisters May Have Created The Coolest Comics Ever About Life With a Disability

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Illustrators and sisters Jessica and Lianna Oddi have a lot to say about living with a disability - but have decided to draw their thoughts instead. Noting a lack of comics featured disabled people, the two created a blog on Tumblr - The Disabled Life - to showcase their talents as artists, as well as connect the disability community.

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Sarah Mehain a Paralympic athlete and a member of the McGill Swimming team talks about how proud she is to be apart of the Paralympic in Rio last year and educating others about what Paralympic really is.  Paniz Khosroshahy. (February 6, 2017)

I think this is an important article because people with disabilities especially invisible disabilities are judged and their disability is scrutinized to if they really should be competing in a different category. Anther common topic that this article made me think about is people like to bring up ‘cures’ for different disabilities like Autism, learning disabilities, mental illness, and anything else someone has heard about a cure for. I think this article covered the way society looks at people with disabilities in the Paralympics and also their understanding to what Paralympic is.

Paniz Khosroshahy. (February 6, 2017) The McGill Daily. On the ‘right’ way to be disabled. Retrieved from http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2017/02/on-the-right-way-to-be-disabled/
Danielle Warren

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This past summer in Rio de Janeiro, Sarah Mehain improved her Paralympic record in fifty-meter butterfly - her main event - from a sixth to a fourth place. Since joining Swimming Canada - the national organization governing swimming and competitive swimmers - in 2008, Mehain has also placed third in International Paralympic Committee World Championships 2013 and first in Parapan American Games in Toronto last summer.

On top of that, Mehain is a member of the McGill Swimming team and a fourth year student in sustainability sciences. The Daily spoke to Mehain about her experience as a Paralympian as well as her views on invisible disability, media representation and sports activism.

"I'm not telling you I'm in the Paralympics because I want to devalue myself, I'm telling you because I'm proud to be in the Paralympics."

MD: How have participating in Paralympics changed the way you understand your disability?
SM: If you grow up disabled, often you're not exposed to other people with disabilities and often you're isolated in your own experiences. You grow up surrounded by able-bodied people and you're the only one that's different - you play with Barbies with perfect bodies, you watch Disney movies with [able-bodied] princesses, and you have no positive examples in your childhood, in your young adult life, of people with disabilities. You think it's just me, that's why you don't say anything. You keep getting the message that you should act a certain way to be disabled, be accommodating, kind, friendly, inspirational. Basically you're objectified. As I tried to be involved in Paralympics, I saw examples of people that were doing amazing things with their lives - or not even amazing, but just normal things with their lives, like doing sports or getting married. That was the first time I was exposed to the possibility of having those things in my life.
* This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

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On the 'right' way to be disabled | The McGill Daily

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This past summer in Rio de Janeiro, Sarah Mehain improved her Paralympic record in fifty-meter butterfly - her main event - from a sixth to a fourth place. Since joining Swimming Canada - the national organization governing swimming and competitive swimmers - in 2008, Mehain has also placed third in International Paralympic Committee World Championships 2013 and first in Parapan American Games in Toronto last summer.

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Young adults with disabilities bring Shakespearean dream to life.

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Young adults with disabilities bring Shakespearean dream to life.

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This is a new and inventive way to perform a play by involving the audience in the play and having them joining the actors on the stage. It is also a cast of people with all kinds of disabilities who now have a place to go and be themselves especially with how after eighteen the resources and activities for people with disabilities are hard to find, Liviya Mendelsohn manager says. Solomon Israel. (Feb 16, 2017).

I think this is an important way to have students who age out of the system have a place where they can go and be themselves and how they bring in the community to support them and not judge them or make assumptions about what they are capable of. I think its awesome how they have changed the traditional way of performing to make it fit their needs and make the show more interactive.

Solomon Israel. (Feb 16, 2017) CBC News. Young adults with disabilities bring Shakespearean dream to life. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/young-adults-disabilities-shakespeare-jcc-1.3985201

Danielle Warren

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A group of young adults will get a chance to show off their creative talents Thursday through Sunday, in an immersive theatre installation at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre's Al Green Theatre.

The show, called What Dream it Was, is inspired by Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. But attendees shouldn't expect a traditional Shakespearean performance - nor will they be stuck sitting in the audience. Instead, director Dan Watson said, they'll find themselves exploring a "theatrical playground."

"So what that means is, you can actually enter right into the magical forest of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, and inside you'll encounter all kinds of magical creatures, and you can actually take part in activities like music-making and shadow puppetry," said Watson at a Thursday evening dress rehearsal.

The experience is the creation of a group of 16 young adults with various disabilities.

The participants have been preparing for the show since last November, exploring their own interests as part of the creative process. Some are more interested in performance, said Watson, while others have chosen roles in visual art or production.

"We try to find a way that everybody has a role and everybody has something to contribute," he said.

Supporting young adults with disabilities

The project was inspired by a growing recognition that young adults with disabilities face a gap in services and social programs, underscored by a report from Ontario ombudsman Paul Dubé last August.

"I think there's a lot of programming and a lot of awareness and a lot of support for children with disabilities," said Liviya Mendelsohn, manager of accessibility and inclusion with the Miles Nadal JCC.

"But as they age, and as people who identify with disability become 18, there's less and less."

The goal of What Dream it Was, said Mendelsohn, is to "provide those opportunities for people to participate, to contribute, to realize their visions and their goals."

Seeing the show

Audience members will be able to wear costumes, participate in musical performances with professional musicians, and make their own potions and lanterns.

"You can expect a lot of surprises," said participant Ken Harrower, who will be helping to guide guests through the show. "I'm not going to give it away until tomorrow."

Tickets to What Dream it Was are available on the Ahuri Theatre website, or by donation at the door. Student matinees on Thursday are already sold out, but other shows will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The event is appropriate for people of all ages and abilities, according to Ahuri Theatre, and ASL interpretation and attendant care will be available.

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Young adults with disabilities bring Shakespearean dream to life | CBC News

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A group of young adults will get a chance to show off their creative talents Thursday through Sunday, in an immersive theatre installation at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre's Al Green Theatre. The show, called What Dream it Was, is inspired by Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream.

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CBC News. Fines for accessible parking space abuse should increase, group says.

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CBC News. Fines for accessible parking space abuse should increase, group says.

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New Brunswick wants to increase fine for accessible parking violations to $172.50 this is due to higher abuse of accessible parking in resent years. The range of taxation inside of the province ranges from $15-$172.50. Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon. (Mar 06, 2017)

I think that its important for fines to increase for the abuse of accessible parking spaces because it isn’t a luxury or a benefit for people with disabilities get it is a necessity. If we have a higher fine people will be less likely to take a spot that someone actually needs or cant go to a store without that disabled parking spot.

Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon. (Mar 06, 2017) CBC News. Fines for accessible parking space abuse should increase, group says. Retrieved from, https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjfuo2r8cLSAhVL_4MKHXGLA4YQqQIIKigAMAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fnew-brunswick%2Faccessible-parking-fine-saint-john-ability-nb-1.4011715&usg=AFQjCNFRdfIwIF6N3-wtjiGC64BhXE_bGdQ&sig2=rWK8npEHKFg337B0CI76-A&bvm=bv.148747831,d.amc
Danielle Warren

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The article is about providing accessibility to students for education. Lots of students are not getting special education both because of obstacles in physical environment and teaching system. Wynne, Premier of Ontario, indicates that there should be a lot more to be done to increase special education which in turn increases employment. It is indicated in the article that by 2025, under the Accessibility for Ontarian with Disability Act the province is committed to provide accessibility to key ares like public transportation and health care.
A student in the high school with Cerebral Palsy, Rana Narazadani, says lets hope this step will lead to changes for PWD, and should be considered as a turning point in education system.

Gordon, A. (2016, December 5). Wynne aims to remove barriers for students with disabilities. Retrieved from: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/05/wynne-aims-to-remove-barriers-for-students-with-disabilities.html

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The province will develop an education accessibility standard to remove barriers that students with disabilities face in classrooms, curriculum and on school premises, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Monday.

She made the commitment hours after receiving an open letter from 22 community groups who called for its creation, arguing that too many special needs students aren't getting the education they're entitled to because of obstacles, both in physical environments and teaching.

"We recognize that there's more to be done, and there will be an education standard developed," Wynne told the legislature, in response to an opposition question citing a Star story about the groups' proposal.

In the five-page letter sent Monday, advocates said barriers make it difficult for disabled students to succeed. The result is unemployment that has reached crisis levels among adults with disabilities.

Sometimes those barriers are physical, faced by students in wheelchairs who can't play on playground equipment or open hallway doors. They can include lack of supports, such as a shortage of special needs assistants, which prevents children with autism or other conditions from participating in the classroom. Or it can be classroom technology that kids with learning disabilities or vision impairment are unable to use. Currently, one in six Ontario students receives special education services.

Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the province is committed to becoming accessible to all citizens by 2025 and has focused on key areas such as public transportation and health care.

In their letter to Wynne, the community organizations said an education standard must also be a priority, to create a consistent benchmark across the province when it comes to providing supports for students with disabilities.

The groups include the CNIB, the Canadian Mental Health Association and advocates representing students with autism, intellectual disabilities and a range of developmental or communications disorders.

Rana Nasrazadani of Toronto, who faced challenges in high school as a student with cerebral palsy, said Wynne's move Monday amounts to "steps in the right direction" and hopes it will lead to changes for disabled students who have faced hurdles for so long.

"I think this should be considered a turning point," said Nasrazadani, 20, a student at York University.

Her response was echoed by Toronto lawyer and disabilities activist David Lepofsky, who commended Wynne for making the commitment.

He called it "a very important first step along the road to a fully inclusive and accessible education system" and said it's important news for kids with disabilities and their families.

The next step is consultations between advocates, school boards, post-secondary schools and teachers to make recommendations on what the standard should include, he said.

Tracy MacCharles, minister responsible for accessibility, said in a statement Monday she has been meeting with experts and advocates "to determine how to increase accessibility in our education system."

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please or see our for more information.

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accessibility for ontarians with disabilities act

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Wynne aims to remove barriers for students with disabilities | The Star

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The province will develop an education accessibility standard to remove barriers that students with disabilities face in classrooms, curriculum and on school premises, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Monday. She made the commitment hours after receiving an open letter from 22 community groups who called for its creation, arguing that too many special needs students aren't getting the education they're entitled to because of obstacles, both in physical environments and teaching.

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The article is about a 73 years old women, a polio survivor, who shared her thanks to an innovative provincial program which allows personal attendants to people with physical disabilities to promote independence in their life and live it like others do. This program is managed by Toronto's Center for Independent Living and supporting 850 people with physical disabilities.
The most appealing thing in this article is that this program is actually doing some thing for PWD instead of just talking or making promises because there 400 more people who inquired about the program and 100 people are in waiting list to apply for this program. This show that changing the social model of disability clearly makes changes.
Another important aspect of this program is that it provides direct funding to PWD to manage their own attendant. To be eligible for this program there are no policies, agencies or procedure.
Another person, Derren Whiteman, says it's like freedom for him due to flexibility of the the program.
This article is an example of positive imagery which helps PWDs to live independently and enjoy freedom in life.
Monsebraaten, L. (201, December 8). Program allows people with disabilities to retain precious independence. Retrieved from:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/08/program-allows-people-with-disabilities-to-retain-precious-independence.html

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At 73, retired developmental psychologist Audrey King leads a rich and fulfilling life.

She travels, attends a book club, chairs committees at her local church and shares her expertise as an advocate and guest speaker at professional gatherings.

A polio survivor who hasn't been able to use her legs or arms since she was a child, King has also spent part of her retirement years caring for her aging mother, Maisie, who died in 2012, just shy of her 101st birthday.

King was able to keep Maisie at home in the Don Mills-area condo they shared thanks to an innovative provincial program that allows people with physical disabilities to hire their own personal attendants to help with dressing, grooming, bathing and other activities of daily life.

A recent funding boost will allow more people like King to live independently.

"For most of my professional life, I was the breadwinner while my mother kept the household going, got me up in the morning and looked after the meals," King says.

"Suddenly, the roles were reversed."

The direct funding program - which was just being introduced in 1995 when her mother's health began to deteriorate - allowed King to hire her own personal attendants, so that she could co-ordinate home care and other supports to meet Maisie's medical needs.

"My mother had a much better quality of life living with me - at a fraction of the cost of a nursing home," King says. "And look how long she lived."

Even though she sometimes wondered if her mother should be in a nursing home, King couldn't bear the thought of moving Maisie from her familiar surroundings.

"I couldn't do it. In her confused state, I would never, ever want her to feel abandoned," King says. "After all, she never abandoned me."

Without direct funding to help her manage her own needs, King says it would have been impossible to care for her mother.

Managed by Toronto's Centre for Independent Living, the direct funding program is now in its 22nd year and serves about 850 people with physical disabilities across the province. About 400 people have inquired about funding and more than 100 are on the wait list.

An additional $5 million in provincial health ministry funding this fall will expand the annual budget to $43 million and extend the program to another 150 people. By March 2018, more than 1,000 people will be part of the program.

"We are tremendously proud of this work and the invaluable support it provides individuals, many of whom would otherwise have to move to care facilities, and not be able to stay in their homes and communities," says Susan Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) which oversees the funding for the health ministry.

Unlike personal support care givers provided by an agency or a Community Care Access Centre, direct funding allows people with a physical disability to become the employer and manage their own attendants.

Prospective "self-managers," as they are called, are interviewed by a panel of three people who assess their readiness as an employer to meet the obligations of the Employment Standards Act. Self-managers negotiate a budget with the centre, manage their attendant services and have a back-up plan in case an attendant is sick or otherwise unable to show up for work.

They determine the number of hours they need and pay their attendants based on the ministry mandated hourly wages of between $16.50 and $19.

The average self-manager uses just under five hours of attendant care a day and the current average monthly budget is about $4,200, including money for wages, benefits, employer taxes, postage, bookkeeping and miscellaneous costs, says program co-ordinator Leanne Larmondin.

But there is a broad range. Some who need alternate days or just several shifts a week, use as little as eight or nine hours a week while a person on a ventilator may need as much as 24 hours a day. Those with physical disabilities are eligible from age 16 and the oldest personal manager is in her 90s.

King loves the program because there are "no agency 'policies and procedures' to interfere with the assistance you need or how it happens."

"The attendant can go with you to a cottage, on vacation, to help with shopping or trying on clothes in a store," she says. "They can take you to appointments, help you get your mail, use the phone, organize your files, whatever your daily needs might be," she says.

"As an employer, the accountability and responsibility between you and your attendant or attendants is direct. There is no middle manager off-site," she says. "As a result, you respect each other and care about each other more."

It also fosters longer-term commitments, notes King, whose weekend attendant has been working for her for 16 years. Her weekday attendant was with her from 1995 until she retired two years ago.

For Derren Whiteman, 45, the program allowed him to move out of his parents' home and into his own condo three years ago.

"To me, it is freedom," says the technical writer and website designer who became a quadriplegic after a car accident when he was almost 17.

Since agency attendants don't work overnight, Whiteman says he could never have lived on his own without the flexibility of the program.

Now, if he gets a cold or is otherwise unwell - which he says rarely happens - his attendant can stay overnight and help clear his airways, if necessary.

"It's really changed my life so much for the better," he says.

About 10 years ago the program allowed a GTA-area father who was diagnosed with ALS just after his wife died to stay home and look after his two boys. He was worried that if he went into long-term care, his kids, who were entering their teens, would have been orphaned and put into foster care, says the centre's associate director Ing Wong-Ward, who has spinal muscular atrophy and uses the direct funding program herself.

"This man got on the program not knowing what the outcome would be. But we were recently sent a photo of him at his son's wedding," Wong-Ward says. "He is on a ventilator. He cannot move most of his body. But he has survived long enough to see his oldest child get married. And we have every reason to believe that he will be around to see the birth of his first grandchild."

More recently, the program enrolled a participant who came out as transgender male to female and has been able to hire people she knows who are trans-friendly.

"When people are seeing your body naked, you don't want to be judged. If someone is imposed on you from an agency, even if someone is trained and professional, it's still the subtleties that are really tricky," Wong-Ward notes.

The program has even funded a First Nations man in Northern Ontario who used an attendant to help him prepare game in the traditional way in keeping with his culture, she adds.

As advocates mark the United Nations International Day of Persons with a Disability this month, King and others hope the relatively small direct funding program continues to expand and change perceptions.

"There is this sense that people with disabilities need to be taken care of and I hate that," King says. "The program helps us take care of ourselves. The program gives us the power.

"Every other adult is in control of their own lives," she says. "This program helps put people with disabilities in the driver's seat."

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centre for independent living in toronto

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Program allows people with disabilities to retain precious independence | The Star

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At 73, retired developmental psychologist Audrey King leads a rich and fulfilling life. She travels, attends a book club, chairs committees at her local church and shares her expertise as an advocate and guest speaker at professional gatherings.

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Very interesting article about a women with cerebral palsy and uses wheelchair for mobility. A very strong point in this article is that the disability is not related to their body with exceptionality  but barriers like lack of ramps, closed captioning etc. made them realized that the world has made them disabled not their bodies. Here I would say the goal should be to change the environment instead of individuals.
Another important point in this article is about children who never perceive disability as negative, therefore, we as an adult should stop portraying disability as tragedy or heroic. In the article the author also talks about the young man who said that he never get to do awesome stuff that his peers were doing because of his disability. In this age kids wants to test their abilities so this is very important to realize that kids are always kids no matter what is missing in them, instead we should view it differently e.g. using wheel chair is not a disability but a different way of moving around. They are fit enough to enjoy each moment of their life. Children learn from their adults how to think differently so we should stop  presenting stories of PWD as heroic or tragedy, so the idea here is to change the role perception of people about disability.
Gibson, B. (2016, November 28). Doctors' Notes: Stop portraying childhood disability as target or inspirational. Retrieved from:
https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2016/11/28/doctors-notes-stop-portraying-childhood-disability-as-tragic-or-inspirational.html

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A colleague of mine, Crystal Chin, is a young woman with cerebral palsy who now uses a wheelchair for mobility. Crystal spent a huge amount of her childhood in therapy trying to walk independently. Nobody ever asked her if the goal of walking was important enough to spend so much of her childhood trying to achieve it.

Crystal went to physiotherapy five days a week, and her well-meaning parents did nightly exercises and stretches with her, integrating 'therapy' into everyday life through constant correction of how she moved. This went on for years, and Crystal says the constant scrutiny sent a clear message to her that she was "just not good enough."

Living as a disabled person can pose challenges, and many of these can be helped with medical care and treatment. However disabled people will tell you that the majority of challenges they face are not related to their bodies, but to material barriers such as lack of ramps, closed captioning or Braille texts, or to attitudes of others who assume they are "less than." By actually listening to disabled people, we realize they are "disabled by" their worlds more than by their bodily differences.

Through my research, I have discovered that young children do not necessarily perceive disability in negative terms. Instead they are curious and welcoming of differences. Those who use walkers and wheelchairs may take special pride in their devices, and other children may want to try these out or "go for a ride." However, as Crystal's story demonstrates, over time kids learn that their differences can negatively mark them as different or "just not good enough." The attention of well-meaning parents, health professionals and teachers who try to "fix" difference sends this message loud and clear.

Children, like all of us, are also constantly bombarded with messages in popular media that present disability as a tragedy or as some kind of heroic battle. In a recent TEDtalk, the comedian and wheelchair user Stella Young says that inspirational images objectify disabled people for the benefit of nondisabled people, who look at them and think "things aren't so bad for me." Disability advocates like Young have long argued for alternative, diverse representations of disabled people.

I recently interviewed a 16-year-old young man who uses a wheelchair. He lamented that he was never allowed to do the "awesome stuff" that his peers were doing, because the adults around him were worried about his safety. He recently had the opportunity to ride an ATV and said: "My whole life, I've been wearing this thing (lifts up his wheelchair seatbelt). I'm not that kind of person. I'm the kind of person that would take risks. I don't want to just live my life as a boring person - seeing everyone do awesome stuff and me doing nothing, that's stupid. But (the ATV ride) felt so good, even though I was sitting on the wheelchair with a seatbelt on. I felt like 'oh my God' 'cause they were letting me go free. That was awesome."

This young man's experience reminded me that adolescence is often a time where kids test out their abilities and take some risks. Why should this be different for a disabled child?

Here are some alternative ways of thinking and talking about childhood disability:

Disability can be seen as part of the diverse human continuum of abilities. Some people may be more disabled than others, but often much of this can be attributed to the barriers built into society. For example using a wheelchair is not a "failure," it's a different way of getting around that would be much easier with the availability of accessible spaces.

Let kids be kids. Therapy can be an aspect of a child's life, but not everything they do should be oriented to therapy. Kids want to play, be with friends and have fun.

Disabled people may welcome help from medical and other professionals, but professionals should not assume that differences are always problems that need to be fixed.

Children learn from adults how to think about differences. Therefore, we should avoid presenting stories of disabled people as tragic or heroic just because they are different.

Dr. Barbara Gibson is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at University of Toronto. She is a senior scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Gibson holds the Bloorview Children's Hospital Foundation Chair in Childhood Disability Studies. Crystal Chin was born in Taiwan where she was diagnosed with a neuromotor condition at 8 months of age. She immigrated to Canada during late childhood. She is currently a youth/patient adviser at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Doctors' Notes is a weekly column by members of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine. Email doctorsnotes@thestar.ca

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Doctors' Notes: Stop portraying childhood disability as tragic or inspirational | The Star

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A colleague of mine, Crystal Chin, is a young woman with cerebral palsy who now uses a wheelchair for mobility. Crystal spent a huge amount of her childhood in therapy trying to walk independently. Nobody ever asked her if the goal of walking was important enough to spend so much of her childhood trying to achieve it.

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People's first language has not been used in the article in the headline, which is about how many PWD are employed and how many are not. A survey commissioned by CIBC and conducted by Angus Reid indicated that half of the PWD are employed. In the article it was mentioned that 23% of people feel comfortable to disclose their disability while 19% says that they have fears related to disclosing their disability because they have fears related to fulfilling the job requirements due of their disability. Furthermore, I would say that the reason why people don't want to share their disability is the the negative social imagery by the society about disability.
The most appealing thing is this article is the concern that PWD should be at customer-facing roles to make the people understand it is not an expensive and cumbersome process to hire PWD. Further, Mr. Patterson executive director of Magnet says that PWD also have skills which can be used in various ways to increase employment  which means the social model of disability has to bring changes.
Mcquigge, M, (2017, January 17). Only half of disabled Canadians are employed, poll finds. Retrieved from:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/only-half-of-disabled-canadians-are-employed-poll-finds/article33650160/

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A new poll suggests that employment conditions remain dismal for Canadians with disabilities.

The survey commissioned by CIBC and conducted by Angus Reid found that only half of respondents living with a disability have a full- or part-time job.

Two years ago, Statistics Canada released similar figures putting the employment rate for disabled Canadians at 49 per cent, compared with 79 per cent among the general population.

The latest poll found that 37 per cent of disabled respondents said they were unemployed, while 11 per cent fell into a miscellaneous category such as homemaker or student.

The unemployed respondents overwhelmingly said they were out of work as a direct result of their disability, with 67 per cent citing it as the reason for their current circumstances.

The survey also found that only 23 per cent of respondents feel comfortable disclosing their disability to a potential employer before the interview process gets under way.

About 19 per cent of respondents said they had no intention of discussing such information at all, with half of them citing fear of discrimination as the reason for their silence.

In the poll, the term "disability" refers to individual functioning, including long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning limitations.

Experts say the poll is the latest illustration of what the disabled community has known for years - that stigma remains a significant concern.

Ryerson University has established Magnet - a project using technology to connect prospective employers with groups that have historically struggled to join the work force.

Magnet executive director Mark Patterson said today's hiring managers acknowledge that people with disabilities have skills to offer, but struggle with fears that a disabled candidate wouldn't be able to fulfill the specific requirements of a job.

Even those who do secure a job can do little to combat the broader stigma, he said, since many of them are not visible to the public.

"If we don't have a significant percentage of persons with disabilities working in the labour force, or if they're hidden away in places where they're not interacting with the public, the invisibility of disability is sometimes a big challenge," he said. "We're really interested in making sure that ... people with disabilities are in customer-facing roles and so on. That's going to be an important step in helping change the stigma."

At the heart of the employment shortage lies a persistent misunderstanding of what it means to be disabled, Mr. Patterson and other experts agree.

Joe Dale, executive director of the Ontario Disability Employment Network, said many businesses still operate under the assumption that accommodating employees is an expensive and cumbersome process.

"Businesses tend to equate disability with injury or workplace accident and feel that it's going to be either bothersome, time-consuming or costly to bring people with disabilities into the work force," he said.

Mr. Patterson agreed, saying employers need to shift their thinking to recognize that disabled workers may have overlooked skills that can be put to use in valuable ways. He cited banks which recognized that some applicants on the autism spectrum have pattern recognition skills that allowed them to excel at data and business analysis. But Mr. Dale said businesses and educational systems need to start addressing the problem even earlier by laying solid foundations for future employment.

He said many people with disabilities are often overly sheltered in their homes and school settings, leading to low expectations of them later in life.

The early years of résumé building are also overlooked, he said, adding many disabled applicants do not secure part-time or summer employment before going on to gain academic qualifications.

The Angus Reid poll surveyed a thousand respondents online between Dec. 20 and 22 of this past year. The polling industry's professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

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Only half of disabled Canadians are employed, poll finds

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A new poll suggests that employment conditions remain dismal for Canadians with disabilities. The survey commissioned by CIBC and conducted by Angus Reid found that only half of respondents living with a disability have a full- or part-time job.

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Ontario's child support law faces constitutional challenge. By LAURIE MONSEBRAATENSocial justice reporter, Fri., March 24, 2017.

“Continued child support” case trials in Brampton court, Ontario, this week.  The case involves a single mother.  She claims that “Ontario’s child support law discriminates against disabled children of unmarried parents”, as Robyn Coates has said.  If a couple is divorced, a disabled child is eligible for support into adulthood.  But if parents were never married, support ends when a child is 18.  Ontario’s Family Law Act, which covers child support for unmarried parents, makes no provision for adult disabled children.  “If children of divorced parents can claim support for both education and disability beyond age 18, then children born to parents who were never married should enjoy the same rights,” Coates said.

I think it will be beneficial for single parents of CWD if the claimant in this case succeeds.  Not only single parents will gain support, but also same sex-marriage parents, who didn’t have legal right for marriage till 2003.  People don’t realize that parents are on their own to pay the bills if their disabled adult child is unable to work.  Regularly, other parent not living with the child \stops financial support of adult children since they turn 18.

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A constitutional challenge scheduled to play out in a Brampton court on Friday hinges on two little words: "I Do."

The case involves a single mother who claims Ontario's child support law discriminates against disabled children of unmarried parents.

If a couple is divorced, a disabled child is eligible for support into adulthood. But if the parents were never married, support ends when the child is 18 or no longer in school full-time.

"I am very excited this case is going forward," said Robyn Coates, who has been fighting her son's estranged father for continued child support for the past four years.

"Initially, it was just for myself," she said. "But when I see how many other women and their families could potentially benefit from this in terms of being able to provide the kind of quality of life I want to provide for my son, it's very exciting."

Coates says her developmentally disabled son, Joshua, who is 22 but reads and writes at a Grade 2 level, will likely continue to live with her and require her financial support indefinitely.

She believes his father, Wayne Watson, should continue to pay support, as he has been doing since Joshua was 4.

If Coates and Watson had been married and divorced, he wouldn't be off the hook because under the federal Divorce Act, disabled adult children are eligible for child support whether or not they are still in school.

But Ontario's Family Law Act, which covers child support for unmarried parents, makes no provision for adult disabled children.

"If children of divorced parents can claim support for both education and disability beyond age 18, then children born to parents who were never married should enjoy the same rights," Coates said.

If the case succeeds, thousands of single parents and their adult disabled children would gain the right to claim child support in Ontario, says a lawyer acting on behalf of two groups with intervener status in the case, including Sherbourne Health Centre, which supports LGBTQ parents and children.

Since same-sex marriage was not legal in Canada until 2003, disabled young adult children of LGBTQ parents also face discrimination under Ontario's child support laws, the clinic argues.

"The current legislative scheme sends the message that children of unmarried parents are less worthy of the non-custodial parent's support," says clinic lawyer Joanna Radbord, who is also representing Family Alliance Ontario, an organization that supports individuals with disabilities and their families.

"The potential availability of limited public benefits for adults with disabilities does not extinguish the non-custodial parent's obligation where a child is unable to withdraw from the custodial parent's charge . . . by reason of disability, illness, coming out, gender transition, or other cause," Radbord writes in her affidavit before the Ontario Court of Justice.

As a result, Ontario's child support law should be declared unconstitutional and replaced to reflect "the equality of all children," writes Radbord.

Coates currently receives about $800 a month from Watson to support Joshua. Although the parents never lived together or married, Watson has paid court-ordered child support of varying amounts since Joshua was 4.

Watson, who married another woman after Joshua was born and is raising two other children with his wife, previously told the Star he has never missed a court-ordered support payment.

But now that Joshua is no longer in school and is receiving provincial social assistance for adults with disabilities, Watson says his legal obligation has ended.

"It is the legislature which has the ability to expand the class of people entitled to child support. It is not the role of the court to legislate," says lawyer Michael Tweyman, who is acting pro bono as a "friend of the court" and is arguing Watson's side in the case. Watson did not return a request for comment Thursday.

"When a disabled person becomes an adult, the burden of his or her care shifts from the parents to society as a whole," Tweyman writes, quoting an earlier Supreme Court case from British Columbia on the court's approach to the care of disabled adults.

Coates, an educational resource worker for students with special needs in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board, says she needs child support to help defray the costs of day programs for Joshua that can run as high as $1,400 a month.

"It's very exciting to have society as a whole see what costs are involved in looking after an adult with a disability," she said.

People don't realize that parents are on their own to pay for day programs if their disabled adult child is unable to work or can't find paid employment when school ends, she said.

The Ontario Disability Support Program provides some support, Coates said. But many of Joshua's expenses such as orthotics, massage therapy and his sleeping medication are not covered under the program's benefits, she said. Coates can't claim those costs under her own work-based health benefits because the insurer doesn't cover children over age 21, she added.

Adult children with disabilities are eligible for child support in every province except Ontario and Alberta, regardless of the parents' previous marital status and whether children are in school or not, said Coates's lawyer Robert Shawyer, who is also working pro bono on the case.

Ontario's attorney general's office is not intervening. But a spokeswoman said the ministry "is always willing to consider proposals for reforms to Ontario's family laws."

In addition to provincial social assistance, Ontario's Passport program provides funding for activities and for parents of an adult with a developmental disability to take a break from their care-giving responsibilities.
Note, March 24, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that referred to Sherbourne Health Centre as Sherbourne Health Clinic.

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Ontario's child support law faces constitutional challenge | The Star

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A constitutional challenge scheduled to play out in a Brampton court on Friday hinges on two little words: "I Do." The case involves a single mother who claims Ontario's child support law discriminates against disabled children of unmarried parents. If a couple is divorced, a disabled child is eligible for support into adulthood.

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People with Intellectual Disabilities Talk About Sexuality: Implications for the Development of Sex Education. D.Schaafsma,G. Kok,J. M. T. Stoffelen,and L. M. G. Curfs.

Existing sex-educational programmes were found ineffective for people with intellectual disabilities.  In this research assessment was done in several sexuality-related topics.  Interviews were held with 20 persons with intellectual disabilities on the topics: sex, relationships, parenthood, social media. They determined that educational level is low.  The knowledge is limited by contraception and safe sex, which is not connecting in their mind to reality, so people actually don’t use this knowledge in life.  It is hard for them to apply the theory (ex.: safe sex) with practice (sex behavior).  Research shows that there is a need of high quality sex education for people with ID.

In my opinion sexual education is very important for everyone.  Reading these assessment papers, I found that many of interviewed people with intellectual disabilities have had negative sexual experience and sexual abuse in their life.  One of them was continuously abused at boarding school.  Staff and police did nothing about it.  The goal of this assessment was to identify the weaknesses in existing programmes.  The new sexual education programmes should not only include safe sex and contraception topics, but also parenthood, online relationships and social media.  To be effective, these programmes should use a theory and evidence-based protocols.

December, 2016

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Abstract

Existing sex education programmes have failed in involving people with intellectual disabilities in the development of these programmes. Not involving the target population decreases the likelihood that the sex education programme will be effective. This study was conducted to assess the perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities on several sexuality-related topics. Semi-structured interviews were held with 20 people with intellectual disabilities covering topics such as: sex education, relationships, sex, social media, parenthood and support. The reported frequency of sex education the participants receive is low. Their knowledge regarding sex education is mainly limited to topics such as safe sex, contraception and STI's and tends to be superficial. Additionally, knowledge on safe sex does not always translate to safe sex behaviour. Finally, relationships are important for most participants; mainly because they don't want to be alone. Findings from both this study and literature shows that there seems to be a need for high quality sex education. Topics to consider to include are: online relationships, social media and parenthood. It would also be beneficial to focus on sexuality-related skills. Finally, to increase the effectiveness of a sex education programme, it is advisable that a theory-and evidence-based framework, such as Intervention Mapping, is used for its development.

Keywords: Sexuality, Sex education, Intervention development, Interviews, The Netherlands

Introduction

The purpose of sex education programmes is improving sexual health, which is defined as not merely the absence of disease or negative experiences regarding sexuality, but includes positive aspects as well, such as: "the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences" [ 1]. In practice, this means that sexual health is not only about preventing sexually transmitted infections (STI's), unplanned pregnancies and negative sexual experiences but also about providing people with the means to experience sexuality in a positive way, i.e. through sex education programmes [ 2]. However, the exact goals of the sex education programmes depend on the needs of the target population and the context in which sex education is provided [ 3].

Intervention Mapping, a protocol for developing behavior change programmes, states that the development of a behavior change programme, such as a sex education programme, starts with a needs assessment [ 3]. In this needs assessment problems concerning a certain topic, in this case sexual health, are identified by studying the available literature and, when necessary, by conducting additional research. Developers can search the literature for information on what problems are known in the area of interest and what is effective in improving the situation. Once a problem analysis has been conducted, developers state program goals and create an intervention programme.

A literature review conducted by Schaafsma et al. [ 4] shows that there is limited information in the scientific literature about what methods are effective for teaching sex education to people with intellectual disabilities. They found that most of the studies in the review did not provide details on what was taught, why it was taught and how it was taught, but mainly focused on whether sex education had an effect on knowledge, attitude or skills. In short, the authors identified a need for more information on what needs to be taught to people with intellectual disabilities with regard to sexuality and how this needs to be taught.

With regard to what needs to be taught, current literature shows that in the area of sexual health, people with intellectual disabilities experience a number of problems. The problems are not necessarily different from people without disabilities, but the percentage of people experiencing these problems is higher. One of the main problems that has been investigated it sexual abuse. People with intellectual disabilities report experiences of sexual abuse [ 5- 8] three times more often than their non-disabled peers [ 9]. Furthermore, they experience more difficulties in finding, forming and maintaining the relationships they desire so much [ 6, 10]. These problems may be caused by deficits in sexual knowledge [ 11- 16] and a general lack of social, behavioural and decision skills [ 17- 20].

Environmental factors are also important to consider [ 3]. Caregivers, parents or paid care staff influence sexual well-being of people with intellectual disabilities: no opportunities are given for sexual experiences or no privacy is provided [ 11, 21, 22], couples are not allowed to be alone [ 22] or restrictions are imposed [ 22, 23]. Paid care staff hardly talk about sexuality with their clients [ 24, 25] or when they do, it is reactively [ 10, 24, 26].

Nevertheless, people with intellectual disabilities express a desire for companionship: someone to love, a person that can take care of them or a person to take care of [ 10- 12, 27]. To ascertain that these wishes are met, factors such as knowledge and skills with regard to social behaviour need to be improved with, for example, providing education in the area of sexuality [ 4, 28].

There are unexplored areas. Social network sites can have a positive impact on the mental well-being of people who are less socially successful in real-life [ 29]. People with intellectual disabilities are known to have difficulties with social interactions (e.g. interpreting body language) and might benefit from online relationships. Furthermore, the topic of having children is one that is relatively unexplored; most studies on parenthood focus on pregnant women or couples with children [ 30].

This paper describes an exploratory study to establish the perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities on sexuality-related topics. The goal was to do a needs assessment by identifying problems in the area of sexuality and compare them to the literature. Additionally, relatively unexplored areas, such as social media and parenthood, were investigated. The main topics were sex education, relationships, sex, social media, parenthood, and support. These perspectives were determined by semi-structured interviews with people with intellectual disabilities themselves.

Methods

Participants and Recruitment

Twenty participants took part in this study, ten male and ten female. The average age was 28.9 (15-52). Participants were recruited through organizations that provide services to people who are diagnosed with having an intellectual disability. Eight participants lived by themselves and twelve in a group home. Most people living by themselves were over 30; most people living in a group home were under 30 (see Table ).

Table 1

Participants were recruited through organizations specialized in care for people with intellectual disabilities. We also recruited participants through self-advocacy groups. Most participants receive care from an organization, even when they live outside the organization. Some participants are member of an organization that advocates for rights of people with intellectual disabilities. Potential participants were provided with a leaflet containing information about the interviewer, purpose of the study, confidentiality and data processing. This leaflet was developed with people with intellectual disabilities themselves to increase understandability. People were given time to consider participation. When interested, the researcher would set up an appointment. Interviews took place in an environment where the participant felt most comfortable. Interviews lasted between 30 and 90 minutes.

Procedure, Ethical Considerations and Interview Topics

Ethical approval was acquired from the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience at Maastricht University. Informed consent was acquired with a procedure developed by Thomas and Kroese [ 31], including some questions to check the participants' understanding of the study. For minors (<18 years) participating in this study, consent was provided by their legal guardians. Before the start of the interview, different topics were discussed with the participants, including what would happen in case of disclosure of sexual abuse (see Fig. ).

This study was aimed at conducting step 1 of the Intervention Mapping protocol [ 3], a needs assessment. This requires an explorative approach in which different areas concerning sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities are explored to identify potential problems that can be addressed with sex education. Therefore, a semi-structured interview was chosen. Topics were: sex education, relationships, sex, social media, parenthood, and support (see " Appendix "). Social media and parenthood are common topics of discussion, but little is known about what people with intellectual disabilities themselves say about it. Support plays an important role in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. All interviews were conducted by the first author.

Data Processing and Analysis

The interviews were recorded, transcribed and then coded using NVivo 9. For analysis we applied a three step approach. In step 1, paragraphs of individual transcriptions were given codes, which were basically short descriptions of the contents of that paragraphs. In step 2, categories were identified from the list of codes. Codes that were similar were merged. The paragraphs related to these codes were merged in NVivo as well. The results was a list of major categories (Table ) similar to the topics in the topic list that was used during the interview (" Appendix "). Step 3 consisted of identifying subcategories in the major categories (Table ). The content of the different (sub)categories were further analyzed to identify similarities and differences between participants. Analyses were conducted by the first author.

Table 2

Sex education

Sex education yes/no, when and where
Type of sex education/material/subjects
Thoughts on sex education

Sexual experiences

Experiences
Thoughts on sex
Knowledge of sex

Relationships

Current relationship
Past experiences
Needs and wishes
Thoughts on relationships

Safe sex

Knowledge and education
Own experiences
Knowledge on STI's

Parenthood

Wanting children yes/nog and why?
What is needed for raising a child

Social media and internet

None

Negative experiences

None

Influence of the environment

None

Advice for sex education

None

Results

Sex Education

Of the 20 participants 19 report to have received sex education: 6 of the young adults at school, others from a staff member, a parent or by reading a book. The older adults from a parent, teacher or a course.

Interviewer (I): Did your parents start talking about it (sex) or did you ask them?

Respondent (R): Uhm, I started and I found it very pleasant. They were really glad that I

started talking about it. (Male, 30-39)

All participants received sex education once or twice during their life. Participants indicated that getting sex education was interesting, fun and nice; however, they also mentioned class members being a bit giggly or ashamed and acted a bit tough.

I: When did you receive sex education?

R: I received sex education last year, but if you would ask me questions about it I wouldn't know what to say. (Female, <20)

Topics and Knowledge

Topics mentioned most were safe sex, which included condom-use (20), contraception (10) and STI's (13). Less mentioned topics were development of the fetus, friendship, pregnancy, female body, loverboys and boundaries. All participants indicated that safe sex is sex with a condom. They knew that condoms prevent pregnancies and diseases. Six participants also mentioned contraceptives like the pill, and fewer mentioned female condom (2), intra-uterine device (3) or contraceptive injection (2). Asked to name STI's, they often named HIV and Aids (11), and less frequently Chlamydia (3), Herpes (1), Gonorrhea (1) or genital warts (1).

I: Did they tell you which diseases you can get?

R: Aids, and uhm, HIV. But also other genital diseases that can make your genitals smell bad and stuff. (Female, 20-29)

In general the knowledge on STI's was poor. When asked: "Do you know when you have an STI?", most answered that you know when you get tested. Only 3 participants mentioned symptoms like fever, lump on the genitals, itchiness or pain.

Participants also had incorrect or incomplete knowledge, such as not being sure about whether the pill also protects against STI's or whether the condom protects against STI's, that when a woman is on birth control a condom is not needed, that you have to use a condom when the woman is on her period even when she is on birth control, and that you can only get an STI from a girl who slept with many boys.

R: But the disease can only occur when the girl has slept with several boys. (Male, 20-29)

Two participants mentioned that teachers or caregivers used materials, such as a broom or a banana for demonstrating condom-use. Other sources of information were books, pictures, videos, dolls of human body and magazines for teenagers.

Homosexuality

Thirteen participants expressed positive attitudes towards homosexuality: "They are just (normal) people" and "You should let people be (themselves)". However, two participants indicated it is still a taboo. One man thought homosexuality was strange; saying that his father would not want anything to do with him if he were gay. One woman just didn't like it; also, because they talk so posh.

R: I have no problems with it (homosexuality) (...) everybody should decide for themselves. If it makes them happy it's fine by me. (Female, 40+)

One homosexual man explained that it was already a difficult process to accept having an intellectual disability and that being gay made it even more difficult. Eight participants reported to know someone who is gay.

Relationships

Half of the participants were in a relationship and two were developing a relationship. Two older female participants were married.

One young male participant was looking for long distant relationships on purpose, saying that they are less troublesome. Another young male participant claimed that his girlfriend is giving more attention to other guys, implying she is cheating on him, because she has a large number of male friends on her social network page. One young female participant was in a relationship with a 16-year older male. A young female participant indicated to have a lot of problems in her current relationship, such as disputes, verbal abuse and issues concerning the drug-use of her boyfriend.

I: Does he still do drugs?

R: No, he doesn't do drugs, although he is still addicted to weed. And I find that really annoying. This is a really, how should I say this, difficult issue in our relationship. (Female, 20-29)

In some previous relationships the environment had a large negative influence, such as parents interfering (3), peers spreading lies about cheating (1), restrictions imposed by staff members (2), or problems in the home environment (1).

I: But the relationship did end?

R: Yes.

I: How did that happen?

R: People were telling stories that were not true.

I: What kind of stories?

R: That I was seeing someone else.

I: And then she broke up with you?

R: Yes.

I: Because she didn't believe you?

R: No, she didn't believe me. (Male, 20-29)

Participants met their partner at the organization where they live (3), at work (2), on the internet (1), at a discotheque (1),through a friend (a) or a family member (1). Most of them would like to do fun things with their partner and want their partner to be nice. They usually did not refer to the looks of a partner, but to personal traits: sweet, spontaneous, grateful, respectful, decent, not doing strange things, not doing drugs.

Eight participants find having a relationship important, mainly because they do not want to be alone. Participants want someone to share their life with so that they can be there for one another. Two participants explicitly said being single is no fun; however, one person wanted to be single and another one saw both advantages and disadvantages.

I: Why is a relationship important?

R: You can share something with someone. Now I am just alone. (Male, 20-29)

Sex

Experiences

Fourteen participants reported having experience with sex; seven of them reported using or having used condoms. Four women reported to only use contraception.

I: Did you use condoms?

R: No, I was already on birth control back then. (Female, 40+)

One woman never used condoms, because they should only be used "if you have sex dates". One man admits that it feels better and more intimate to have sex without. And one gay man always wanted to have safe sex, but it went wrong a few times, resulting in a HIV infection.

Beliefs

Positive things that were said about sex were: "sex is pleasure for two"; "sex makes you feel good". But also: "it's okay if it doesn't happen"; "sex belongs within a serious relationship".

For some participants, sex is not the most important thing, while for others it is. They like it and it feels good, but some point out that sex should be enjoyable for both and that love and respect are also important.

R: It (sex) is some kind of addictive thing, I don't know.

I: Could you do without?

R: No, I am really honest about that. I could do without, but not for a long period of time. (Male, 30-39)

Parenthood

Fifteen participants indicated that they wanted or had wanted to have children. Three of them believed they would be good parents; three participants expressed concerns. Younger participants wanted to enjoy life before having any children. Others had concerns regarding being able to raise a child.

R: Taking care of a child 24 h a day. I am not sure whether I want that or whether I am able to do that. Because I also have my own problems (...) I already have enough difficulties with myself, what if the child has the same genes as I have? (Female, 20-29)

When being asked the question "what do you need for raising a child", most referred to materialistic things: money, a house, food, toys, clothing and diapers (10); most also indicated needing a good job (3) and a good relationship (2).

The interviews gave no indication that the topic of parenthood was seriously discussed with others.

I: Do you ever talk about it (parenthood) with someone?

R: This is actually the first time. (Male, 30-39)

Internet/Social Media

Social media play a role in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Eighteen participants had a profile page on a social network site, such as Facebook or Hyves (Dutch) for keeping in touch with friends. One participant mentioned to have over two hundred friends. Profile sites are at one moment hot and the other moment not. None of the participants used Twitter; three participants mentioned it was too difficult.

R: I have Hyves, but I don't have Facebook, because it seems that a lot of private data is made public, at least that is what I heard. I don't know whether it is true or not. And I don't have Twitter, because I don't even know how it works. (Male, 30-39)

Other social network sites are used for finding a partner; Badoo was mentioned most (5). Two indicated to have found a girlfriend through such sites; however, one had never met her in real-life and the other relationship ended after 2 days.

Five participants received negative messages or no responses to messages. They all adequately disposed of these unwanted sexually oriented messages by blocking and deleting the sender of the messages.

R: You get messages of people who want to humiliate you. They say racist things, without a reason (...) This happened once (...) Of course I blocked him, so he would never be able to contact me again. (Female, 30-39)

Negative Experiences and Sexual Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Four participants disclosed experiences of sexual abuse. All of them were under 23 and placed out of their home. One male participant reported having been sexually abused up to the age of 18 in boarding school by another boy. The other three cases concerned female participants.

R: I was sexually abused there (boarding school) for 7 years by another boy. He put a knife to my throat and a gun against my head. I went to the staff, but they did nothing. I also went to the police, but they collaborated with the boarding school, and they did nothing as well. I was thinking what now? I was powerless. (Male, 20-29)

Inappropriate Touching

One older man had a negative experience on vacation with another man. An older female participant kicked a man in his private parts when he did not listen to her refusal. A younger male participant kicked a girl who tried to force him to have sex, since he saw no other way out.

R: Yes, I mean he wanted all kinds of things from me and I told him not to touch me, but he wouldn't listen. I then kicked him in his privates and then he had to go to the hospital. (Female, 40+)

Other Negative Experiences

One older male participant used a razor for pleasuring himself, causing injuries. He also mentioned women saying that he had a small penis and was not good in bed. Another older male participant had been used by former girlfriends, letting him buy their clothes. He also caught a girlfriend cheating on him in his own apartment. Two younger female participants had experiences with guys harassing them over the telephone.

Support/Environment

Paid Care Staff

All participants received some sort of professional support. Twelve participants lived in institutions receiving support around the clock; eight participants lived by themselves receiving support a few hours a week.

Six participants go to their personal care staff member for support concerning sexuality-related issues. Seven other participants felt less comfortable talking to the staff about sexuality, explaining that "it's none of their business"; "it would make them (the participant) feel embarrassed"; "they always talk about the same things, safe sex and condom-use"; and "it is a bit scary to ask the staff members".

R:These staff members are very trustworthy (...) They do everything for me, I only have to ask them. (Male, 20-29)

I: Have you ever talked about sexuality with one of the staff members?

R: Yes I have. But they always talk about the same things, about condom-use and safe sex, they all say the same things. (Female, 20-29)

Four participants experienced staff members' involvement as interference. One woman was almost forced to divorce her husband, because the support agency felt that it was better. Another reported a female staff member wanting to talk to him about sex, but felt that she had nothing to do with it, since she was "not his mother". One woman wanted more privacy and the staff not to keep an eye on her and her boyfriend all the time. A girl reported a staff member having an ambivalent attitude towards her relationship with her boyfriend, saying: "It's OK as long as nothing happens".

Family

Family members are not mentioned very often as a support group. Five participants reported getting support or asking support from family members regarding sexuality-related topics. These can be siblings (4), parents (2) or aunts and uncles (1).

Friends

Only one girl talked about sex with her friends. Three participants mentioned to have many friends, while half of the participants indicated to have between 1 and 5 friends. However, they did not mention talking to friends about sexuality-related issues. When asked "who are your friends?" two participants answered with: "What are friends actually?" being unsure whether their friends are real friends. Some never mention friends during the interviews.

Three had negative experiences telling colleagues or friends about their personal lives because personal information was passed on to others.

Advice for Sex Education by Participants Themselves

We asked participants what would be important to tell someone who has not received sex education. Sixteen participants agreed that safe sex is important; always using a condom, and women using contraception. Fewer of them mention consequences of unsafe sex, STI's, unplanned pregnancies, and topics on an emotional level: "be sweet to each other"; and "don't do things that you don't want to do".

R: (About sex) They should take it slow and be nice with each other. And if they don't want to (do it), then don't (...) It is important that you find it enjoyable. (Male, 30-39)

Limitations of the Study

The data are somewhat superficial, due to the broad range of topics. Half of the participants are older people who generally live by themselves; while the other half exists of younger people who live in an institution. They also come from very different backgrounds. Young people usually reported problems in the home environment, which is reported less by older participants. It has been found that young adults with intellectual disabilities that have been placed out of their homes run a three times higher risk of being sexually abused than their peers [ 8]. Finally, we must be careful with generalizing results to other countries, due to differences in support systems for people with intellectual disabilities.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The goal of this study was to identify problems and needs in the area of sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities, that can be addressed through sex education. This was done by conducting a needs assessment, which is the first step in developing a sex education programme, according to the Intervention Mapping protocol [ 3].

Sex Education Topics

The topics of sex education that are mentioned by the participants seem to be limited and focused on safe sex, condom-use, contraception and STI's; comparable to Löfgren- Mårtenson [ 32] and Rojas et al. [ 27]. These topics do not cover the entire area of sexuality. Explanations could be: (1) other topics are not discussed; which is comparable to a non-disabled population [ 33]; (2) other topics are discussed but that knowledge is not retained; or (3) other topics are not strongly associated with sex education, and therefore not mentioned.

Moreover, participants' knowledge is superficial. When being asked the question "how do you know you have an STI?", most answered that you know when you get tested and only few mentioned symptoms. This could be because their education lacks depth or because the information is not retained or too complex.

People with intellectual disabilities express the need to find a partner, mostly because they do not want to be alone; comparable to Lesseliers [ 22]. The problem is that they report having problems with finding, forming and maintaining relationships [ 10, 24]; due to a lack of knowledge [ 11- 16], support [ 25, 34] and skills [ 17- 20]. The relationships reported in this study were not what most people would consider normal healthy relationships. Some have problems assessing their relationship status. It is therefore important in sex education to address finding, forming and maintaining relationships.

Most participants use social media to find contacts, but it is unclear what the quality of those relationships is. Szwedo et al. [ 29] found that forming online relationships can be beneficial for the mental well-being of people who are less socially accepted or capable in forming meaningful relationships in real-life, because there is more time online to respond to a message and online there is no interference of body language (which is hard to interpret for many people with intellectual disabilities). Online relationships might actually be beneficial for them [ 10, 24]. However, it is advisable to establish what people with intellectual disabilities expect of such a relationship. Including using social media in sex education, developers would have to be up-to-date on what is "in". For example, some participants with intellectual disabilities found Twitter too complicated. Additionally, due to the anonymous nature of the Internet, people in general are more prone to negative reactions online [ 35]; the same goes for people with intellectual disabilities. The participants did express good skills to cope with these issues; however, some might not be so capable. Furthermore, it could be important to have some idea of what they do online, and to clarify the fine line between social network sites and dating sites.

Finally, most participants wanted to have children or had that wish in the past. Parenthood was seldom discussed. One participant talked about it for the first time. People with intellectual disabilities could benefit from learning about the psychological impact of having a baby; since the needs they describe mostly focus on materialistic things, indicating they have no real idea of what it takes raising a child. Tools such as realistic baby dolls might help forming a more accurate image. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to discuss what people with intellectual disabilities mean by having a job, a house and a relationship and whether these requirements are feasible in their situation. According to other studies there is a need for parental skills in four areas: basic bodily needs, skill development, emotional development and social development [ 30, 36]. Future parents need to learn more about child development; how to stimulate child development through play; to discipline children; recognize when children are at risk; and how to "react to the challenges of adolescence" [ 37]. Moreover, people working with parents-to-be could ensure they understand the information that is given [ 30]. Feldman and Case [ 38] found that some parental skills can be improved with low cost and low tech instructional materials.

Frequency

The frequency of sex education sessions is low or participants did not remember having received sex education. Continuous sex education is needed to maintain high levels of skills and knowledge [ 4] meaning that people with intellectual disabilities should receive booster sessions to reactivate the acquired knowledge or skills.

McDermott et al. [ 39] demonstrated that the amount of sexual knowledge acquired is closely related to the number of instructional sessions. Having an intellectual disability makes it even more difficult to obtain and retain knowledge and skills in just a few sessions. The number of times the participants of this study have received sex education does not seem to be sufficient.

Determinants and Behaviours

Most participants were positive about homosexuality; some however, were not. Also, less than half of the participants indicated to know someone who is homosexual. Sexual diversity might therefore be an important topic to address, especially since research shows that caretakers are not always aware of the needs of homosexual people with intellectual disabilities [ 6].

Most of the participants have experiences with sex. When it comes to their attitudes towards sex, some participants say sex is important and some do not. In general, it is more important for most participants to be together with someone than to have sex; in concordance with Lesseliers [ 22]. Furthermore, some participants shared negative experiences; comparable to other studies [ 9, 40]. Especially for women, sex is not always pleasurable [ 41- 44]. Women tend to play a rather passive role in sex [ 42, 43], most sexual acts are geared towards 'pleasuring the penis' [ 43] and some consider it "necessary to do in order to satisfy men and to prevent relationships from deteriorating" [ 27]. This might explain why many participants find being with someone more important than the act of sex itself.

To improve the sexual health of people with intellectual disabilities, negative experiences could be prevented or at least reduced. Knowledge about people's own needs, desires and boundaries are important, but skills to protect oneself and perform the correct behaviour are important as well [ 28]. Many sex education programs focus on knowledge [ 45], but there are studies showing improved self-protection skills [ 17, 20, 46- 48].

Environment and Context

Who is responsible and most suitable for teaching sex education? In this study, sex education was taught by parents, staff members and teachers. Some used supportive materials and some did not; however, they did use a mishmash of materials. Not everybody is able to teach sex education, partly due to lack of adequate materials. Research among staff members showed that some have conservative attitudes [ 21, 24, 49, 50] or, as in this study, have ambivalent attitudes. Rohleder [ 51] found similar ambivalent attitudes, where staff recognized the need, but also experienced anxiety about the potential harm that sex education might cause. Staff members report a lack of experience in dealing with sexuality [ 21, 24, 49, 50] and a lack of training [ 10, 21, 52]. Staff members also usually teach sex education reactively [ 10, 24, 26] instead of preventively. Parents have even more conservative attitudes than staff members [ 53].

Educators, whether these are parents, staff members or teachers, should be able to teach sex education properly and cover all important topics. Ideally, educators would use materials proven to be effective; however, in the Netherlands the effectiveness of current materials is unknown [ 47, 54]. Therefore, educators should use materials they feel comfortable with, while being critical about the content of the materials.

Literature on shared decision making might provide some ideas on the necessary skills, such as developing a partnership, determining the client's needs and wishes, identifying choices, discussing choices with the client, negotiate a decision and resolve conflicts [ 55].

Friends are not very important regarding sexuality-related issues [ 23]. This might be because friends are not always the most trustworthy. But it could also be that friends do not have much knowledge or do not feel comfortable talking about this subject. For many people with intellectual disabilities school seem to be the most important source of information [ 23].

Improving Sex Education

Findings from literature, combined with findings from this study give an idea on what could be improved in sex education. Sex education should include a broad range of topics and not exclusively focus on safe sex and prevention of STI's and unwanted pregnancy. Topics that could be considered are: online relationships, social media and parenthood. It would help when educators receive specific programme goals, specifying what people with intellectual disabilities need to know, do and want [ 3], something most sex education programmes currently lack [ 47, 54]. Increasing knowledge is not enough; other determinants, such as skills are important as well [ 28]. Developers should make sure that programmes have multiple sessions and boosters [ 39] ensuring maintenance of knowledge and skills.

It would be beneficial if programme developers identified the most ideal context and most suitable target group for sex education. Additionally, they need to identify and reduce potential barriers in order for sex education to be successful [ 3].

Finally, sex education programmes need to be systematically developed using a theory- and evidence-based protocol, such as Intervention Mapping [ 3] if developers want the programme to be effective [ 56- 62].

Funding

Research funding was provided by Lunet zorg, an organization specializing in care for people with intellectual disabilities.

Appendix: Interview Questions

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Conflict of interest

No restrictions and no conflict of interest. This manuscript and the content of this manuscript have not been published elsewhere. The study has been approved by the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience at Maastricht University.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Footnotes

¹ Loverboys are human traffickers who make boys and mostly (underage) girls dependent on them by making these boys and girls think they are in a (loving) relationship. After that, these loverboys force them into prostitution or other legal activities.

References

1. World Health Organization: Sexual health document series. Defining sexual health. Report of a technical consultation on sexual health, 28-31 January 2002, WHO Press, Geneva (2006)

2. Schaalma H, Reinders J, Kok G. Voorlichting en preventie. In: Gijs L, Gianotten W, Vanwesenbeeck I, Weijenborg P, editors. Seksuologie. Houten: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum; 2009.

3. Bartholomew LK, Parcel GS, Kok G, Gottlieb NH, Fernández ME. Planning Health Promotion Programs: An Intervention Mapping Approach. 3. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2011.

7. Stoffelen JMT, Kok G, Hospers H, Curfs LMG. Homosexuality among people with a mild intellectual disability: an explorative study on the lived experiences of homosexual people in the Netherlands with a mild intellectual disability. J. Intellect. Disabil. Res. 2013

11. Healy E, McGuire BE, Evans DS, Carley SN. Sexuality and personal relationships for people with an intellectual disability. Part I: service-user perspectives. J. Intellect. Disabil. Res. 2009

18. Hayashi M, Arakida M, Ohashi K. The effectiveness of a sex education program facilitating social skills for people with intellectual disability in Japan. J. Intellect. Dev. Disabil. 2011

25. Kok G, Maassen R, Maaskant M, Curfs L. Zorgverleners over seksualiteit van mensen met verstandelijke beperkingen; een kwalitatief onderzoek [Care staff on the sexuality of people with intellectual disability: a qualitative study] Tijdschrift voor Seksuologie. 2009;33:199-206.

27. Rojas, S., Haya, I., Lázaro-Visa, S.: 'My great hope in life is to have a house, a family and a daughter': relationships and sexuality in intellectually disabled people. Br. J. Learn. Disabil. 44, 56-62 (2014)

30. Baum S, Alexander N. Pregnancy, contraception and women choosing to have a child. In: McCarthy M, Thompson D, editors. Sexuality and Learning Disabilities. Brighton: Pavilion Publishing; 2010.

36. Health Council of the Netherland . Contraception for People with Mental Retardation (Publication No. 2002/14. ISBN 90-5549-446-1) The Hague: Health Council of the Netherlands; 2002.

40. Van Berlo W, de Haas S, van Oosten N, van Dijk L, Brants L, Tonnon S, Storms O. Beperkt Weerbaar: Een Onderzoek Naar Seksueel Geweld Bij Mensen Met Een Lichamelijk, Zintuiglijke of Een Verstandelijke Beperking [Sexual Violence Among Individuals with a Physical, Sensory or Intellectual Disability] Utrecht: Van Berlo; 2011.

43. McCarthy M. Sexuality and Women with Learning Disabilities. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 1999.

61. Van Achterberg T, Huisman-De Waal GG, Ketelaar NABM, Oostendorp RA, Jacobs JE, Wollersheim HCH. How to promote healthy behavior in patients? A review of systematic reviews. Health. Promot. Int. 2010;6:148-162.

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People with Intellectual Disabilities Talk About Sexuality: Implications for the Development of Sex Education

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Existing sex education programmes have failed in involving people with intellectual disabilities in the development of these programmes. Not involving the target population decreases the likelihood that the sex education programme will be effective. This study was conducted to assess the perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities on several sexuality-related topics.

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This image shows two boys talking one is saying he can’t believe he got a zero on the assignment because he has a learning disability. Here’s the punch line the boy says that his disability is laziness.  Sean Mclean. (3/5/12)

This cartoon represents a huge stereotype people with disabilities face its most common with physical, mental illness, and learning disabilities that people assume its because they are lazy. When someone uses a wheelchair maybe not all the time but he or she have some mobility on a good day when they don’t need as much assistance people judge them and think they are lazy. It’s a huge stigma for people with learning disabilities that they don’t need more time on an assignment they just need to stop being lazy and get the work done. They are told over and over to just stop being lazy that they start to believe it.

Sean Mclean. (3/5/12) Learning disabilities. Image retrieved from http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/804177.html
Danielle Warren

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Rio Paralympics 2016: An A-Z of Paralympic sport classifications

September 5th, 2016

The 2016 Paralympics in Rio involves 22 sports but not all disability categories can compete in each event.

It is amazing event, showed 22 kind of sports. From Archery, athletics, Boccia, Canoeing, Cycling, Equestrian, Judo, Powerlifting, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, swimming, table ball, wheelchair fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair tennis and more

BBC (2016, September 05). Rio Paralympics 2016: An A-Z of Paralympic sport classifications. SPORT Disability Sport. Retrieved

http://www.bbc.com/sport/disability-sport/18934366

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July 26, 2106.

Mentally disabled Somali-Canadian dies after violent confrontation with police; bloody aftermath caught on video

A witness shot cell phone video of the aftermath of the arrest, which shows Abdi lying motionless and handcuffed on the ground. Blood is smeared all over his shirt.

Our community were shocked when we learned that MR. Abdi was beaten to death because he was nonverbal and had autism spectrum.

“The agency probing the arrest, Special Investigations Unit, says that police responded at 9:30 a.m. Sunday to reports that a man was allegedly groping people at a coffee shop in downtown Ottawa”, CBC reported.

Witnesses say they saw police chasing Abdi, who family says is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum. When he didn’t comply, cops tackled him and began beating him.

Hensley, N. (2016, July 26). Mentally disabled Somali-Canadian dies after violent confrontation with police; bloody aftermath caught on video.NYDailyNews. Retrieved from:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/mentally-disabled-somali-canadian-dies-violent-arrest-article-1.2726435

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People with Disabilities

This website is provide information for people with disabilities about their health living, safety, independent living, transition within the community.

Its provide valuable information about healthy living, safety topics touch to violence, bullying and children and youth with disabilities and special health. And injury prevention, emergency preparedness

Other topics such as Assistive technology helping and help in their independence. School and arrangement for known as 504 plans. Also, transitions for all stages. Although, independent living for disabilities people and where finding support.

March 17, 2016.

CDC. (2016). People with Disabilities. Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/people.html

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LIVING WITH DISABILITY.

In this article, several readers with disabilities discuss the issue of being labeled as “disabled people”.  All of them don’t consider themselves as victims in their road of life.  They responded to essay by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, “Becoming Disabled”, by showing their positive life’s attitude.   Social Media opened the way for PWD to be connected. Thus, they can share their experiences and support each other. Technology made their life easier and socially connected.  Even though those readers have certain difficulties to live with, they don’t want to became somebody else.  They are comfortable to be who they are.

Reading this article, I feel that even though all of these people have different medical conditions and difficulties to face to and overcome, their statements are very positive.  I think that it is really great that people can hear the voices and opinions of PWD to better understand the issues they experience in their life.  They are happy and self-sufficient. As one of talented and wise orthopedic surgeon said: “We are all just temporarily able-bodied.” Life doesn’t stop with disability.

The New York Times. (27.08.2016). Living with Disability.

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Sunday Letters

Several readers discuss how their lives have been changed, for better and worse.

To the Editor: Re " Becoming Disabled," by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson (Sunday Review, Aug. 21): Growing up, I was one of the only visibly disabled people in my public grade school and high school. But I never considered "disabled" as an identity. I thought disability was something to be ashamed of, or a weakness - that everyone with a disability wanted to be fixed, and that wasn't me at all. I loved who I was, and had pride in my identity even if I didn't recognize it in that way.

Social media and the internet changed things for me. I was able to connect with other disabled individuals and see how they felt about their identity. I found communities online where there were heated and engaging conversations about what it means to have a disability in a world that isn't built for us in mind. That's when I proudly labeled myself disabled.

There are certain symptoms of my disabilities that I have difficulty navigating: the pain, the anxiety and breathing problems. But would I change who I am, would I take away my disability? No. Being disabled is too linked to my humanity, to my empathy and my strength. It dictates my relationships with others. What I've experienced in life is a story worth telling, and road worth following, despite how society tries to tell us otherwise. I would proudly live this life again if I could.

ERIN HAWLEY

Keyport, N.J.

To the Editor: As I lay in my hospital bed 37 years ago, having lost my right leg above the knee as a result of being hit by a bus, my very talented and wise orthopedic surgeon said something that was hard to comprehend then, but that has meant more to me as the years have passed: "We are all just temporarily able-bodied." He was right, of course, but able-bodied is certainly a nuanced state, dependent on so many things.

Ms. Garland-Thomson, when she describes how we "move in and out of disability in our lifetimes," characterizes that nuanced state. When do any of us feel "perfect"? Because I wear a prosthetic leg, does that necessarily make me less able-bodied than the other 62-year-old person walking toward me on the sidewalk? It may appear that way to most people, but if I don't have the serious heart ailment that this other person has, who is more disabled? It's all a question of appearance in many cases, and that is a nuance we need to be aware of.

I have felt throughout these adult years of my life - marrying, raising three children, going to work - that perhaps those observing me (and disabled people are "observed") may see that having this disability is perhaps different but maybe not as different as they may have thought. Thank you, Professor Garland-Thomson, for your insightful, thought-provoking and uplifting essay.

TONY MOREE

Libertyville, Ill.

To the Editor: As the parent of an adult son with Down syndrome and a frequent lecturer on disability and inclusion, I also remind audiences that, as Rosemarie Garland-Thomson writes, "people with disabilities are the largest minority group in the United States." Even more striking is the fact that when you add the non-disabled people who care for and about the disabled - their parents, their siblings, their spouses, their children, their teachers, their caregivers, their friends - the number of people affected by disability soars. But there are so many disparate conditions and groups, and we have not unified and learned to speak with one voice. If all the people concerned about disability issues got together, we could influence legislation, funding, all sorts of important things.

EMILY PERL KINGSLEY

Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.
The writer is a former board member of the National Down Syndrome Congress and is on the advisory board of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.
To the Editor: On Jan. 6, 1994, as I walked my two dogs after work, a careless driver ran over me, leaving me unconscious and bleeding in a ditch. Two months later, I returned home as a disabled person, a result of a traumatic brain injury. Not only did I lose part of my memory and mobility, but I lost my social work career just like that.

Always an active person, I didn't consider sitting home an option. So I reinvented myself as a volunteer in animal shelters, homeless shelters and various nonprofit organizations. The accident left me with an income just above the poverty level. I've fished through the trash for aluminum cans to redeem for cash. But if it wasn't for that fateful day in 1994, I would have never had so many memorable, joyous and heartwarming experiences that have totally changed my life. I have no regrets whatsoever and wouldn't change a thing.

DEBRA J. WHITE

Gilbert, Ariz.

To the Editor: As a divorced working mother struggling with multiple sclerosis, I'd never seek to find pride in the label "disabled." Maybe it is just me, but I already feel proud that I am able to drag (sometimes literally) myself out of bed and provide for myself and my children. Watching my children flourish is all the adulation I need. I don't feel the need to draw additional attention to my disability. Most days, I just want to feel normal.

SHANONDA NELSON

Orange, Conn.

To the Editor: In 2012, the Republican-led Senate rejected ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities, an international treaty intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, even after former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, sitting in his wheelchair on the Senate floor, pleaded with Republican senators. Republicans at the time contended that it allowed United Nations interference in America's domestic affairs and that it adversely affected states' rights. The Republican Party has actively worked against the interest of disabled people, and, in fact, the Republican standard bearer, Donald Trump, has publicly mocked a disabled person. Don't America and disabled Americans deserve better?

GLEN HANDLER

Verona, N.J.

To the Editor: I now walk with a cane, with evident difficulty, while I remind myself that I once made a four-day trek to Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail through the Andes. That was 40 years ago, though, and I'm 80 now. It may sound trite ("kindness of others"), but along with the increasing level of my disability has come a remarkable surge in the concern of random passers-by for my circumstances. Utter strangers - young and old, male and female - are amazingly quick to offer spontaneous assistance as I walk in the street, drop something or try to get into or out of buildings and vehicles. These anonymous gestures of unselfish generosity cannot be expected, but they are frequent and beautiful.

J. SPEED CARROLL

New York

To the Editor: Three related auditory disabilities - partial hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis - require one simple disability accommodation: a quieter environment, especially in restaurants and retail stores, so we can understand speech and not have our tinnitus and hyperacusis worsened. Is it too much to ask for restaurants, retail stores and other public places to turn down the volume of the amplified sound?

Disability accommodations benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities. Just as the curb cuts, wheelchair ramps, and wider doorways and corridors mandated by the Americans With Disabilities Act benefited not just those in wheelchairs but parents pushing a stroller, delivery workers with packages on carts, and even those like me with creaky knees who find it easier to walk up a ramp than a few stairs, a quieter environment will benefit parents trying to listen to their toddler, friends trying to catch up with each other without telling the whole world what's happening in their lives, and young lovers trying to whisper sweet nothings to each other. And turning down the volume of the rock concert-level amplified sound to background music levels won't cost a cent!

DANIEL FINK

Beverly Hills, Calif.
The writer is on the board of the American Tinnitus Association.

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Sunday Letters Several readers discuss how their lives have been changed, for better and worse. To the Editor: Re " Becoming Disabled," by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson (Sunday Review, Aug. 21): Growing up, I was one of the only visibly disabled people in my public grade school and high school.

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DO YOU UFIT?
March/April 2017.

At the 2016 world fitness expo, CanFitPro announced canfitpro’s commitment as the first Canadian company to sign “Marseille Declaration” to demonstrate support of inclusivity in fitness.  This declaration was the work of UFIT organisation whose mission is to help make the fitness industry program inclusive across the globe.  There are several courses which create awareness of working with PWD, but there are no programs which create “a cultural change in the approach to overall management, marketing, programming, training and other aspects of running a health club” (p.44).  Behind UFIT is the UNESCO Chair in Inclusive Fitness, Sport and Recreation.  Many of the countries support UFIT at the Government level. The main goal of UFIT is making existing services and facilities more inclusive by maximizing existing resources without capital investments.

I am ready for inclusion in Fitness and eager to apply my knowledge as fitness professional, educator and a parent.  As a canfitpro member I would like to promote these programs in my work place.  Can’t wait to see who will be the first Fitness organization to implement those changes.
March/April 201, pp.44-46. CanFitPro magazine.

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Kanya                       Park Honoring Franklin Roosevelt Excludes Disabled People…    

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Kanya                       Park Honoring Franklin Roosevelt Excludes Disabled People…    

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Park Honoring Franklin Roosevelt Excludes Disabled People…
March 16, 2017

Four Freedoms Park in Roosevelt Island has issues of accessibility, especially the viewing area at the southernmost tip, which cannot be reached in a wheelchair. Credit Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

I wondered how is a city honoring someone like president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who used a wheelchair for years and not grant an access for disabled people. There are complaints filled  in federal court Manhattan calling it “systemic, discriminatory exclusion for people with disabilities.

March 16, 2017

Rosenberg, E. (2017, March 16).Park Honoring Franklin Roosevelt Excludes Disabled People, Suit Says. The New York Times. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/nyregion/four-freedoms-park-americans-disabilities-act.html?_r=0

nytimes.com

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I found this article very interesting and is related to a girl, Zeba Zaheer,  who was born with cerebral palsy and strongly believed that "don't let any disability affect your daily life " (Khalil, 2017). she was keynote speaker, at Sagan Banquet Hall at March 4, 2017. The event was organized by DEEN , a peel-based not-for-profit charity organization. Through her speech she seemed highly motivated and said don't give up the things you like just because of your disability.She told that despite of her disabilty she goes for swimming, skating , bowling and socializing  and enjoy your life to the fullest. This event gave PWD a chance to become perceptible in the community.
At the very end of the article she gave a very strong message about the wrong perception people have about disability because they are deviant   " people are regarded as deviant when they are perceived as significantly different from others" (Cameron, 2017).
Khalil, N. (2017, March 6). Don't let disability affect life, says nonverbal Peel teen. Retrieved from:
http://www.mississauga.com/community-story/7174226-don-t-let-disability-affect-life-says-nonverbal-peel-teen/

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Don't let disability affect life, says nonverbal Peel teen

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Be strong and don't let any disability affect your daily life, a nonverbal Brampton teen urges the world's disabled community in an inspiring speech in Mississauga.

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The article is related to a woman, Carla Qualtrough, 44 years old and the lady who craft's the country's first national accessibility legislation. She has also worked in human rights both at federal and provincial level. Despite of being visually impaired she is so desperate to bring positive changes and says that PWD are important to government. "one of the Qualtrough's main goal is to develop a common definition for disability that would apply to all federal laws and regulations and eventually be adopted by the provinces" ( Monsebrateen, 2016).
My concern is about the disability language used in the article's headline " which effects social values and perceptions but also derive changes in social values and perception (Cameron, 2017). if the word accommodation has been replaced by the word 'innovation' why in the head line they use blind instead of visually impaired?
Monsebraaten, L. (2016, August 27). Blind MP to draft Canada's fist national accessibility law. Retrieved from:
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/08/27/blind-mp-to-draft-canadas-first-national-accessibility-law.html

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Carla Qualtrough, who is legally blind, grew up learning alternative ways of doing almost everything.

"When I was growing up, it was called accommodation. But today it's called innovation," said Qualtrough, 44, Canada's federal minister of sport and first-ever minister responsible for people with disabilities.

The human rights lawyer, former Paralympian and world championship swimming medalist is helping Canadians think about disability in a new way as she crafts the country's first national accessibility legislation.

Under the current legal framework, people with disabilities can only defend their rights once they have been ignored, a process the minister called "exhausting, expensive and unfairly burdensome."

"When systems and spaces are accessible, every Canadian wins. Barriers are bad for business," Qualtrough told a gathering last week at Whitby's Abilities Centre, where she announced a series of national round-tables and town hall meetings this fall.

The government has received more than 700 submissions since online consultations on the new law began in July. Canadians have until February 2017 to give their views.

Qualtrough will report on the consultations next spring and said she hopes to have legislation ready to introduce in the Commons by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

The MP from Delta, B.C., said she was thrilled when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave her the double-barreled portfolio - encompassing her two life passions - and told her to "go out and change the world."

"No pressure," she quipped. "The creation of this cabinet position makes it very clear that people with disabilities are important to our government and that we deserve to be considered in every decision around the cabinet table."

Just as Ginger Rogers once noted how she had to perform the same artistic feats as her dance partner, Fred Astaire - but backwards and in high heels - people with disabilities are masters of innovation, Qualtrough said.

"Imagine the creativity that persons with disabilities must employ every day to navigate buildings, products and services that were not designed with their needs in mind," she said.

"Development of creative products, ways of doing things and - ultimately- a different way of looking at the world" are key to Canada's quest for accessibility, she added.

Qualtrough, who has worked in human rights at both the federal and provincial levels and served as staff for several Liberal cabinet ministers on Parliament Hill between 1999 and 2005, knows her way around Ottawa. But the busy mother of four, including two teenaged stepchildren and her own 6- and 3-year-old kids, admits she hesitated when asked to run for office a year and a half ago.

She's glad she took the plunge.

"It's a very interesting time in the evolution of disability rights," she said. For the government to create a cabinet position and to give it to someone with a disability - "it's a big deal," she added.

Toronto lawyer David Lepofsky, co-chair of Barrier-Free Canada, which called for a national law during last year's election, is also excited about Qualtrough's appointment and her mandate.

"It's great that the federal government is going to do a national consultation on this to hear from people," said Lepofsky, who is also blind.

Canada is late to the table when it comes to accessibility legislation. The United States has had the Americans with Disabilities Act since 1990. The landmark Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was introduced in 2005, with a goal of making the province fully accessible by 2025.

Ontario's experience will help guide the federal law, Qualtrough said. But she will also be looking at how other provinces and countries legislate accessibility and learn from their successes and shortcomings.

One of Qualtrough's main goals is to develop a common definition for disability that would apply to all federal laws and regulations and eventually be adopted by the provinces.

"Let's try and harmonize our approach to disability across the federal government. That would be huge for Canadians."

Qualtrough expects public consultations, the country's first national conversation about accessibility, will provide valuable input for Ottawa's legislation and other federal programs such as the Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit, the Disability Tax Credit and the Registered Disability Savings Plan.

It may even show provincial and municipal governments where they are coming up short.

"We know we are going to hear way more than what is going to be covered by the law. And that is intentional," she said.

The consultation may also bolster calls for a basic or guaranteed income for people with disabilities, said Qualtrough, who is personally in favour of the idea.

"It's something that could certainly come out of this - not as an actual program but a direction that Canadians want the government to look into," she added.

But can we afford to make Canada more accessible and boost support for people with disabilities?

"I don't think we can afford not to," Qualtrough said. "With our labour shortages and our aging population . . . and all the challenges in society. If we don't get this right, we are missing a huge opportunity."

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THREE INNOVATORS
Maayan Ziv, 26, created AccessNow, an online platform that uses crowd sourcing to pinpoint the accessibility status of locations on an interactive map. The Ryerson University master's student, who has muscular dystrophy and uses an electric wheelchair, developed the app out of frustration over trying to meet friends in inaccessible bars and restaurants in Toronto.

"We need to create a culture shift that turns accessibility from being something about people with disabilities to being something that's inclusive - that benefits everyone."

Quayce Thomas, 22, a Carleton University architecture student, has developed Timsle, a Fitbit-style app that promotes healthy active living using social networks, helps people with disabilities meet academic or other goals, and help prevent depression.

"I love using the example of the iPhone. Each night before I go to bed, while I'm putting my clothes away, I say: 'Hey Siri. Wake me up in eight hours.' I have not touched my phone . . . My technology isn't aware of what my level of ability is. It simply performs the function because it is what I need."

Micah Rakoff Bellman, 24, an Industrial Design graduate, is the designer of Lift, a height-adjustable and movable table that allows seniors and people with disabilities to cook at home with a comfortable, flexible work surface.

"For me it means empathy. . . and designing accessibility into everything we do from the outset, and not as an add-on or afterthought."

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minister of sport and persons with disabilities

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Blind MP to draft Canada's first national accessibility law | The Star

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Carla Qualtrough, who is legally blind, grew up learning alternative ways of doing almost everything. "When I was growing up, it was called accommodation. But today it's called innovation," said Qualtrough, 44, Canada's federal minister of sport and first-ever minister responsible for people with disabilities.

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IN-SCHOOL HEALTH CLINICS.Breaking silos to address the well-being needs of newcomer students.
· Many of newcomer students in Canada, face barriers to medical services. There are Toronto District School Board’s Model Schools for Paediatric Health Initiative who has established In-School Health Clinics or Model Schools for Inner Cities (MSIC).

· It is a cost-effective model. These clinics use already existing resources like vacant class-rooms. A local health agencies provide these clinics with medical equipment and supplies.

· Refugees and newcomers do not have medical insurance.  Their children don’t have opportunity to be seen by doctors.  Many of those children have undiagnosed disabilities.

· “By bringing health and education together under one roof, the in-school health clinics not only remove many accessibility barriers faced by these marginalized students, but also afford them more timely, comprehensive, and socially/culturally sensitive health care than they could normally access through regular channels”.

I think opening of those clinics is a great example for other school boards which might have same issues.  Family should wait at least 8 months before they can address the family doctor.  Early Identification of disabilities could benefit children’ academic and social achievement.  Appropriate educational modifications can be done within the same academic year.  Opening of those clinics has helped already a great number of children.  Some of the students and parents who have shared their experience told that it positively effects many families. One Canadian newcomer shared her story: “I am treating [my son] differently now. I am controlling my anger. I am talking to him more. I am praising him more. So, I did see changes at home when I started to act differently, after I got to know what’s going on with him and that he has ADHD.”

Spring 2017, Vol 57, Issue 1. http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/school-health-clinics

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BECOMING DISABLED.
·Most of people without Disability do not see PWD as having a shared social identity and a political status;

· One thing most people know about being disabled is that they don’t want to be that;

· Most of the people don’t know how to live with disability: request accommodations, access the services, enter the communities and use the law.  People start learning about the disability when they are faced with such a situation in their family;

· Statistically every 5th person in North America is disabled in one or another way.

· When person is learning how to be disabled, is not the body being transformed but the consciousness.

The author says that for PWD is harder to be included socially than physically.  Many people do not understand that we all will experience of being disabled one way or another, so making life of people who were born with disability more accessible, benefit many people along their life.

The New York Times. (19.08.2016). Being Disabled. Rosemarie Garland-Thomson. Retrieved from:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/opinion/sunday/becoming-disabled.html

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Opinion | Becoming Disabled (Published 2016)

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Roughly one in five Americans lives with a disability. So where is our pride movement?

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I found this article very heart breaking, now a days where inclusion is everywhere how could be a brand new high-profile building would be without ramp and building without braille signage. Here it gives the image that the whole focus was to make the building high-profile instead of making it accessible for PWD which means that build environment makes a person disable. This is very heart breaking when you see a high-profile building without accessibility on The International Day of Person with Disability.
Here the social model of disability needs to be changed, "the details of person's everyday life experience can really impact the quality of life, so creating an environment that is inclusive and free of barriers can help to improve the quality of life" (Cameron, 2017).
Hansen, R. (2016, December 3). The future is accessible: The International Day of Person with Disability. Retrieved from:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/the-future-is-accessible-the-international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities/article33173096/

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I was recently in Ottawa for a meeting, and arrived at the main entrance of a brand new high-profile public building, which one would think would be fully accessible. In order for me to get where I needed to go, I had to go up a short flight of stairs with an electric lift next to it. The lift required me to call security who arrived with a special key to operate it.

While the whole process took approximately 10 minutes, it was an unnecessary inconvenience. A person with a disability should be able to independently operate a lift and get to where they need to go as quickly as their able-bodied counterpart.

My story isn't unusual. Stairs instead of a ramp, and buildings without braille signage are common daily realities that confront the world's largest minority group, representing over a billion people with disabilities.

In Canada, one in seven people live with a disability, and as baby boomers age, the forecast is for the number to grow to as high as one in five in the next 20 years.

"Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want" is the theme that marks this year's United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3. As we look toward our future, one of the most significant barriers that people with disabilities still face is the built environment - essentially all the places we live, work and play.

The Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with the Rick Hansen Foundation, recently conducted a national survey that highlights the problems facing people with disabilities today. The data, gathered from a randomized sample of 1,330 people, reveal Canadians identify accessibility for people with disabilities as a top priority for new public buildings, with nearly nine in 10 surveyed saying a LEED-style program to rate building accessibility would be "worthwhile".

With the goal of universal access as a priority for all Canadians, we are currently developing an accessibility certification program to drive adoption and recognition of inclusive design in the built environment. This program will simultaneously provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities, helping individuals reach their potential, while delivering a value-added service to developers, landlords and building owners.

Canadians see a large gap between how accessible private buildings currently are and how accessible they ought to be. The public also views one of the biggest obstacles to making accessibility a reality as the cost and difficulty of either designing fully accessible new buildings, or renovating those that aren't.

While 92 per cent of Canadians agree that accessibility for people with physical disabilities is a basic human right, not a privilege, half of Canadians also agree with the statement "it's understandable that employers feel it is risky to hire people with physical disabilities".

Among those currently responsible for hiring decisions, 45 per cent cite expense of making a workplace accessible as one of the main reasons employers might have this opinion.

This perception needs to be disproved. We have a role to play to change attitudes and remove barriers so that employers are confident and comfortable hiring people with disabilities. Often it is a case of not knowing what they need to do to accommodate - and the answer may be a simple, low-cost change such as adding a ramp, adapting a workstation or incorporating large signage and braille.

With support from the Government of Canada, our Access4All Canada 150 Signature Initiative is helping by offering grants for accessibility infrastructure improvements.

Measuring awareness and attitudes toward people with disabilities allows us to see how far we have come, and also shines a light on areas where we still have room for improvement.

Canadians with a disability shouldn't have to settle with being "lucky" to get into the building, they should be included in the building - period.

As we approach Canada's 150th birthday in 2017, join us in leaving a lasting legacy of creating an inclusive and accessible country where no Canadian is left behind.

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The future is accessible: The International Day of Persons with Disabilities

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I was recently in Ottawa for a meeting, and arrived at the main entrance of a brand new high-profile public building, which one would think would be fully accessible. In order for me to get where I needed to go, I had to go up a short flight of stairs with an electric lift next to it.

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"Shame on these cops for not being able to adapt to people's disability" (Pauling, 2016) is a very strong comment by the author about how people perceive cops and how they actually are.They were not considering that he can't hear, so should consider his needs by either writing or using sign language for him.
Being a cop does not mean that they get right of everything whether it is right or wrong. Not only they have done wrong but also they have shown the power to deny accusations of wrongdoing.
In this article disability language is negative- using deaf instead of hearing impaired, and also we need to improve social and medical model of disability to better deal with a hearing impaired person.
Pauling, E. (2016, November 13). Halton Regional Police Refuse To Accommodate Deaf Suspect During Arrest. Retrieved from:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/11/13/halton-police-video_n_12948368.html

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Police in Burlington, Ont. say they did nothing wrong during the arrest of a deaf suspect, which was filmed and shared thousands of times online.

In the video, a Halton Regional Police officer repeatedly tells the man to turn around and put his hands behind his back. The suspect gestures for him to write the instructions down, but the officer responds: "I am not going to write it down for you. Put your hands behind your back."

At one point, the suspect points to the camera and the officer acknowledges that someone is filming, saying, "That's fine."

"I am not going to write it down for you. Put your hands behind your back."

Eventually, a second officer arrives and the suspect is tackled to the ground and then handcuffed.

Emerson Mueller posted the original video to Facebook on Tuesday.

"The guy was obviously deaf, and the officer refused to write down the reason for arresting him, so he was confused," he wrote.

"Shame on these cops for not being able to adapt to peoples disabilities [sic]."
Police had interacted with suspect before
In a statement posted to Twitter, the police department denied accusations of wrongdoing.

"The individual is known to police and the arresting officer has previously dealt with, and effectively communicated with him without the use of sign language," the release said.

"Once in custody the male was provided with an opportunity to communicate with an officer familiar with American Sign Language to explain the situation prior to the arrival of an ASL Certified Interpreter. The HRPS is aware that a portion of this interaction was captured on audio video and posted to social media."
Also on HuffPost

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Halton Regional Police Refuse To Accommodate Deaf Suspect During Arrest

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Police in Burlington, Ont. say they did nothing wrong during the arrest of a deaf suspect, which was filmed and shared thousands of times online. In the video, a Halton Regional Police officer repeatedly tells the man to turn around and put his hands behind his back.

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Inclusivity Matters.
In CanFitPro magazine dated March/April 2017 on the cover there are photos of PWD exercising in a Gym. In his article, Rod Macdonald (editor), discusses the importance of inclusivity in fitness industry.  Inclusivity in fitness is the belief that anyone should be included to participate in fitness, and inclusion relates to having full access to it.  Canadian Fitness Professionals feel proud to be the first Canadian Organization to sign the “Marseille Declaration”, a UNESCO initiative, stating that CanFitPro support inclusivity in fitness.

Fitness is not only for fittest, there is a way to integrate fitness into anyone’s life. Now we have to clarify what we know about inclusion in fitness, and what we don’t know.  Define the goals to work on and move forward. Personally, I am very proud to be part of it!

Rod MacDonald. (March/April 2017, p.8). CanFitPro magazine. Inclusivity Matters.

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Interventions utilizing contact with people with disabilities to improve children’s attitudes towards disability.

Children with disabilities can be an easy target for school abuse. This article describes authors’ comprehensive research from database. The goal is to define if direct (in-person) or indirect (extended) contact of peers with CWD change peers’ attitude to disability.  When analysing twelve studies which met inclusion criteria, they found that eleven of these had significant effects.  Six used direct contact, two used extended contact, two used para-social (media-based) contact and one used guided imagined contact. One of media-based contact found not significant effect.  But direct, indirect and extended contact interventions showed improvement of peers’ attitude towards children with disabilities.  Authors concluded that inclusion in school is affective in order to improve peers attitude.

I believe that this research confirms the positive effect of inclusion among students.  It also confirms that the best results are achieved when indirect or direct contact is used as opposed to media-based contact.

Disability and Health Journal, January, 2017; 10 (1): 11-22.
Armstrong, M., Ph.D., Morris, C., D.Phil., Abraham, C., Ph.D., and Tarrant, M., Ph.D
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27780687

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Interventions utilising contact with people with disabilities to improve children's attitudes towards disability: A systematic review and meta-anal... - PubMed - NCBI

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New role unveiled in the UK to champion disability issues in airports

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New role unveiled in the UK to champion disability issues in airports

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This article talks about how the UK ministry now has a priority for disabled people in airports. Not only does this article talk about the improvements that need to be made in airports it talks about other businesses missing out on customers revenue because they are not assessable so to improve this they have put ‘Champion’ to advocate for change in the local businesses.  International Airport Review, (February 21, 2017)

I like that we have made something that usually has so many barriers for people with disabilities into somewhere that they are made the priority this in hopes will make traveling when you have a disability easier. It also talks about making businesses more assessable this will happen with hopes of business owners see that they are missing revenue because they cannot adapt to customers needs. International Airport Review. (February 21, 2017) New role unveiled in the UK to champion disability issues in airports. Retrieved from: https://www.internationalairportreview.com/news/32399/michael-connolly-disabled-people-airports/
Danielle Warren

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The UK Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health announces new priority for disabled people in airports.

As part of International Airport Review's current focus on Passengers with Restricted Mobility (PRMs), it seems regulators and policy-makers are taking note.

Michael Connolly has been appointed as one of eleven Sector Champions who will drive forward the Government's ambition to tackle the issues disabled people face as consumers, the Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health announced today.

Michael Connolly, Regional Training and Standards Manager for OCS ltd, is the Sector Champion for airports.

The Champions, who represent a range of different sectors and businesses, from leisure to retail, will use their influential status as leaders in their industries to promote the benefits of being inclusive to disabled people.

There are currently more than 11 million disabled people in the UK and the spending power of their households - 'the purple pound' - is almost £250billion. But many businesses are missing out on this potential customer base by having everyday products and services which aren't available to disabled people - who, as a result, are regularly excluded from experiences and opportunities that many others take for granted.

The sector champions will amplify the voices of disabled customers and employees within their own industries, increasing accountability and challenging inequality. They will also be able to highlight specific changes and improvements that will make a difference to the millions of people who often miss out.

The more personalised we make the conversation the better the experience for our passengers...

The Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health, Penny Mordaunt, said:

"As a public advocate for accessibility, Michael Connolly will help businesses realise the value of disabled consumers and the importance of catering to every customer's needs.

"These industries must become fully inclusive. Not being able to access the high street, products and services, transport or simply to access a loo jars with our national values: it must change."

The new sector champions will drive improvements to the accessibility and quality of services and facilities in their sector, helping to showcase best practice and show other businesses the merit of making disabled customers a priority.

The Sector Champion for airports, Michael Connolly, said:

"In a people-driven business, we have to learn how to talk to people. We learn more from a, "Where are you off to, Nice?" Than we do from a scripted question. The more personalised we make the conversation the better the experience for our passengers".

Michael is Regional Training and Standards Manager for OCS Ltd. He believes that the world should be accessible to everyone regardless of ability. As well as managing the trainers at six regional airports, he works with the airports themselves bringing in charities and local support groups improve airports for disabled people.

As part of his work to improve accessibility at airports, Michael holds open days for disability groups around the West Midlands where service users can visit the airport, take a tour and see the assistance that is available. Passenger figures have risen across the hidden disabilities group since he started these tours/open days.

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New role unveiled in the UK to champion disability issues in airports

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The UK Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health announces new priority for disabled people in airports. As part of International Airport Review's current focus on Passengers with Restricted Mobility (PRMs), it seems regulators and policy-makers are taking note.

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Stop Making Degrading Assumptions About People With Disabilities.

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Stop Making Degrading Assumptions About People With Disabilities.

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Stop making assumptions; this is the powerful statement that this article is screaming about. It is about the people who go about their daily routine but because they have a service dog, use a wheelchair, or because they look different they get judged and stared at. So that man uses his wheelchair only sometimes isn’t unique or cheating. Just because Madeline Stuart has Down syndrome doesn’t mean she isn’t going places, especially with her new clothing line and her job as a runway model. Danielle S. McLaughlin. (02/22/2017)

I really felt this was a great article to get people to start thinking differently about disability and how it isn’t something to assume things about or stare at. In the article they talk about assumptions and how woman were not given the right to vote because someone assumed they were uneducated and couldn’t make their own opinions how the time has passed and now everyday we are putting assumptions about disabilities behind us.

Danielle S. McLaughlin. (02/22/2017). HuffPost Living Canada. Stop Making Degrading Assumptions About People With Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/danielle-s-mclaughlin/stereotypes-disabilies_b_14911864.html
Danielle Warren

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A dog leads a young woman onto a bus and helps her to find a seat. She sits, takes a book out of her bag and begins to read.

A student in a wheelchair rolls up a ramp, through an automatic door and into a class. He stands and walks to a seat at a desk.

A young woman who has Down Syndrome walks onto the catwalk, along with the other high fashion models. She and the other models are wearing high heels, dramatic makeup and are dressed in a designer's gowns.

(Photo: Arctic-Images via Getty Images)
Is there something wrong here?

I think there is. I think the fact that these scenarios make people stop and stare or scratch their heads is a problem. But the problem is not with the people in the scenarios, it is with the rest of us.

A great deal of humour is based on something unexpected happening. As a fan of the Just for Laughs gags, I can't help but laugh when the police officers suddenly start to kiss one another or the tree takes off like a rocket. I have stopped laughing when the blind person's "big reveal" is that he can see.

It is time that we understand that there is a great deal of variability and diversity in every so-called sector or group. People who are called blind may have low vision and be able to see in some situations, but not in others. Some may be able to see things held close to their eyes, but be unable to see well enough to walk unaided down the side walk. They may be able see things in the periphery of their vision but not things held directly in front of them. This is not new nor is it particularly unusual for those with low vision of various kinds.

As soon as a person is given a label such as blind, deaf, disabled, etc., society begins to make assumptions.

In my family, there is a person who was unable to hear certain male family members but could hear the women and girls quite clearly. We joked about her selective hearing, but in fact, the timbre and pitch of voices can make a big difference in their audibility. She was not being obstreperous (at least not in this case), she was simply among those people who are hard of hearing -- in her own fashion.

Most of us enjoy our independence, including our mobility. We would rather not give it up if we don't need to. The person who uses a wheelchair only when he needs to is not unique and is not cheating. Yes, he has a wheelchair emblem on his car. And yes, he can walk as far as the shop he parked in front of. But no, he cannot walk to the end of the parking lot.

Madeline Stuart is a young women who is going places. A runway model who has launched her own line of clothing, she is showing the fashion industry, and the rest of us, that the assumptions we make about people with Down syndrome do not apply.

Model Madeline Stuart (L) walks the runway wearing during New York Fashion Week: The Shows on Sept. 13, 2016 in New York City. (Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images)
As people in the autism community have said, "Once you have met someone who has autism, you have met one person with autism." As soon as a person is given a label such as blind, deaf, disabled, etc., society begins to make assumptions. This is as unfair as it is to make assumptions based on a person's race or gender. Remember when women couldn't vote? No? Well, the assumptions were that they were poorly educated, not capable of critical thinking, irresponsible, did not care and that the men in their families would take care of this important duty on their behalf.

I do not have the space to write about the harms caused by racial profiling -- assumptions made based upon classifying people because of a social construct that provides absolutely no information about who people are or what they do.

Stereotypes are powerful ways in which we see the world; they are very much with us. But, most of us have gone beyond the notion of jobs that can be performed only by men or only by women, and that race is something that is a predictor of behaviour of any kind. Why have we not begun to approach our assumptions around disability? Stereotyping is stereotyping, whether we make assumptions about people based upon their gender, race, age, class or disability. It is time to stop making harmful generalizations. Stereotyping can only take away the respect and dignity each one of us deserves.

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Stop Making Degrading Assumptions About People With Disabilities

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A dog leads a young woman onto a bus and helps her to find a seat. She sits, takes a book out of her bag and begins to read.A student in a wheelchair rolls up a ramp, through an automatic door and int...

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Government looking for ways to improve job prospects for disabled Canadians, minister says.

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Government looking for ways to improve job prospects for disabled Canadians, minister says.

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Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities she is working on Canadians with Disabilities Act its plan is to make Canada more accessible and with hope to remove barriers in the work force.  Carla Qualtrough also hopes to put in place an accessibility commissioner who would make sure that the new law is being put into place. It says the new act should use the laws from our current legislation but it should improve it so that it overcomes more barriers. Michelle McQuigge, (Feb 06, 2017)

What I found interesting about this article is when it talked about the unemployment rate for people with disabilities, which is 49-79 per cent (Michelle McQuigge, Feb 06, 2017). It went on to say how this new Canadians with Disabilities Act would remove barriers and increase the job opportunities for people disabilities to get employment.

Michelle McQuigge, (Feb 06, 2017) The Canadian Press. Government looking for ways to improve job prospects for disabled Canadians, minister says. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/disabilities-employment-legislation-1.3968555
Danielle Warren

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The minister tasked with crafting laws to make Canada more accessible to people with disabilities says employment will be a key focus of her efforts.

Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, says removing accessibility barriers will be crucial to tackling long-standing high jobless rates among the country's disabled population.

Qualtrough says most aspects of the anticipated Canadians with Disabilities Act will address employment issues in some way, citing examples such as targeted programs or improving building standards that might make future workplaces more accessible.

Data has long shown that Canadians with disabilities are greatly under-employed compared to their non-disabled counterparts, with multiple studies finding that only half of disabled Canadians have found work.

Qualtrough says details of the Canadians with Disabilities Act are still in the works, adding a series of 18 consultations across the country will play a key part in shaping the new laws.

She says she hopes to have the act before parliament by this time next year.

The prospective act, which disability rights advocates have been seeking for years, would govern areas that fall under federal jurisdiction. Major examples include financial services such as banks, telecommunications, and interprovincial transportation.

Accessibility strategies

Only Ontario and Manitoba currently have provincial accessibility legislation on the books, though other provinces including Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland have all expressed interest in addressing accessibility strategies. Qualtrough said the federal act has to be written to work alongside existing provincial laws without encroaching on their areas of jurisdiction.

The sweeping legislation, which may tackle everything from building codes to customer service standards, all have potential to improve Canada's stubbornly high unemployment figures for people with disabilities, she said.

"Everything impacts employment," Qualtrough said in an interview. "If you don't have a building environment that's accessible, you can't work there. If you don't have the transportation that gets you there, you can't work there. If you don't have technology that's accessible, you can't work there. All roads lead back to employment in some way. So in that regard, absolutely employment will be impacted quite significantly by this law."

High unemployment rate

Two years ago, Statistics Canada released figures putting the employment rate for disabled Canadians at 49 per cent, compared to 79 per cent for the general population. An online poll commissioned by CIBC last month reached a similar conclusion, saying only half of respondents living with a disability have a full- or part-time job.

Qualtrough said employment barriers were a recurring theme in the 17 consultations already held across Canada in a bid to seek input on the new act. The last such session is slated to take place in Toronto this week.

The issue has long been recognized as a pressing concern for the disabled community, but some advocates are skeptical that it can be handled through legislation.

Joe Dale, executive director of the Ontario Disability Employment Network, said laws can only go so far towards including people with disabilities in the workforce.

The sort of change required is more rooted in attitudes and cultures rather than government rules, he said, adding laws can't necessarily do much to dispel misconceptions about people with disabilities or argue the business case for exploring a largely untapped talent pool.

"To build legislation that has an employment focus where one of the biggest barriers is attitudinal and bias is a tough thing to do in legislature and it's a tougher thing to sell," he said. "Typically all these types of things end up getting people to the point of interview ... but it can't necessarily guarantee they're going to get through the door."

Business advantages to hires

Qualtrough said Ottawa is keenly aware of the business advantages of hiring people with disabilities, saying research has shown such candidates are frequently well educated, inclined to remain loyal to an employer and highly innovative after years of navigating societal systems that can leave them at a disadvantage.

She said the consultation sessions have illustrated the need to take a direct approach with the new act and think beyond simply accommodating would-be employees.

"We really need to change the conversation around disability generally from one of need and inabilities and retrofitting and accommodation to one of inclusion," she said. "It's time we started looking at people as contributing members of society instead of burdens on society."

Another key message to emerge from the consultations, she said, is the need for the federal act to have strong enforcement powers.

Canadians have been clear that an act without teeth will fall short of the mark, she said, adding the government has not yet decided how enforcement mechanisms would look.

Possible accessibility commissioner

Qualtrough did not rule out the idea of introducing an accessibility commissioner who would oversee complaints related to the new law.

Nor did she eliminate the idea of maintaining the current system, which sees complaints of discrimination based on disability come before provincial and federal human rights commissions.

She acknowledged that the current system leaves something to be desired.

"The fundamental flaw with our current system is that it's for the most part reactive," she said. "You have to wait until someone's discriminated against, you have to wait until someone's denied ... a service, a house, whatever.

"Then people swoop in and two to three years later we tell you, 'you're right, you shouldn't have been denied."'

Eliminating that flaw is one of several demands made by Barrier-Free Canada, an advocacy organization that has been crusading for federal legislation.

"(The act) should not simply incorporate the existing procedures for filing discrimination complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission or under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as these are too slow and cumbersome, and can yield inadequate remedies," the organization writes on its list of principles.

Other demands include strict timelines for the country to comply with the new laws and a call for all provinces to enact accessibility legislation of their own.

Qualtrough said it's too early to speculate on timelines or other particulars of the act before the law is drafted. She said she hopes that process will be complete by the end of the year.

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Government working to boost job prospects for disabled Canadians | CBC News

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The minister tasked with crafting laws to make Canada more accessible to people with disabilities says employment will be a key focus of her efforts. Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, says removing accessibility barriers will be crucial to tackling long-standing high jobless rates among the country's disabled population.