Personal Stories

I was born in November 2001. I don’t remember that day, but over the years I have heard many stories about how I was born not breathing.

If I told you that being disabled was expensive, I’m guessing you wouldn’t be surprised.

People with disabilities are all too accustomed to being pushed to the sidelines or forgotten — especially where government policy is concerned.

I’m at the playground with my four-year-old son. He’s chewing on his hand, drooling. A nearby mom says, sympathetically, “Are teeth coming in?” I say, “No, it’s his stim.”

A life with disability should not mean a life in poverty.  Unfortunately, that’s the reality for too many persons with disabilities in Canada.  I should know. 

Imagine a group of 100 Canadians: young, old, from coast to coast to coast, representing the rich diversity of this country. I see them talking, laughing, sharing photos of their family. Maybe someone has a ball and a game breaks out.

Ten of those 100 Canadians live in poverty.

The government broke new ground last month when federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough introduced legislation for a new federal Canada Disability Benefit in Parliament. 

At last month’s Academy Awards, a movie about an untold American revolution was in the running for one of those shiny gold statues. That movie was Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should.

The phrase “Nothing about us without us” has its origins in political movements going back to Poland in the 1500s. It’s been a rallying cry for democracy ever since.