The Seated View

This is the first in my new series of posts taking a look at bad solutions for accessibility, and hopefully the odd good one, as well. There are a couple of places in my extended neighbourhood that have created access using both a ramp and steps. One is at a local grocery store   The other is the relatively new design at Harbourfront where access to the walkway close to the water is provided using alternating steps and ramps I’m a big fan of the theory of universal accessibility . This philosophy looks at design for the built environment with a view towards making it accessible for as many people as possible, without needing to adapt or create specialized design for people with disabilities. Terrific idea, right? It looks at that the people using the design as one group, rather than a number of specialized groups, some of which may not be included. One way in which many interpret universal accessibility is to eliminate stairs, instead using ge...

Did you know that the health of your teeth could be a factor in triggering RA ? And that when you have RA, it affects your dental health? I look into a new study and what you can do to protect yourself in my new slideshow for RAHealthCentral: "Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that affects the entire body. The systemic inflammation doesn’t just affect your joints, but also the internal organs, skin, and vascular system. It even affects your teeth. In the last few years, research has shown that there is a definite link between dental health and RA, and this link is expressed in a number of different ways." Learn more in my slideshow about dental health and RA .  

“You sound really chipper,” The Boy said. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard you like this.” He was right. I hadn’t felt that good about life and myself for a long time. And all it took was a long walk.   Well, to be fair it was a bit more complicated than that.   A brief recap of 2017 It feels as if I`ve been sick for the entire year. First there was croup , then recovering from croup. This was followed by a few months of feeling a bit better, then I got walloped by a crash/sinus infection that turned into three months of chronic sinus infection. Recovery took a long time and just as I was getting better, I was flattened by the mother of all summer colds. To be fair, that was only the past seven months. Ha! “Only”! When I look back on the time that’s passed since about Christmas, it seems like it’s been a fog of feeling too awful to participate in my life. Sure, there were periods where I extremely temporarily rebounded, only to lose g...

Did you miss it? In last week's Facebook Live for RAHealthCentral, I talked about how the ADA can help you work longer when you have a chronic illness, and how to apply for disability. I had a bad cold. Meaning I am woman, hear me squeak!