The relationship between a caregiver and the person receiving care

 ABOVE: A young boy takes a walk with his caregivers. (PHOTO:iSTOCK) “If you have a good working relationship, the better chances you have of them (caregivers) sticking around and positively impacting your life.” The relationship between a caregiver and the person receiving care can often seem confusing to those not involved. Throughout

Just doing my best to roll with the punches

 Let’s start off with some good news that I’d like to share. Last week, I was finally able to book an appointment to get the Covid-19 vaccines. My first one will be on April 27, and my second one is set for August. As of this writing, I don’t know

Winds of change: personal attendant care and shortages

 This week’s column may seem a little different to some. Things are a little stressful around here. Thankfully,  it has nothing to do with my health, at least not my physical health. A few weeks ago, I briefly mentioned the ongoing possibility of having to go to the hospital or

27 years later and how things have changed

 On March 16, 1994, I left the Children’s Hospital Of Eastern Ontario after living there for nineteen years, and I moved into my own place. For most, being nineteen years old and moving into their own place wouldn’t be a big deal. Many people have done it and for the

Trust us. We know what is best for us.

 After successfully avoiding mentioning the “C” word last week, I have some news to share regarding Covid. A few days ago, I received an email asking me if I was ok with giving my contact information to Ottawa Public Health to be put on the list to get the vaccine.

Reopening doesn’t mean it’s accessible to everyone

 As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, Ottawa is set to reopen on Tuesday, at least in a limited form; businesses such as restaurants, gyms and salons will be allowed to reopen with restrictions. Last week, I discussed how I thought it was too soon. I still feel that

Reopening Ontario — is it too soon?

 With the stay at home order set to expire on February 9th, discussion began as to what Doug Ford’s next step will be. Much of the talk seems to center with Ford taking a regional approach to reopening businesses. Areas of Ontario where Covid-19 case numbers are decreasing would slowly

Lights, camera, and rolling — part two

 Above:  Maddie Ziegler (left) plays a non-verbal teen on the Autism spectrum in the movie Music. Last week, I talked about movies and TV shows that featured at least one physically disabled actor or actress and how there aren’t nearly enough people with disabilities being used in productions. This week, I’ll be

Wishes — failures — realities for the disabled

 OPINION — There is a heated debate going on here in Canada about medical assistance in dying (MAiD) because of the changes proposed in Bill C-7, a bill that currently sits with the Senate for review. Several articles have been published in OLM in the past few weeks on the

Winter in Ottawa — delivering independence

 Judging by the amount of snow that fell over the weekend, I think we can all safely say that it feels more than Winter. With all this snow on the ground, it means that people with disabilities, particularly those with mobility issues, have an even more challenging time getting around.

Don’t you forget about PWD

 By now, most people have heard or watched what happened last week in the US. Meanwhile, here on the local front, Covid-19 numbers continue to rise, and Quebec has implemented a curfew to lower the case numbers. I admit that I don’t understand how a curfew is going to improve

Stop telling people with disabilities they might be better off dead

 By Lisa Bendall Senators are currently deliberating the passage of Bill C-7, which would amend medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to allow assisted suicide for people who aren’t near death. Not all people, mind you; just people who happen to have disabilities. While many of us fear that this bill

It is a new year — be kind and unwind

 Happy 2021! I hope you all had a good NYE, and you’re enjoying the new year so far, at least as much as you can. As I’m typing this, we’re still on lockdown, and the number of people with Covid-19 continues to rise. In that regard, we’re not off to

A look back at 2020 and what I’ve learned

 The new year’s almost here. In a few days, we’ll all be rolling into 2021 together. My original topic this week was to take a look back at 2020. The more I thought about it and browsed online; I noticed that others beat me to it. Also, let’s face it,

Growing up in a hospital — holiday edition

 Full disclosure. My brain is on semi holiday mode. In a way, it sounds strange for me to say that considering the year that it’s been. Physically, 2020 wasn’t busy for me, but it was hectic for me mentally and emotionally. I couldn’t do most of the typical things that

Covid vaccine and the race to the front of the line

 As I’m typing this, the long-awaited and much talked about Covid-19 vaccine is on its way to Canada. Starting Tuesday, December 15, 1500 people in Ottawa will be among the first to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. This week, I’ll be taking a look at the rollout of the vaccine

There is no need to make things awkward

 In a previous column, I briefly mentioned that people are often awkward around people with disabilities. This week, I’ll be looking at just some of the things that people have said and done that were very awkward. I hope that this will give some of my readers an idea of

A look back at when I ran for Mayor in 2018

 October 22nd, 2020, will mark two years since the 2018 Ottawa Municipal Election was held. For those that may not be aware, I was one of the candidates that ran for Mayor. With the anniversary coming up, I figured that I would take the opportunity to talk about my experiences

Perceptions & misconceptions part two: Love shouldn’t disable us

 Dating, in general, can be difficult. It can be incredibly challenging if you’re a person with a disability. This week, in part two of my two-part series about perceptions and misconceptions regarding people with disabilities (PWD), we’re going to talk about dating, relationships, and some of the misconceptions people have