Magazines featuring disability

[editor]

Abilities



What haven't we learned from just four issues of Abilities magazine at http://www.enablelink.org/index.html, a glossy quarterly published by the excellent Canadian Abilities Foundation, edited by Raymond D. Cohen and which has as its Chairperson Emeritus Patrick Watson, O.C., one of our all-time favorite CBC frostbacks.

What would it take, we wonder, to get the Emeritus on stage again for a performance of his one-man show on Job, noble whipping-boy of a vengeful First Testament creator. (Please go to our Disability Heroes forum under Disabled Children, and sing along with our special song for the creator).

Here's what a Queen's University website at http://www.film.queensu.ca/CBC/Tid.html had to say about the CBC TV series, The Watson Report:

The CBC has rarely identified a personality with a public affairs or news show by attaching his or her name to the program's title. Patrick Watson had fought the b]Seven Days[/b] battle to cross over from the producer's desk to the on-camera host's desk, and was a star of television public affairs for a decade when The Watson Report succeeded Some Honourable Members and identified him as the inquiring voice. Produced, like its predecessor, by Cameron Graham in Ottawa, The Watson Report expanded its scope beyond the Houses of Parliament into business, the civil service and other public concerns, though it kept a close eye on government and included a series of interviews with the three major party leaders, Ed Broadbent, Pierre Trudeau, and Joe Clark, during the brief period that Clark's Progressive Conservatives formed the government. Starting principally as an interview show, in succeeding years the show attracted increased research, travel, and production budgets to finance more film reports.

Here's what the same website had to say about Titans:

Patrick Watson revived the formula of Witness To Yesterday for a new series of interviews with major figures from world history. Interesting as educational and engaging discussions, the programs also featured tour de force performances by some of the country's major actors. David Calderisi played Napoleon; Marilyn Lightstone was Nefertiti; Chris Wiggins portrayed Galileo; Frances Hyland was Queen Elizabeth I, who had to endure Watson's impertinent questions about why she never married; writer W.O. Mitchell impersonated Stephen Leacock; Len Birman acted Nostradamus; John Neville was made up as Confucius; John Marley did Albert Einstein; Cedric Smith re-created Billy Bishop (he had played the part many times in productions of John Gray's Billy Bishop Goes to War), and Watson interviewed himself as Alexander Graham Bell.

But back to the magazine, which exalts a another group of perhaps more unique titans, those who are too often disregarded by the serial glossies. Yes, Abilities provides a healthy roster of pleasant, often chatty and always instructive articles covering all aspects of disability, usually written by someone with a handicap, but the magazine achieves true magnificence with its cover each issue, which usually features a lush, romanitic, utterly irresistible photo of an artist accomplished by any standard and who also happens to be challenged. Each issue, we have found a wide assortment of musicians, athletes, world travellers and yes, dancers - lots and lots of dancers. You'll find many of the same artists throughout our site, too, and not just at our Disability Heroes forum.

We especially like the travel features, which review and assess accessible vacation spots. Too often accessibility is judged by those who don't use a wheelchair or a scooter. We highly recommend these articles to the travel and construction industry. In fact, we're so impressed, we'd like to see the travel features expanded to include all aspects of accessibility on a regular basis and applaud the magazine's grass-roots review campaign, which asks subscribers to send in assessments of restaurants and other buildings claiming to meet accessibility requirements.

We would also like to see more and much more pointed legal analysis for a wide variety of jurisdictions, not just Ontario. Perhaps some arrangement might be made with the Canadian Bar Association (or us) in this regard. We are great believers in dispelling the mysteries of law by placing it in the hands of the people where it belongs, especially the hands of those who are least represented and likely to seek legal counsel. A question and answer forum on Canadian disability law would be not a first but a good second in this country.

We also hope the New 4 U section, featuring exciting new aids and assistive devices we never we would have thought of in our wildest dreams, will be expanded to include consumer ratings. Canada lags grievously behind other developed nations in consumer protection, we've found. Such an initiative might also provide the magazine with a new source of revenue. Aging populations throughout the world are providing a much larger market for these products. The development of a good new test market will very likely and very soon represent a whole new industry. You heard it here first.

Subscriptions run $26 Cdn for two years, $14 for one year, $5 a year more for international orders. Click here http://www.enablelink.org/abilities/subscribe.html?showabilities=1 to order.

URGENT BULLETIN: We were very disturbed to receive the following letter recently regarding the financial crisis threatening the excellent Abilities Foundation of which the magazine is part. We'll try to provide an update in the next week or so.

From: Raymond Cohen
To: Raymond Cohen
Sent: August 4, 2004 2:42 PM
Subject: ABILITIES needs your help!

Dear Colleague,

Please forgive this general e-mailing, but time is of the essence and I wanted to reach as many of you as possible. Should any of you require clarification on any point below, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The Canadian Abilities Foundation (CAF) is experiencing serious financial problems. I am writing to you today to request a generalletter of endorsement as to the value of our organization to yours, and/or to the disability community in general. Such letters have been requested by potential funders – and it is critical that we respond ASAP.

I ask you to consider the work we have done over the years - Abilities Magazine and the CAF Forum; the EnableLink website, the EnableLinker Ezine, and Access Guide Canada - and our books – The Directory of Disability Organizations in Canada, Making A Difference: Profiles in Abilities, the Atlas of Literacy & Disability in Canada, the National Employment Services Directory, On My Own: A Resource Guide for Living Independently, the Violence Prevention Resource Guide for Women with Disabilities and the list goes on. Also, please consider the Neglected or Hidden Project, the Abilities Arts Festival, Connections, and our first-ever motion picture festival – Projections.

CAF has been providing information, inspiration and opportunity to people with disabilities since 1986, and has been advocating for their full integration throughout Canadian communities since that time. Each issue of our national, cross-disability magazine reflects the lifestyle considerations of this growing segment of our population. Our upcoming issue will be our 60th!

If you have been impacted by any of our products or services, or have any supportive words for the continuation of this kind of work, I ask you to take a few minutes and put your thoughts to paper. Please fax me a copy of your letter on letterhead – and mail the original to the CAF offices (address below).

Your consideration and rapid response would be most appreciated. Please respond by end of day, Friday, August 6, 2004.

Thank you.

Ray

Raymond D. Cohen
President/Publisher
Canadian Abilities Foundation
650-340 College Street
Toronto, Ontario M5T 3A9

Note: Truly we cannot say enough good things about the Abilities Foundation and about this excellent magazine, which has introduced us to so many new friends and advocates everywhere, linking us electronically in a movement not unlike the great civil rights march on Washington, D.C. in the '60s while showing the world how literate and focused the disability community is. We'll post a message about the undeservedly murky future of this enterprise when that information becomes available.

[editor]

Transition

Cover art:

http://www.bccpd.bc.ca/tronlin.html

We are proud to share air with the creator of the March, 2003 cover of this first-class disability advocacy 'zine published by the B.C. Coalition of People with Disabilities. Click on http://www.bccpd.bc.ca/bkissues.html and scroll down to the tipped wheelchair.

Even a quick glance at headlines in back issues provides a hard-hitting and insightful look at the crushing blows B.C.'s poorest disabled residents have taken the last two years under the Liberal Campbell government. For information on the coalition's no-nonsense initiative regarding national home care, including mercifully brief summaries of top-notch research, go to our homepage at http://www.bcdisabilities.com/ and click on Transition. We'll be taking a much closer look at these issues at our Disability Protocols forum under Home Care. Please check there for updates.

Because the magazine is published and largely written by disability advocates, it's not surprising that its focus is primarily political -- not that that's a bad thing. Not at all. In fact, we'd say that Transition provides a well-considered and instructive account of what not to do for any government considering legislative belt-tightening.

We'd like the publication better if Editor Ann Vrlak would provide an online taste of upcoming articles each month, but subscription rates are so reasonable, we feel bad saying so. Subscriptions may be obtained at $12 Cdn/$10 US for eight issues. For the frontline, nail-spitting activist's take on coping with disability in B.C., click on http://www.bccpd.bc.ca/trsub.html and place an order.

[editor]

Audacity

The disabled magazine for the abled mind

We revelled in the Who has it easier? article by Nathasha Alvarez on dating with a disability in the November issue of this silky red, uptown interactive magazine at http://www.audacitymagazine.com/ designed by Athena Cooper, who also runs Keyframe, our favorite animation website at http://www.keyframeonline.com/kf.php. Here's an excerpt from that article:

So imagine if you will a disabled person on a date with either another disabled person or even a non-disabled person who can't get into a restaurant. Right there and then, the date has turned into a problem. This can be applied to numerous places. Let's face it, for disabled people dinner and movies should not be the only possible dating scenario. It just ends up being the obvious choice with the least amount of obstacles. There have been times when my date actually had to carry me into his apartment located on the second floor. I consider myself lucky enough to be able to do that. What about those who can't? While I use a small manual wheelchair there are others who have an electric wheelchair or scooter. I don't need help to transfer into a car yet there are people who need help with almost everything. Should they not date?

Visitors are encouraged to post comments after each story, and they do. Here's one reply:

loved this column on dating. i definately have had tendencies to think that non disabled people my age have it easier in dating, but the bit about confidence and self esteem the same for both rings true as well. I think of my life before my disability and i was quite lonely then at times, too. and the bit about being promiscuous just to prove your are a sexual being is extremely true for me. the book every woman's battle really helped me work out that problem. thanks for the encouragement.

This warm conversational style in a glossy format is an excellent way to harness the networking power of the Internet. It's also a relief, frankly, to be able to get and give back live narrative on coping with disability -- how expensive it is and how time-consuming. Here's an excerpt from Speak Up! on airline how-tos, an entry from a travel advice column, Around the World with Jules, Audacity's roving reporter:

Once you arrive at your destination take out your book again because you are the last person to disembark the plane. In fact, you might still be on the plane when the cleaning crew steps in. Your wheelchair might be there but the assistance may not have arrived. Once they do arrive make sure you have your carry on luggage and all of your belongings. Get into the aisle chair and as soon as possible back into your own wheelchair. If you have someone waiting for you let the assistant know where they should be meeting you. If you are alone ask them to take you to the taxi or bus information section.

You should know that these assistance people accept tips. I tend to tip them well because I know that I must return to the same spot and they will be more likely to help out when they know you value their job. Money talks in all states and countries.

Yikes. We think we'll stay home and surf the online Holodeck.

There is a lot to read in this magazine, which is so far available free. The November front page features a concise overview of spina bifuda by Damian P. Gregory, who also provides a mercifully short list of the most helpful SB websites, but our hearts swelled biggest and fattest for Adam Blasucci in New Jersey for his moving account of the lives and deaths of his circle of friends with muscular dystrophy in Who Are the Real Superheroes? at http://www.audacitymagazine.com/archives/000042.html.

[editor]

[editor]

Ability



Although it has disappeared from Vancouver bookstore shelves, US-based Ability magazine at http://www.abilitymagazine.com/ is still very much alive online. International subscriptions may be obtained for $20 US at http://www.abilitymagazine.com/subscriptions.pdf.

Go to its homepage for a very slick-looking compilation of monthly news items at http://www.abilitymagazine.com/. We particularly like Newsstand Samples at http://www.abilitymagazine.com/printads1.html, where we found high-quality glossy photos laid out Madison Avenue-style. There's a feature on an attractive guy in a wheelchair who appears to have built and sailed a boat and another of an attractive ex-military man shown with a guide dog. Unfortunately, you can't read the stories without a subscription, so be warned.

The news items we found include a feature on the 11th-hour intervention by Gov. Jeb Bush in a Florida case of spousal assisted suicide along with entry instructions for a contest to find America's most handicapped-accessible community. We'll post the results of that contest when they're in.

Note: Update on the Most Accessible US Community Contest

Finalists for the most accessible community in the US were announced in Washington, D.C. Dec. 8/03 by the National Organization on Disability. Click on Finalists Announced for $25,000 Accessible America Award at http://deafness.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.nod.org/content.cfm%3Fid=209 for details on this third annual contest.

Mark down the following under your list of vacation possibilities:

Alexandria, Virginia;
Austin, Texas;
Bloomington, Indiana;
Cambridge, Massachusetts;
Chicago, Illinois;
Columbia, Missouri;
Fountain Valley, California;
Jacksonville, Florida;
Los Angeles, California;
Miami Beach, Florida; and
Phoenix, Arizona.