“Total Access” Product Promotion: Irked spotlights TREKINETIC’s K-2 All-Terrain Wheelchair
Sunday, September 20th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos
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A cool BBC TV segment from 2007:
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Visit trekinetic.co.uk
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“Total Access” Product Promotion: Irked spotlights the TracAbout IRV2000 All-Terrain Power Wheelchair
Sunday, September 20th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos
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Video of a man cruising through the sand and surf in his amazing TracAbout IRV2000:
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Visit tracabout.com
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Fear of Flying course at Albany Airport includes round-trip ‘graduation flight’ to Baltimore
Monday, September 14th, 2009Filed under: Themes, The Wandering Agoraphobe
Quoting cbs6albany.com:
If you’ve got plane phobia, a new three-course series at Albany International Airport next month could help you overcome your fear of flying. The program will be led by anxiety and panic disorder specialist Shirley McMorris, Ph.D., of Guilderland, and will use cognitive behavioral techniques to help air travelers or potential air travelers “understand their fears and develop the self confidence they need to fly successfully,” according to a press release from the airport. The program consists of three classes on October 1st, October 8th, and October 10th. The final session will feature a round-trip “graduation flight” to Baltimore on board a Southwest Airlines 737 plane. The $400 fee includes round-trip airfare to Baltimore. For more information, call Shirley McMorris at 518-456-5056 or the Airport Authority at 518-242-2222.
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Read all Irked posts tagged “phobia”
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Hilary Lister sails her way into record books!
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009Filed under: Uncategorized
Hilary Lister is a 37-year-old quadriplegic yachtswoman—she can only move her head, eyes and mouth. Hilary recently became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the UK. Wow!
Opal works like a dog; now she can play like one
Monday, September 7th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries, Campaign Watch
The Globe and Mail:
Opal is trained to work with the unflappable calm you expect from a Seeing Eye dog. Conditioned to ignore distractions, the black lab is usually the epitome of propriety as she guides Helen McFadyen around Halifax.
But while extensive training has taught Opal to suppress her instincts, she still has all the energy of a five-year-old dog and Ms. McFadyen says she’ll run “like a freight train” when given the chance.
“There’s the assumption that these dogs are regimented little machines,” Ms. McFadyen said. “But they’re still dogs. They need downtime. They need play.”
Until this summer, though, when Halifax opened what is believed to be the country’s first dog run specifically designed for service animals, letting Opal play the way she wanted was too big a risk for Ms. McFadyen. She worried about letting her trusted companion out of reach, and the only way to allow Opal to get real exercise, she said, was to stand in an open space with a long leash and let the dog do laps around her.
“She would run in circles,” Ms. McFadyen said. “It gives an opportunity to run very hard but not what you’d call free running.”
Now, thanks to her lobbying efforts, the dog can run free. The downtown spot set aside for service animals is not big, and it is bounded by several major roads. But it is fenced and double-gated, secure enough that Ms. McFadyen is comfortable letting Opal off leash to work out her excess energy.
Ms. McFadyen, a master of divinity student at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, is chair of the municipal government’s advisory committee on persons with disabilities, which comprises councillors and members of the public.
Blair Blakeney, capital projects parks co-ordinator for the Halifax Regional Municipality, said the city already owned the land when the request came in from the advisory committee, making it a relatively easy idea to pursue.
“This is not a dog park; it’s an area we set aside especially for people with service dogs,” he said. “They deserve something unique.”
The idea is unique not only in the region but apparently in the country as well.
John Rafferty, CEO of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, said that he is not aware of a similar project elsewhere in Canada.
“I think it’s a great step,” he said. “It’s certainly a fantastic commitment by the city of Halifax.”
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Read the rest of Oliver Moore’s great article >>
then…
Read all about Canada’s first Service Dogpark
Read all about Opal-the-dog
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The WindReach Beneath My Wings: Spotlighting an Amazing (and ACCESSIBLE!) Farm in Southern Ontario
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009Filed under: Themes, Cerebral Ballsy, Wheelchairman of the Board
WindReach Farm
312 Townline Road, Ashburn, Ontario, Canada L0B 1A0
Tel: 905 655-5827
Nestled in the rolling countryside in southern Ontario, WindReach Farm is a 109-acre nature property designed to meet the needs of individuals with different abilities. Wheelchair accessible pathways, buildings and barns combine to make a wonderful experience. Offering five main programs (see below), WindReach welcomes both the special needs and able-bodied communities. Officially opened in 1989 by the founder Sandy Mitchell, who has cerebral palsy, WindReach Farm is the result of his primary life-long interest to work outside on the land. After he purchased his 109 acres, Sandy was able to integrate this desire with providing a similar opportunity to other persons with disabilities. His own past experience as a young man working on a farm in Scotland and then in a farming community for Down’s Syndrome, helped him realize that one day he wanted to help persons with disabilities lead a more productive life. Facilities are also available to rent for special events, overnight visits, meetings, conferences, etc.
Long Island to replace “at least half” of its fleet of wheelchair accessible paratransit buses with cars, will potentially squeeze up to three disabled riders into the backseat of a sedan
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009Filed under: Campaign Watch
Newsday:
In an effort to cut costs, MTA Long Island Bus plans to replace at least half of its fleet of wheelchair-lift-equipped paratransit buses with cars over the next several years—potentially squeezing up to three disabled riders into the backseat of a full-sized sedan, officials said.
The Ford Crown Victorias are the same models frequently used by police departments and cab companies. The bus company rolled out its first four cars—decorated with the MTA logo on the side—on Friday. Bus officials have said they may eventually have to use different cars because Ford is phasing out production of the Crown Victoria.
Long Island Bus’ paratransit service, known as “Able-Ride,” provides handicapped-accessible transportation to customers who cannot use other transit services. Riders call at least 24 hours in advance to schedule a ride, and are picked up.
“We found that having 100 percent wheelchair-lift-equipped vehicles wasn’t really necessary,” said Tom Charles, vice president of paratransit services for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Economically, it was a good idea for us to say, ‘Well, let’s have some of the fleet be sedans.’ “
Charles said only about 25 percent of Able-Ride’s customers use wheelchairs. That means the company could replace up to half of its fleet of 93 vehicles with cars, and still be able to meet the needs of wheelchair users.
Using a car rather than a bus to transport other disabled riders could potentially save millions of dollars in vehicle costs, fuel and maintenance, said Charles. He said a paratransit bus costs about $100,000 to purchase, while a car costs $22,000.
Read the rest of this article on newsday.com >>
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FOLLOW UP: Canada’s First Service Dogpark continues to make headlines…and so does Halifaxgate!
Friday, August 21st, 2009Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries, Campaign Watch, Irked Videos
Interesting developments…after the jump!
EXCITING NEWS: Accessible Off-Leash Service Dog Exercise Facility set to open in Halifax, Nova Scotia!
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries, Campaign Watch
Helen McFadyen—who is chair of the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities, a board member of Guide Dog Users of Canada, a member of the blind caucus of equualaccess.org, past president of the Halifax Chapter of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, and a much-cherished Irked contributor—recently forwarded us the following advance news release:
An Open Letter addressing Halifaxgate, written by Terry Kelly
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries, Irked Audio
A few weeks ago, IrkedMagazine.com published a series of features about Metro Transit’s decision to stop offering free bus passes to Nova Scotians who are blind or have minimum sight. To be deliberately cheeky and hyperbolic (but also to express our bona fide outrage) we dubbed the debacle “Halifaxgate.”
After reading our coverage, Canadian icon Terry Kelly has agreed to weigh in. For those of you who don’t know Terry, please allow us to introduce just a few of his many accomplishments:
