Disability

We don't allow surveys here, so lets help the engineers out with a one-time sticky post.

What special modifications have made your daily living easier?

For those that bought or rented an accessible unit/home, what made it not accessible?

If you could modify anything what would it be? Showers, toilets, kitchen, sinks, hallways, doorways, flooring, windows, ramps, porches, bedrooms, everything is fair game for discussion here.

Communications manager.

The newsletter arrived on Sept 8/23, the deadline to apply is Sept 10/23 - not exactly a lot of time but here you are:

https://planinstitute.ca/2023/08/22/were-hiring-communications-manager-2/

The text of the message is: (apparently this was posted on their site August 22/23 but I did not get the notification until today.

About the Position:

Type: Permanent, full-time position

Reports to: Executive Director

Position Description:

We are looking for a dynamic and self-led individual who has a strong background in communications, and whose values align with our mission and vision. We are seeking a new team member who can provide leadership to our team in communications, and one who is deeply rooted in listening to our community and ensuring our voice reflects those we empower. The Communications Manager role is responsible for all communications-related work of the organization. This includes everything from writing, designing, and executing content for various platforms, producing newsletters, managing websites, and engaging with stakeholders.

The candidate must have superior written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, be extremely detail oriented, and technologically proficient. The individual must be able to work both autonomously and collaboratively, with a high volume of tasks and deliverables, while looking for new opportunities and growing stakeholder relationships.

Role Requirements:

• Experience in non-profit communications.
• Deep understanding of disability-based language.
• Understanding of and experience in the family-led disability movement and other marginalized communities.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills.
• Strong attention to detail and proven skills in managing initiatives.
• Ability to work with a diverse group of people on multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Experience with content management systems such as WordPress.
• Graphic design experience and proficiency using Adobe Creative Suite and/or Canva.
• Experience in producing digital newsletters (Constant Contact preferred).
• Working knowledge of Google Analytics and Google Ads.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Excel, and Word).
• Experience with the following platforms is helpful: Highrise, Canva, Shopify, Zapier, Asana, Tweetdeck, Facebook Business Suite, Linktree, Survey Monkey.

Responsibilities of this position include:

• Develop, execute, and oversee all communications and marketing initiatives.
• Develop communications plans, ensuring integration and alignment of activities into organizational strategic and operational plans.
• Research, write, and produce content for social media, websites, newsletters, and public relations, ensuring consistency with organizational tone and language.
• Promote all workshops, courses, and events through standard channels while also looking for new opportunities.
• Plan and manage the design, content, and production of all marketing materials including brochures, posters, and other promotional material.
• Manage several websites, creating content, and updating regularly to ensure information is current.
• Coordinate with partner organizations to develop awareness campaigns and produce resources.
• Write and produce newsletters and other email campaigns.
• Work closely with all team members to promote initiatives, develop resources, and provide overall communications support where needed.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communication using tools such as Google Analytics, as well as intuition and social listening.
• Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders.

Compensation & Work Schedule:

• Hours of work are 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with a flexible schedule.
• An annual salary of $58,000, plus benefits cost sharing, RRSP matching, and potential bonuses.
• 3 weeks annual vacation.
• Anticipated start date late October 2023.
• Our team currently works with a flexible hybrid model, working both from home and in a shared office space in Burnaby. Monthly travel to our physical office and periodic travel to other locations will be required.

How to Apply:

Please apply here. Please note that applications will only be accepted through our application form. A cover letter is not required.

• Job posting closes on Sunday, September 10th, 2023, at 11:59PM PDT.
• We thank all applicants for their consideration of this position. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted after the posting closing date.
• If you have any questions about the position or need assistance with your submission, please contact [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

Plan Institute is committed to a safe, inclusive, and collaborative environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. As such, individuals from diverse backgrounds, including race, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and mental illness are welcomed and encouraged to apply.

We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Accessible formats and communication supports are available for applicants by request; please contact [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

​

Good luck to all who apply!!!

I have cp hearing loss and low vision and I never figured out how to make my limits work together to succeed in life. For example I can stand but trying to read a price label or use an atm or ther machine you have to stand for is a pain because I can’t get my balance and my eyes can’t concentrate when my body is spasming.

Sometimes I block people’s movements because I’m standing there trying to read a sign with my thick glasses on and I can’t hear people ask me to move out of the way. I don’t even know if they ask me to move over.

I don’t use a wheelchair but I do have a cane that’s for mobility. I just recently got a cane for low vision and mobility but it doesn’t fold up so it’s a pain especially when I go up the escalator even though I can use the elevator too.

I can’t think of an example where my hearing loss conflicts with my other limits but I am aided by a cochlear implant that doesn’t always help me hear.

Anyway if anyone else has limits like this how do you make them work together rather than fight each other?

This isn't even a rant, I'm just so damn confused. I've mentioned a few times that I'm super high risk for infections so I get a tad bit tweaky when I get a semi deep cut and can't clean it super well and cover it quickly, or that I get sick really easy because my immune system is destroyed so I try to avoid being in the rain for too long because I get violently ill afterwards, same with being in too hot/cold places, needing to use a cane/mobility aid almost daily for basic things like shopping (more and more often now) and people telling me to just leave it at home or lean on the shopping cart, like... Genuinely... I'm immediately schmacked with the "you're so dramatic" and "dude chill it's not that serious" I don't understand the denial of my own personal diagnosis 😭 I really don't, I get that when people try and "help" by giving useless advice it's usually coming from a place of fear or whatever, but HUH?! DRAMATIC?! I can't process it 💀💀💀

I have two doctor's appointments this month. One with a cardiologist and one with a rheumatologist. I've had a lot of experiences where I went in and got medically gaslit by healthcare professionals, and I am just kind of fed up with not being taken seriously.

I had an experience a couple of months ago where I went in, we discussed my test results (all of which actually do indicate something IS going on) and then she still insisted those tests suggested something benign and I was, in fact, just anxious.

How do you approach doctors who try to medically gaslight you? Are there things you say to make them take you seriously?

So I really need someone to tell me what options I have. I am 26, married, with 2 kids and currently pregnant. My disabled brother(29) has lived with us since my dad lost his home in 2018. My dad passed in early 2022. There are no other family members. It was just us 3. My brother’s disability is a mental handicap, not physical. But he is perfectly capable of day to day life, in reality he mainly just needs somebody there to make sure basic hygiene and home tasks are done and too keep an eye on his finances(because he cannot be financially independent, he has been scammed in the past for being gullible). He just chooses to be the way he is. Our father never pushed him to try harder, and didn’t teach him any boundaries or respect. My brother literally thinks that because he is disabled he should be catered on and given an easy life. These are the behaviors I have dealt with (some daily/since 2018): -Eats EVERYTHING, it does not matter what it is. I will buy enough groceries to last the house a week, and he will have eaten over half of it in a day. I have literally watched him drink an entire 12 pack of soda in less than 12 hours. I can’t even keep anything except water or any kind of snacks in the house anymore because I can’t afford it with him going through it within hours. -He is disgusting. He will sweat a disgusting amount and just sit on the couch without even changing his shirt, much less showering, my couches are stained where he sits. You walk in his room and it reeks, he will not clean his room or bathroom unless I literally stand there and point at the things that need to be clean, I have to pay for pest control every month because his room is so disgusting. It becomes a roach motel. Even asking him to do basic chores they end up half assed, and he puts dishes away with food on them, or just throws them away if he doesn’t feel like cleaning them. Then just tells me to do it if I’m not happy with it. -He steals. he makes a very small amount from SSI every month, My husband and I pay for what it doesn’t cover. He is 100% taken care of. We even bought him a switch, tv, new phone, and games regularly. (He broke the tv) but he will literally pocket any cash that he finds because he thinks that he should have cash on hand to go get hot fries and soda from the store as he pleases(because I won’t buy anymore because he eats them and won’t let anybody else have any, and theyre incredibly unhealthy anyways. Instead, I choose to keep fresh fruits and vegetables in the house which he doesn’t like.) -He is SO MEAN to my kids and the pets. Like the littlest things and he yells at them. I have seen him fully on slap my terrier in the face for barking when someone knocked on the door. -He watches illegal porn and movies on his phone and we got into a bunch of trouble with our cell phone provider and had to pay fines for it. -The most recent, and the reason I’m at my wits end. I spent $150 on a chocolate fundraiser for my daughter. That chocolate should have lasted the family over a YEAR! He was sneaking into my room and ate ALL OF IT. There was over 50 boxes, between my husband and I we had maybe 3 or 4 boxes in the last 2 months. The kids never got any. He just had to ask. But he wouldn’t have been happy with one box(even though I gave him one of each kind when I first brought them home), so he was sneaking 3-4 at a time and eating them in his room.

I’m all he has. There’s literally no one left. But here I am crying over someone who doesn’t even appreciate the fact that I’ve given up my life to care for him. My husband is pissed because I won’t kick him out. But how do I do that if he’s just gonna be homeless? If I put him in an assisted living facility do I have to pay for that too? There’s no way I’m supposed to live my whole life miserable in my own home. My 8yesr old spends more time at her god mother’s house than at home because he’s so mean to her. What am I supposed to do? I am not legally down as anything for him, I simply over see his care and pay for him.

I’m 25F and have been with my partner for 9 years. I have severe Panic Disorder and Hyper-mobility EDS. I am currently being tested for a connective tissue disorder due to an array of symptoms, and I am on the waiting list for an autism assessment. I am in the UK and I currently receive PIP. I’m sorry if this is the wrong place to ask for advice, but I don’t know what else to do.

My partner has broken up with me. He pays all of the bills, and I contribute where I can with my PIP. He is not kicking me to the kerb, but I need to find somewhere to live and I literally have no idea how to do that. I physically cannot work. I can rarely be in a supermarket for longer than 5 minutes without panicking, not to mention my physical health is also absolutely awful.

I have a supportive family who are ready to help, but I just feel like such a burden. I just want somewhere to live alone, but is that even possible? Without a diagnosis of a connective tissue disorder yet, it feels like I am not “disabled enough” for full support from the government. I don’t know what to do and I am so terrified and so heartbroken.

So a few years ago I went to a water park I never went too. Well they have a fast line that is for disabled people. I didn’t know this and i didn’t have the pass for it. Well I asked a worker can I use it and they said yes. They didn’t check anything or asked if I had a pass for it. But I feel terrible that I used it and it still haunts me today.I do have autism and a few other disorders i didn’t mean to use the fast line at all didn’t know it was a special line. But am I a jerk for doing that

I am 20 years old. My right knee hasn't worked properly since I was 15. Initially, my mother didn't believe me that my knees hurt. "My knees hurt at your age too but I still did sports and walked everywhere I needed to go". The very next day, my knees gave out while going to my room in the basement and I was stuck hanging off of the guardrail until I could catch her attention.

She finally took me to a doctor, and from initial ultrasounds and X-rays, they thought it was a baker's cyst so I got a draining appointment.

Some important information: I have a VERY VERY strong needle phobia. To the point where I had to get blood work done, and my mother drugged me in the hopes I would "behave" but as soon as the nurse walked in, adrenaline kicked the drugs out of my system, I blacked out (not pass out), and the next thing I remember is my mum dragging me out of the clinic going "WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?!". Supposedly, I had kicked the nurse and they told us to leave. I did not obtain the blood work.

The drainage appointment comes, and I adrenaline is pumping hard. They first did another ultrasound to locate the "cyst", only to find out there wasn't one. My mother thought it was because I wore a tensor sleeve over it for the weeks leading up to the appointment, but it turns out the first ultrasound tech was just incorrect. I felt so relieved that I wasn't going to get a needle that day, but also confused... If it wasn't a cyst, what was it?

Eventually they come to the "conclusion" that it must be juvenile arthritis, so they book me to get the cortisone shots. Knowing my needle phobia, they opted to put me to sleep. That procedure is how I discovered getting put to sleep is exactly how it feels in the movies, but your body goes numb. I start to panic, flailing my arms because I can't feel them. The nurse puts a hand on my shoulder and says "it's okay honey. Everything is okay" and that's the last thing I remember before passing out. The put about 6 shots in each knee.

When I woke up from anesthesia, the nurse was pushing my bed back to my mum. She told me this, and all I could say was "okay. I love you", to which she says "I love you too". After returning to my mum, a doctor came along to tell us how it went. He said all was normal, except when they did blood work while I was knocked out and it contained a very high level of strep cells. STREP CELLS. FROM STREP THROAT. They think it may have caused the damage from getting into my bloodstream and spawning inside my knee joint, but it was just a theory.

The recovery process was long, I was bedridden for 2 weeks, only getting up to go to the bathroom. Once I was back to school again, I was on crutches for a week.

The cortisone only lasted about a year, but I can't put myself through that every single year. I hate suffering like this, but there's nothing else I can do. I want to be a normal young adult. I hate being the reason my friends can't go somewhere with me, or have to stop to sit down. Hearing my supportive friends say "hey guys stop for just a minute, OP needs to sit down" and seeing the frustration in their eyes having to slow down just for me. I appreciate that some of my friends are supportive, but I hate being the reason they have to change plans or simply not go at all because they want to hang out with me, but I can't go places or walk around.

I just want some sense of normalcy... I want to go on a hike through the woods. I want to go to clubs downtown (I'm Canadian so I am of legal age). I want to be able to go for a walk when I feel anxious. I want to dance. I want to run. I want to frolic. I just want to have the same bodily function that most people have. I want to go on adventures just because I can, and not have to wait for a single day where the heat and humidity are perfect enough or the stars align in just the right way where I can have a day of slightly less pain.

I want to know what's actually wrong with me instead of doctors just guessing. I want to fix this stupid disability. And I know these are feelings a lot of disabled people have, but I just needed to rant about it. If you actually read this far, I'm curious what your experiences have been and if they're similar to mine. Or maybe not at all. I just feel like I would feel a bit better if I wasn't going through all this alone

TLDR: my knee's been broken since I was a teen and doctors still aren't entirely sure what's wrong. I just want to feel normal for once.

I saw a post where someone referred to non-disabled people as abled and then had myself questioning why it sounded incorrect. I'm noticing that able is an adjective but disable is a verb. You could say that some one is disabled or has a disability but saying someone has an ability conjures mental images of superheros and saying abled doesn't sound correct. It's like being able is something you are and being disabled is something that happens to you. It just goes to show that language is a manifestation of culture and our grammar is structured this way because being non-disabled is considered the default

Hey everyone. So I’ve been an amputee (bka) since birth and my knee on my affected side is atrophied to the point that my kneecap keeps dislocating because the tendons and ligaments aren’t holding my kneecap in place properly anymore. I’ve been prescribed forearm crutches, which I’ve only ever used previously for short periods of time after surgeries.

My main issue is carrying anything that isn’t a backpack. Bags, laundry baskets, etc are all impossible to carry. I also haven’t figured out how to buy things like coffee from a coffee shop or eggs from the store without having another person with me to help carry things.

Any advice or tips/tricks?

So, I have multiple lifelong disabilities, being diagnosed with three in the span of two years in my early teens. I never really had the tools to process and deal with them mentally and emotionally at the time, and it's only in the last year or so that I've started really wanting to confront how I feel about them, how they affect me, and sort of find my place within the disabled community.

I've just finished my undergrad and I'm considering a postgrad in Disability Studies (or a similar course that studies disability through a social model lens) in order to discover more about who I am. Has anyone else done a Disability Studies degree for this reason? If you have, did you find it helpful/worthwhile? Thanks :)

Hi there. I’m incredibly new here (not new to being disabled, just new to coming to terms with it) and I’m looking for a cane to help with my moderate scoliosis. I have several friends who use mobility aids for various reasons and after speaking to them, consulting my doctor, and doing some inward thinking I’ve decided to get a cane.

I am having some trouble finding a suitable cane however. I’m roughly 6’1”(could be a bit taller, scoliosis does that to ya) and am concerned that some standard canes might not fit my height requirements. I’m looking to get a cane with a T handle, preferably with a smaller base and a wrist strap (though the strap isn’t necessary). I live in Nova Scotia, Canada, saying this just because sometimes shipping and physical locations are different here than other places.

I’d be incredibly thankful for any help y’all can provide :)

What are some songs with a positive lyric that makes you feel better? I will start

REO Speedwagon roll with The changes

REO Speedwagon blazing your own trail again

Elton John I'm still standing

Stevie nicks sometimes it's a b****

Tina Turner better be good to me

Alanis morissette hand in my pocket

Hello all,

I was recently deemed Permanently Disabled starting last month. I discovered information on the TPD Discharge Program for student loans a few days ago, and was wondering if anyone had any experience getting it. Being that I just got onto SSDI, I don't know if that's a factor or not. Any advice is appreciated!

I’ve been unwell for 2.5 years now, mainly housebound due to a long list of symptoms. I can’t work or drive at the moment, and most days I can’t leave the house for all that long (physical symptoms get bad). On occasion I can go out to visit a friend, walk around a store, do small activities (but not often).

Anyways, I’m 31 and completely alone, just watching my life pass me by. I want to start dating again but I’m not even sure if it’s worth it, as I can’t really even go out and enjoy anything. Most people I’ve been talking to stop talking to me once I mention all of this. What has been your experience with trying to date?

Hi!! I’m (15f) not yet diagnosed with hEDS but I meet all the criteria and me n my doctor are looking into it. I have to use forearm crutches sometimes to take weight off of my knees so they don’t dislocate, and I can’t use armpit crutches as my shoulders dislocate lol. I just feel like the crutches are kind of not personal ig? I really wanna decorate them, but I don’t know how. Anyone decorate their crutches? How if so? Im considering crocheting something but I don’t know what Thanks in advance:3

Is it legal (I'm American in South Carolina) for an apartment complex to have all of their handicap parking blocked off for several days for painting? I'd be a lot more understanding if that's actually the part of the building they were working on right now, but they're on the other side at the moment and took the weekend off without unblocking anything. I'd use the spots next to the office, which is close enough to my apartment to be bearable, however, those two spots are always taken by the maintenance golf carts, which definitely isn't legal. Go figure the people who always let their maintenance crew block multiple spots with golf carts would also take ages painting one wall and leave all the spots blocked in their day off.

To people my life is not worth as much as others. Cannot really cope with being so powerless as to my own life indefinitely.

My brother just doesn’t realize how good he has it. He has no disabilities, an above-average paying job, five cars, three motorcycles, a girlfriend, and more. Despite being better off than 90% of the people on the planet, he constantly complains that he needs a better-paying job because he supposedly can't even afford XYZ... How unreflective can one be?

He doesn't even see how good he actually has it. It's sad to see him like this, and it makes me angry how he doesn't appreciate what he has, especially when most people out there have way less.

Hey guy’s! If/when you guy’s go on dates do you disclose your disability?

Thanks.

Hello,

I live with diastolic heart failure. I am approved for home and community based supports with the state, but I've been waiting 4 years now for someone to be found. I work 32 hours a week on average, get housing assistance with a housing choice voucher, and otherwise manage on my own. I have medicaid coverage. Medicaid won't pay for an inogen. I bought my last out of pocket. I am having worsening heart issues and need this to leave home, go to work, maintain my independence - as medicaid covers tanks I can't carry due to spine issues, and a portable unit that goes next to my bed with a cord that'll go to bedroom to bathroom.

I'm not ready to give up, but right now I can't do this. The inogen would cost more than I earn in a month. I can't afford it right now. I'm in my 30's, I am miserable being stuck at home.

Hiya, 24 F, UK here with EDS & fibromyalgia and I have recently been using a crutch outside of work to help with getting around and it's been helping with pain so much, I'm still in pain but it's not as bad as it usually is.

I want to start using it at work but I work in retail and I'm not sure if they would even allow me to? It would probably make it more difficult for me to serve customers and carry stock but I'd be in so much less pain. Work know about my disabilities but they don't give me any support or seem to care.

Does anyone have any experience using a crutch or similar walking aid in a retail environment and how it was recieved? Can my employer tell me I can't use it because it would affect how I would be able to do my role? I'm not sure if I'm just overthinking everything or if there's a chance they could get rid of me for breech of contract?

Any advice is greatly appreciated ❤️