Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

Thank you to everyone who voted for Do It Myself Blog in the Canadian Blog Awards, and a special thanks to Chris Foley for the nomination. Thanks to you, my blog has won second place in the Best Activist Blog category!

I’m honoured to place second, behind first place winner Dave Hingsburger’s Chewing the Fat. When wearing another hat many moons ago. I became familiar with Dave’s much needed work in the area of disability, relationships and sexuality. In recent years, I’ve stopped by from time to time to read his blog. I always find something worth reading; another perspective or a confirmation that I’m not alone in what I’m feeling live with a disability. I welcome the opportunity to chat with Dave at some point and would like to extend an open invitation to him to be a featured guest at a Readers’ Café.

Rounding out the Best Activist Blog category are:

• Big Blue Wave
• Persephone’s Box

Visit Canadian Blog Awards to view the winners in the many other categories. Congratulations to all of the winners!

Thanks again for your continued support!

Dragon at the Chinese lantern festival, Auckland, New Zealand.
(Photo credit: Sam Veres)

Six weeks into 2008, how are you doing with your New Year resolutions? Are you becoming a healthier you? Is your closet or home office more organized? Have you mended those strained family relations?

Or, like me, have you not quite fully embraced the New Year? My focus has flown out the window, if, indeed, it was ever inside, and my contribution to the blogosphere has been less than stellar yet this year.

But, I have finally wrapped loose ends from last year. I now feel free to jump unencumbered into the opportunities presenting themselves in 2008 – of which there are many!

If your intentions are to improve yourself, your situation or your world, it doesn’t matter what day the calendar shows. Pick a day that works for you. If you slip, get back up, dust yourself off and try again. No need to get discouraged. Persistence and determination will get you there.

If you too would like to begin your year anew, join me in raising a glass, welcoming in the Chinese New Year (albeit a day late). Interestingly, the Year of the Rat is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. “Ventures begun now may not yield fast returns, but opportunities will come for people who are well prepared and resourceful. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find.”

Kung Hei Fat Choi. Congratulations and be prosperous.

Hi and welcome to the freshly remodeled Readers’ Café – the place to gather and to share.

With the remodeled café, the plan is to interview and chat with a featured guest on some aspect of disability and/or accessibility, and then have readers join in the discussion.

Today’s featured guest is Karen Putz, the Deaf mom who was denied service at her local Steak & Shake drive thru because she didn’t place her order through the speakers, which she can’t use due to her disability. Her story was covered by two TV stations and has received attention by the blogosphere. Most blog commenters have been supportive of Karen’s actions to go public with her fight for her rights, some do not fully understand what life is like when you’re Deaf and require some gentle disability awareness training, and a few others have been complete…well, sadly, there are still people in today’s society that need major attitude adjustments!

Today I would like to give Karen the opportunity to update us on her story, dispel some of the misperceptions about being Deaf, and how she is using social media to share her story and to advocate for her rights.

I invite you to come in, relax and join in the conversation. Hit your internet browser’s REFRESH button to see new comments as others join in the conversation. All that I ask is that you respect others and keep it relatively family-friendly. Also, keep in mind that this is a public space, so share what you feel comfortable sharing publicly.

After a week of banging, cutting and painting, Readers’ Café – the place to gather and to share – has undergone an extreme makeover: blog style.

Readers’ Café hasn’t been inspiring in recent months. The topics weren’t inline with what I do, namely, writing about disability awareness and accessibility-related issues. And, I don’t feel there was any value or benefit to readers, which may explain dwindling participation.

Rather than close Readers’ Café, I decided to remodel! (If, at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.) Readers’ Café will still be held the first and third Wednesday of each month, 4-7pm pacific time, right here on the Do It Myself Blog. Participating in the conversation will still be as easy as posting a comment. What will be different is the format! The plan is to interview and chat with a featured guest on some aspect of disability and/or accessibility, and to have readers join in the discussion.

Karen Putz will be our first guest this Wednesday, February 6th. Karen is the Deaf mom who was denied service at her local Steak & Shake drive thru because she didn’t place her order through the speakers, which she can’t use due to her disability. Her story was covered by two TV stations and has received some attention by the blogosphere. Most blog commenters have been supportive of Karen’s actions to go public with her fight for her rights, some do not fully understand what life is like when you’re Deaf and require some gentle disability awareness training, and a few others have been complete…well, sadly, there are still people in today’s society that need major attitude adjustments!

On Wednesday, I plan to ask Karen questions arising since the incident began unfolding. Questions like:

• Why didn’t you go inside to order your milkshake? (I know why, but I would like Karen to explain why.)
• Is this type of incident common for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing?
• What don’t most people understand about being Deaf or hearing impaired? What are some typical barriers you face daily?
• Some unenlightened souls say you shouldn’t even be driving because you wouldn’t hear sirens coming, and thus, are a safety concern on the road. How do you know when to pull over for emergency vehicles?
• As a person with a disability, surely you unfortunately encounter annoying and discriminating situation frequently. What was it about this particular situation that made you fight it rather than brush it of?
• What steps have you taken so far to advocate for your rights?
• You’ve used social media, like blogs and Twitter, to tell your story. What kinds of responses or results have you experienced? How have you managed to keep up with all of it?

Hope you can join us Wednesday, February 6th @ 4-7pm pacific time. Feel free to tell your friends.

If you have an idea for an upcoming featured guest, I’m all ears!

Karen Putz continues her fight after being denied service at her local Steak & Shake drive-thru because she is Deaf. FOX News aired her story late last night. Ironically, the online video is not captioned and a transcript isn’t provided, making it inaccessible to people who are Deaf and hearing impaired, as well as those who’d rather read the story for various reasons.

Is Heaven accessible?