I've decided to begin a blog back in March 2012 to log my thoughts about life as a wheelchair and disability researcher at UBC in one of the most beautiful and accessible cities in the world (Vancouver), in a state of the art research centre on spinal cord injury (ICORD). I feel incredibly fortunate to be here since we have such amazing access to go anywhere in a wheelchair due to the accessibility laws we have. This includes public buildings, shops, universities, parks and even boats (disabled sailing clubs).
I spent my university sabbatical in Sydney Australia last year and although it is my second home (thanks to my Aussie husband) and I love being there, I still found getting around incredibly challenging and still the culture of disability quite different than here. People are more than happy to help you out when you face a barrier and that's lovely, but the policies and structures around disability don't push for universal access so you don't need to ask for help. I love the fact that people are wanting to help those with special needs but somehow it is still hard to get across, that people want to move freely in the environment without needing help or getting so tired.
I'm currently in Amsterdam for work meetings and then off to London for a conference (International Society on Spinal Cord injuries - ISCoS 2012) along with catching some Paralympic activities. Europe is a lovely place to visit and I feel incredibly privileged to be here but again getting around is not that easy. If it weren't for my husband Brian, I wouldn't enjoy it nearly so much. He can get me on "trains, planes and automobiles...." so much easier than if I were on my own.
Working with folks around the world to address this issue of wheelchair mobility and function is my passion, and I am blessed to meet some fantastic folks who believe we need to find ways to improve ability and decrease injury. It's important that we are not annoying sounding gongs on this issue but are folks who work to provide evidence that we can give to policy makers, wheelchair engineers, physicians and therapists, families, etc. It's for anyone who wants information before making a decision!
As I continue to write this blog and try to put my thoughts down, please feel free to add your thoughts. I may be more or less eloquent at times. I may have a more emotional blog or sometimes it may be more academic. I hope you can be open to the spectrum of thoughts I may have as I venture into the blog world to share on the topic of disability and probably more specifically, wheelchair mobility.
