http://www.doitmyselfblog.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:06:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When talking about accessibility, it is easy to get caught up in the necessary width of doorways, the need for ramps built at a certain incline, and the height to install grab bars in wheelchair washrooms. And, of course, the cost of it all! But, what is often missing from ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/accessibility-a-personal-perspective/ Where the heck does the time go? 2008 is already half over! Canada Day is already here, marking the beginning of the second six months of the year. I figure it is good time to review my goals for the year and see how I am doing. My Contribution to ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/2008-in-review-%e2%80%93-so-far/ Cripple. Handicapped. Disabled. Physically challenged. Person with a disability. It doesn’t really matter what term is used, does it? After all, is not a rose by any other name still a rose? Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski suggested that “language and culture are indivisible, our language is our culture and how we use ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/what-is-in-a-word-the-evolution-of-disability-language/ With Canada Day and the Fourth of July around the corner, and my tenth wedding anniversary a mere six weeks away (yikes, where do the years go!), celebrations are on my mind. Not all celebrations can be marked with fireworks, marching bands and diamonds. Some occasions require conscious effort to ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/celebrating-lifes-moments/ Last week I had the pleasure of meeting my Twitter buddy @tojosan, aka Todd Jordan, and his wife Sharon from St. Peters, Missouri. They were visiting family in the Seattle area and came across the border "to meet a few friends they had only met online". (Nothing suspicious there!) It ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/when-online-friends-meet-in-person/ According to the U.S. Department of Labour, more than 50 million Americans with disabilities - 18% of population - are potential customers for businesses of all types across the United States. This under tapped market has $175 billion in discretionary spending power. That figure is more than twice the spending ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/how-small-business-can-welcome-customers-with-disabilities/ Two weeks ago I shared how I was collaborating with my Australian friend Suzie Cheel to raise funds for her to come to Vancouver for Michael Losier’s Law of Attraction Certified Facilitators Program. We met Tuesday evening in downtown Vancouver! We had met very briefly at BlogWorld in Las Vegas last ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/law-of-attraction-in-action-from-australia-to-oprah/ Blogs create a way for people to share their thoughts, pass on information and connect with others from around the world. Blogs provide countless individuals with a door to the world. However, for many individuals, blogs slam shut that door by creating as much of a barrier as stairs do ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/5-ways-to-increase-the-accessibility-of-blogs/ The Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia (SPARC BC) reminds everyone that parking unnecessarily in handicapped or wheelchair spaces can have undesirable consequences. Listen to SPARC radio ad that will air on stations across the province this week, promoting Access Awareness Day on Saturday, June 7th. (Photo credit: Dani ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/parking-unnecessarily-in-wheelchair-spaces-is-bad-karma/ Five-year-old Alex Barton was told to stand in front in his Kindergarten class while, one by one, his classmates said what they didn't like about him - responding with such words as "annoying" and "frustrating". Then, in a vote of 14 to 2, Alex was voted out of ... http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2008/boy-voted-out-of-kindergarten-because-of-disability/