Author: vicky

Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll probably tell you I am a kind, slightly dramatic but mainly chill kind of person. Although this is true I am angry most of the time. I am angry that I live in a world that doesn’t fully accept me. I am angry that people don’t see me how I see me. I am angry that I seem to have to fight for my voice to be heard. I am angry that having all these issues in the world are not my fault but I am the one who has to deal with them. With all that said I feel I only have two opinions. I can either sit and wallow in my own anger and self-pity, or, I can do something to try to correct these injustices. Luckily I’ve chosen the latter. Anger can be a very effective motivator for change. If we were constantly OK with the state of the world human kind would never try to improve our circumstances Women and other minorities would not have gotten the right to vote or be viewed as persons under the law. We wouldn’t have any public schools or in many countries the tax funded healthcare system that we enjoy. Granted our health system has a lot of issues but that’s a whole other post for another day.

Following in the footsteps of this history of progress many in the disability community have fought for and earned the right to exspress the challenges they face every day to live a full independent life. Thanks to their efforts I am able to use the freedoms they fought for to continue the fight. Many people I live with in my long-term care facility feel that they don’t have the right to complain because their basic needs are taken care of and if they complain that help might stop. I am here to tell you you are entitled and deserve more than just the basics. You deserve to have the opportunities other able-bodied people or nerotypical people have. No this doesn’t mean that people will just give you stuff because you’re disabled and poor you. This means that you should not be turned down from the job just because your brain and body work a little differently. This means not having to limit yourself because there are places in your community where you cannot go because of physical disabilities. This means not looking at the disabled person but looking at the person with the disability. I know it gets overused but the people first concept is the most basic and easy way we can start to make these changes. We must stop giving money to companies and entertainment industries that view us as props or objects of pity.If anything we should pity them because their world is so small.

Now am I saying we should go scream at people and cause riots in the streets? Of course not! Violence never solves anything,not really. I’m saying we take that anger and we turn it into energy we can then use to push for our rights. We use that energy to lobby our government for equality and to educate the public on what being disabled is actually like. I find I’m a very good communicator so I’ve chosen to use writing and my speaking skills to advocate which has allowed me into the halls of local and provincial government to help make change. However advocacy does not have to be that formal. It can be as simple as saying to somebody that you don’t like the way they’re treating you and that you deserve to be treated just like everyone else. It’s going to the grocery store and correcting somebody when they say something like “it’s good to see you out!” This is not going to change things overnight and you will probably have to do this type of thing in some way for the rest your life. At least that’s how I feel, I hope I’m wrong. You will get tired and frustrated and yes sometimes furious but it is important to remember that you are doing this not only for yourself but for the next group of persons with disabilities so that they don’t have to. Hopefully someday this work will not be needed because it will just be expected. Until then we must continue forward and use our anger to create positivity. If we do not it’s going to be very hard to live the life we want and deserve.

Hi guys,

I’m sorry it’s been so long. I had some personal stuff to work out but it’s over now so let’s move forward.

Recently I have noticed more and more that people with and without disabilities have a tendency to view people with disabilities with sympathy or as victims. Would you all stop doing that please?

Let’s start with the people with disabilities move you themselves as victims. Guys look, I know it’s hard but guess what so is everybody else’s life. Everybody has challenges this just happens to be ours. Now, am I saying it’s easy to live with a disability? Of course not! It can be very difficult but at least for the people in my life who are disabled their needs are currently met. People in my situation have a roof over their head and will always have food on the table that’s more than a lot of people have. The thing that frustrates me most about this group of individuals the most is that in many cases they make themselves more disabled than they need to be. What do I mean by this? I am mean that they have been taken in by the overarching nerritive that people with disabilities are unable to function in or contribute to society. I have to tell you that that is bullshit. Sure somebody in a wheelchair is not going to be a figure skater or somebody with a learning disorder like mine isn’t going to be a mathematician . Continue reading “Life is hard for everyone: Stop viewing people with disabilities as victims” →

Hey guys,

This is just a quick reminder that panel discussing accessible housing is happening tonight at 7 o’clock in the children’s room of the Halifax central library. Hope to see you there.

Hi all

I’ll be honest I have no idea what to really write about today. So I’ve decided to write about something that to me is a no brainer but is not to others.

OK, to put it simply. Why the hell are steps still a thing?

I honestly don’t understand it. Everybody can use the ramp but not everybody can use stairs. I’m not just talking about able-bodied people versus people who are in wheelchairs. This could also apply to parents with infants in strollers or people who like me have no depth perception so curbs and small steps can be hard to judge. If we got rid of stairs I don’t see how that would be negative. I understand that sometimes ramps can be more expensive than stairs. I believe however that eventually wouldn’t a ramp pay for it self because of the amount of money you would be earning with the increase in the number of customers you would be able to sell too? After all if someone isn’t accessible I cannot spend my money in that place and in some cases depending on how inaccessible a place is my friends and love ones won’t shop there either because they want to show that not being accessible can really hurt your bottom line. If you want to make a point in the capitalist society we live in put your money where your mouth is then they tend to listen. Now does this mean I want those places to go out of business? Of course not! Most of the buildings and places that are not accessible are run by small business and they can’t afford to make those changes without help financially. Luckily for them the Nova Scotia government offers grants to make sure businesses are able to comply with accessibility standards. Many people however do not know that these grants exist which is a problem in itself. So what’s my point? We need to make accessibility no longer be associated with these so-called “special needs” of the disability community and frame it as access for all Nova Scotiains regardless of ability. Also the government needs to get a new PR strategy. Come on guys, you can’t expect people to use these services such as the grants if they’re not well advertised.

Cheers ,

Victoria

Ps. Here’s some information on the grants: https://cch.novascotia.ca/business-access-ability-grant-program

I normally don’t like to turn my writing into a negative thing,For the most part I think I’m if fairly calm individual who has a clear head. However there is one thing that everybody keeps saying [yes I know it’s not literally everybody]. when I go out or attend some meetings or do a lecture on disability, at least one person will say the phrase “you’re so inspirational”. I know they’re just trying to be nice,however this is one of the most insulting things you can say to me. let me tell you why.

I don’t think I have accomplished anything worth being inspired by yet. Is the fact that I go grocery shopping like every other person on the planet inspirational? Do you say that to everybody who goes to the grocery store? I think it’s safe to say that you do not. I also get the term brave thrown in my face. The fact that I go for a walk so to speak is not brave. The fact that I am an active member of my community is not brave or inspiring, do you know why? Because everybody on the planet does these things in order to live a normal life! There’s nothing special about it it’s what we do to live. If you wouldn’t call an able-bodied person inspirational for doing the same activity don’t say it to me.

I’ve had also heard several people say to my face that if they were in a wheelchair or had some sort of disability they would end their life. How messed up is that? Being in a wheelchair is certainly not bad enough to make me suicidal. True, sometimes it really sucks because the world is not set up to deal with my needs. I can’t do things that able bodied get to do without much thought. For example, if I want to go to a restaurant I have to call ahead first if I don’t know whether or not they’re accessible I cannot just simply go there. I can’t try on clothes in stores because the change rooms are not equipped for someone like me. However I am very fortunate because I have things that help me deal with my physical limitations such as my electric wheelchair, A computer or even my glasses. My limitations affect my life but I don’t feel that my life is limited by them. I have a roof over my head there’s always food on the table and I grew up middle class and white from where I’m sitting my life is pretty easy.

If I have to pick one thing that is the most limiting it would be that people without disabilities under estimate me. If my disability isn’t limiting why should you be?