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SPIRIT NEWSLETTER - December 2001

Staff Members

Executive Director Chris Hodnett

Bookkeeper Wayne Kaiser

P.H.I.R.S.T LINK Manager Ronald Fleming

P.H.I.R.S.T LINK Tutor Joyce Nieuwesteeg

Self-Employment Case Manager Ronald W Grant

Recreation Programme Stephanie Schultz

Contributors

Randy Barrett

Chris Hodnett

Mark McGonigle

Ronald Fleming

Joyce Nieuwesteeg

Denis Henderson

Stephanie Schultz

Susan Czajkowskji

Would you like to share a poem or story with our readers by submitting it to our newsletter?

Contact Us

K-W Access-Ability
Waterloo Town Square
Lower Level #7, 75 King St. South
Waterloo, Ontario
Phone (519) 885-6640
TTY (519) 885-4526
Fax (519) 885-4526
Hours Mon -Fri 9 A.M.-5 P.M.
email kwaa@kwa.on.ca
www.kwa.on.ca

Chairman's Message

Seasons Greetings to everyone! As the air outside gets cooler and we start to see some of that white stuff on the ground. I start thinking about how I'm going to get through those snow drifts this winter. But then I cheer up and think, hey! , it's hockey season again. All those Leaf games to watch and our own Tri-City Rangers electric wheelchair hockey team. Hopefully we will have a busy season this year. This year especially, it's a time the time for good will toward others and to think of what we can do to help our fellow man. It's a time when some people need extra cheering up and others need extra help to put food on the table. We, as Canadians, are known for our generosity in helping others in need. It doesn't take much. Buying an extra can of soup for the Food Bank, giving an old coat or blanket to a shelter, or just a few hours of your time to some person or group can make a big difference. Coming together to celebrate the season at our Annual Christmas Party is just one of the many great things to do this holiday season. So all I can say to everyone is have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

It is through the continued support of members and friends of K-W Access-Ability that we can continue to run our programmes and support the disabled community. If you would like to help support K-W Access-Ability and its programmes through financial donations or volunteering a little of your time, please contact us by mail, phone, or drop into the office during business hours. We value your support. If you are not a member of K-W Access-Ability and would like to become one, or know someone else who would like to become a member, just fill out the membership form included in the newsletter or come down to the office and visit us in person. Randy Barrett

"Did someone mention Hockey?"

The Tri-City Rangers defeated the Waterloo Youth Rec Council last Saturday night at RIM Park arena by a score of 3 - 0 to keep their undefeated streak intact. The Rangers, spearheaded by Captain Randy Barrett and backstopped by the "Big E" played a solid game. It was a rough affair with numerous hits, but defencemen Peter Hulme and the "G" Man kept the feisty students on their toes.

Executive Director's Address

The year 2001 has been extremely eventful one for us and we have much to be thankful for as we look forward to 2002.

We have changed our funding relationship with the Ministry of Community and Social Services to one of block funding, which means that the funding for P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK is stable.

Supported by the United Way, we have undertaken a strategic planning process, lead by Trudy Beaulne of the Social Planning Council which involved a number of Board/Staff meetings as well as a one day planning workshop. We believe that this process will assist us to improve the programmes and services offered by the agency.

We are on the way towards having our bus operational again thanks to Wayne Kaiser and friends. Wayne talked to a friend of his who works with the City of Kitchener, and using the funds we received from the Community Foundation and with some forgiveness by the City of Kitchener, we can look forward to our bus being back on the road and fully operational in the New Year. Thanks Wayne!

What more could we ask for, well there is more. We have received a $6,000.00 grant from the Region of Waterloo, which combined with $12,000.00 from the Good Foundation, and a number of individual donations will fund a new position within P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK for the next year. Based upon a programme in San Diego, discovered by Board Member Peter Fraser on the Internet, we intend to formalize our process for procuring computer systems and putting them in the homes of our members. The role of this staff person will be to make contact with companies who may be replacing their computers and to arrange for them to be donated to our agency. The other responsibility is to develop a network of volunteers who can prepare the systems to be placed in peoples homes. This is a big job, but we are all very excited about the prospects.

You may recall last year that the local Bingo Hall closed and we lost that source of funding. This was the reason that we were unable to replace Joyce Baker when she left in June of 2000. Well, we are running bingo's again and it looks as if we are going to be able to hire a person for the R.I.P. position, at least on a part-time basis. We are initially looking at having someone work 3 days a week.

We anticipate hiring for this position early in the New Year as well, so you should anticipate seeing a few new faces around the agency.

Our segment of the Self Employment programme in partnership with C.N.I.B., C.H.S. and Lutherwood-CODA, has come to an end. This project was a long time in the making and I am extremely pleased that we were able to see it actualized. We were all privileged to have the able assistance and comforting tones of Ronald W. Grant in this venture. Thanks Ron!

Participation in the 3 phases was very encouraging. 28 people attended the initial Phase I information sessions, 20 actually enrolled in the 1 month Phase II workshops, and of these 20, 6 people moved into the Phase III, 2 month regular CODA programme.

The C.N.I.B. segment of the programme has begun, and many of you will remember Joe Bova, the staff person now working on the project, as our former Internet project manager, and if you have even longer memory, staff person for the ILC Homelink programme.

While there have been numerous positive changes over the past year, one deeply disturbing area of our community involvement is with homelessness. Our agency has become a part of the Waterloo Region Community Homelessness Working Group. Our area of involvement is working with persons with physical disabilities who are homeless. This is a stark new reality in our society. Affordable wheelchair accessible housing is almost non existent, and if you somehow lose your accommodation, for whatever reason, you are in a very serious dilemma. I will keep you informed on how this is unfolding and how you might become involved.

In closing, I would like to wish each and every one of you a safe and happy Holiday. May 2002 bring you all that you hope for!

Chris Hodnett

In Memoriam

We were saddened by the recent passing on November 22nd of Newton Milne, longtime member and Board member of K-W Access-Ability. Newton served on the Board from 1994-1998 and was an ardent supported of the agency.

We were also saddened by the news of the passing of Arnold Johnston. Arnold was a long time leader of the Cambridge Capables and responsible for the operational, upkeep and scheduling of the Capable's bus, which was lent to the agency on many occasions over the years. One time in particular, Arnold really came to our rescue by driving the Hockey Team all the way to Kapuskasing for a fund-raising hockey game in support of the local Independent Living Centre. All of those who rode on the bus with Arnold have lasting memories of him and that ride!

P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK NEWS

Greetings once again from P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK. The Agency was recently the recipient of some equipment which has also benefited P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK. In addition to stationary, office supplies, and electronic printing accessories, we were very pleased to receive five adjustable computer desks worth close to $3,000.

We continue to rely on the donation of used computers, in order to make them available to the membership. Usually, the best we can hope for are 486 machines, which we are extremely grateful for, however Budded Canada recently donated 5 Pentium computer systems to us which will be put to very good use. We also received an additional 10 Pentium computers systems from the Working Center, which are much appreciated.

The New Hamburg Chapter of the Women's Institute recently toured the Agency and P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK. The enjoyed their tour so much that they made us a generous donation.

In the light of recent world events, it would not be surprising if we had more computer viruses to contend with. If your home computer supports a Windows graphics based Internet connection, you may be able to download a trial version of the McAfee anti-virus program going to www.mcafee.com You can also download a free copy of the AVG virus checker at www.grisoft.com

At one time we were able to download anti-virus programs from the Internet, and provide them to our members free of charge. Today these programs are too big to fit on floppy disks. We encourage you to utilize up-to date anti-virus software if you use a Windows based e-mail program such as Outlook Express, or if you share disks between computers.

For those with low vision who have not received any ADP funding and are looking for a basic screen magnifier and screen reader, check out the www.readplease.com web-site. There is a free screen reader available there. Though the reader does not read menus, and dialogue boxes, it will read back to you any text that you paste into it with a reasonably human sounding voice. Mark McGonigle, our visitor from Ireland introduced us to a screen reader from the U.K. A demonstration version of the Hal Screen reader is available at:

http://www.synapseadaptive.com/dolphin/hal.htm It will run for forty minutes at a time, reads menus as well as text, and offers you a full range of screen voices and interesting European accents. Thank you to all who turned out at our recent Annual General Meeting. Your support at this important event is greatly appreciated. Certificates of Completion were presented to some of our members, Natasha Heeralall, Shafiq Rao and Linda Ryan, and one of our volunteers, Megan Gagner received a Certificate of Appreciation

Ronald B. Fleming

Upgrading to a New Operating System

With the dawn of the new Windows xp, many of you may be wondering if you should invest in this new operating system, or upgrade from an older operating system to Windows 95 or 98. Many people think that they must "keep up with the Joneses." Here are a few things to consider before you do so.

As with any new software, it may be wise not to buy it as soon as it is on the market. The company that made the program needs time to fix any problems that arise. When the problems are eliminated, the company that made the software usually releases another version of the program.

A new operating system might require more space on your hard drive or more temporary memory (RAM) than you currently have, so if you purchase a new operating system, you might also have to purchase a larger hard drive and more RAM. This could become very costly.

Once you start using a new operating system, you might find that some of your word processing, spreadsheet, or database programs no longer work. Your software programs must be compatible with your operating system and sometimes this means upgrading your software programs.

Upgrading to a new operating system might cause other problems as well. You might discover that the new operating system sets up files and folders in different places compared to your old operating system. If you are subject to the occasional memory lapse, as most of us are, you might forget where certain files and folders are stored.

The moral of the story is this: newer is not always better. The best thing to do is to determine if your current operating system does what you want it to do. If it does, then there is likely no reason to upgrade to a new operating system. If not, consult with other people who have the operating system you are thinking of getting. You can also conduct web searches for reviews on the specific operating system in which you are interested. Find out what others are saying, and get as much information as you can about the new operating system. If, after gathering all information you can, you think the new operating system is exactly what you need, then you are probably ready to look seriously at buying it.

These rules apply to any computer hardware or software you might wish to buy. The more information you can gather about that product, the easier it will be to make an informed choice. If you talk to a sales clerk in a computer store, that person wants to make a sale, so he or she is not necessarily a reliable source for the information you need. Besides, the best person to know what you need is you!

As always, I hope this information is helpful. If you have any topics in mind for future newsletter articles, please call me at the office or e-mail me at jn1@kwa.on.ca.

Happy upgrading!
Joyce Nieuwesteeg

P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK COMPUTER CORNER:"WHAT WORD PROCESSOR ARE YOU USING?"

A "word processor" is a software program that turns your computer into a machine that can be used to type documents, files, and letters. If you have been editing, printing, or saving any documents, you have been using a word processing program. Word processing is one of the first things that we teach our P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK students.

What word processor are you using? If you don't know, it is time to find out. If you answered "Windows", you are confusing your word processor with your computer's operating system. The operating system or "windows" is important--it's a master program that has to be on your computer before you add anything else, including a word processor--but it's not your word processor.

It's not enough to know that your word processor is called "word something or other." "Word Perfect", "Microsoft Word", "Word Pad", and "Corel WordPerfect" are all Word Processing programs. In fact, most word processors have "word" in their names. However, word processors are not created equal. The similarity in names might actually lead you to buy one company's word processor, when you really thought you were buying a superior product.

Furthermore, we need to know the name of your word processor whenever we provide you with technical help over the phone, or when you bring us a disk from home that you would like to work on here. It is also important to know what word processor you are using whenever you give someone a document to view on their machine, or whenever you send a document as an e-mail attachment, or whenever you receive the same from someone else.

Word processors are frequently incompatible with each other. Their commands and menus are different, just as the dials and buttons are different on different VCR machines. And there is no guarantee that simply double-clicking on the name of a file in a list will bring it up with the correct word processor.

Even more important, just as you cannot view "beta" video cassette tapes on a "vhs" machine, you cannot always use one word processor to view and edit a document that has been created with another word processor. It may not come up at all, or it may come up distorted, fragmented, or full of a jumble of codes.

Usually the name of your word processor will show up briefly on your screen when you first start the program. Sometimes the name of the word processor will appear in a blue title bar that runs across the top of your screen after you have started the program.

If you click on Help menu in the Menu Bar, and then on "About...", you will get a message telling you not only the name of your word processor, but its version number as well. The version number of the word processor is just as important as the name of the word processor, because an earlier version of a word processor cannot usually open a document that was created with a later version. In other words, it is not "upwardly compatible."

If you have not yet learned word processing, try to learn on the word processor that you intend to use. If possible, use the same word processor for all your documents. If you are already word processing, find out the name and version number of your word processor, and keep them in mind. Try to open a document with the same word processor and version number as it was originally created with.

If necessary, you may have some success opening your document with another word processor. However, if the document opens distorted or with formatting codes at the top, you are advised to simply read it, but not to save it. If you reformat the document on the new machine and save it, be aware that it may appear just as distorted or may not be viewable at all when you take it back to the original machine.

When you save a document, make sure that you do not save it as a higher version than what you originally created it in, or you may not be able to view it on the original machine. Use Save As for all your saving on the new machine, and pick the same word processor and version number as the original file in the "Save File As Type" field of the dialogue box.

Where possible, save documents for friends as the same word processor and version type as they have. If you cannot do this, save them in "plain text" or "ASCII" format. The document may lose some of its formatting, but they should still be able to read it.

Remember too, as Joyce points out in her article this month, that "newer is not always better." Do your homework before you upgrade to a new word processor or a higher version number, and know what you are buying.

Asking why there is not just one type of Word Processor, is like asking why there is not just one type of car. In a market economy it is competition among companies that has given us the diverse products that we have. Things are getting better as companies move toward a common platform. In the meantime, though, know your word processor.

Ronald B. Fleming

C.O.D.A. Irish Programme

Hello! My name is Mark McGonigle and I am from a small town in Ireland called Clonmany, which is situated near the border of Northern Ireland.

I came to Canada on an exchange programme with 22 other people between the ages of 18 and 28. Some of us are from Northern Ireland and some of us from the south. The aim of the programme is to bring an understanding between people from the backgrounds and disabilities.

I am here for 5 weeks of work experience at K-w Access-Ability, during which time I also hope to learn more about the different Computer systems that we have at home. I am staying with a Canadian family in Cambridge whom I have never met before.

I find that Canadians are very friendly and helpful, and are more aware of people with disabilities, and how to help without doing too much. I will take a lot of good things from my experience.

Mark McGonigle

Editors note: many of you will know Mark as the person who called to invite you to the Christmas Party. This is a difficult job, but Mark persevered.)
2001: A Christmas Party Odyssey

The K-W Access-Ability social event of the year has for some time been the Christmas party. It is a time for us all to come together, share a meal, and enjoy the fellowship of the season.

There were 130 celebrants in attendance this year, which is I believe a record. We were again served a fine meal by Kennedy's Catering. A special treat this year was the music provided by the 50's and 60's band "The Impala's". We are indebted to Ron Grant, entrepreneur and sole proprietor of Ronald S. Grant Enterprises for the band, as in addition to playing tambourine, Ronald S. occasionally books gigs. Thanks Ron.

We are also thankful for the prizes donated to the agency for this occasion. Four gift certificates valued at $25.00 each were provided by Sherry Racicot, of Fountain of Beauty. Winners were Sharon Ward Zeller, Wanda Cox, and Philip Merner. Four one year subscriptions were donated by Tim Hockley, President of Animal Magazine. Winners included Joyce Nieuwesteeg, Rhea Meyer, Susan Shantz and Kwasi Peprah and a $20.00 gift certificate to eat at the Texas Bar-B-Q was donated by Jim Kotsopoulis and won by long time patron Ronald W. Grant. Our congratulations to all our winners and our sincere thanks to those who donated prizes.

A special note concerning the Fountain of Beauty. We would like to encourage everyone who goes to a beauty salon to try their services. George (longtime member of K-W Access- Ability) and Sherry Racicot have a wheelchair accessible shop with a broad range of beauty and pampering related services and they deserve our support

Corene Hamill Spirit Award

The Corene Hamill Spirit Award was a great success again this year. In addition to the 2001 Recipient Chris Karn, Deborah Bailey, Linda Ryan and Greg Dillard were all nominated.

CraftWorks

Much to the joy of the members of our Friday afternoon Craft Group, Mary Culliford has returned from Vancouver Island, bringing new ideas, structure and order to the proceedings. In Mary's absence the group operated under the direction and support of group members Linda Ryan and Connie Walsh, and with the strategic intervention of Deb Quinn, craftsperson extra ordinaire. The groups last meeting of 2001 was on Friday December 14th. They will begin.

Approximately two years ago or so the Friends group, which consisted of members of K-W Access-Ability from the community and from Freeport Hospital, was cancelled by Wilfrid Laurier due to lack of funding. One of the members of the disbanded group (Sue Shantz) contacted KWAA and Bruce Mutton to see if there was something that could be done to revive the group. Many of the members had been in the group since the beginning (14 years ago). A proposal was presented to the Freeport Volunteer Association by Sue Shantz, Debbie Scott and Bruce Mutton. The proposal outlined the cost of continuing this much needed music outlet. The residents from Freeport and members of the community were crossing their fingers that funding would come from the Volunteer Association. The proposal was accepted and the contract for this programme was approved. Today the program, run by Lynda Tracey (Registered Music Therapist) is held at Freeport Hospital in the Auditorium each Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 7:30. Four members of the community are involved and 8 members from Freeport attend. On Wednesday November 28th, a Christmas Concert was held at Freeport. It was a presentation by "Friends" portraying a number of rehearsed musical activities.

One of the members of the group had passed away in the early part of the season and the concert was dedicated to her. Family and friends were in attendance at the concert. The next concert will take place in the spring. Thanks to the Volunteer Association of Freeport Hospital and the determination of Sue Shantz and Debbie Scott, this much needed program was revived and is thriving. Thanks to everyone involved in getting it started again.

Bruce Mutton

Computer Guy

As another festive season gets under way, I know the question on everyone's mind is "How can I protect against all those nasty viruses out there?"

My advice would be try to stay warm, make sure you get your vitamins and don't shake hands with people who you think have the 'flu. That advice can also be applied to your computer.

So, how do you protect your computer against all those nasty viruses out there? Firstly, like staying warm, you should have an anti-virus program running on your PC. A company called Girsoft Inc http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.html) provides a free program for personal use. Others (possibly more reliable) can be purchased at any computer store.

Once the program is installed, your computer needs it's vitamins. The virus information files must be updated regularly - new viruses are discovered every week. Instructions on how this can be done may be found on the software manufacturer's web site.

Finally, when it comes to viruses, trust no-one - any e-mail containing an attachment is suspect. If you do receive an attached file, it's worth asking the sender whether they meant to send it before you open the file. If a computer is infected, it may automatically e-mail the virus to all the e-mail addresses the computer knows about - the computer owner may not even be aware the virus was sent to you. Floppy disks are another favorite way for a virus to infect your computer, so make sure any disk you use is first virus scanned.

Well, after all that, I hope you have a merry Christmas, and a healthy, virus-free New Year.

Denis Henderson

(It never hurts to hear a message twice)

Get Up and Dance

Hi this is Stephanie Schultz, one of the summer 2001 programme workers and now critically acclaimed martial arts and dance teacher!

I have had the pleasure of working with a group of members from Access-Ability every Monday evening for the past three months. We have been busy working on various boxing techniques and using various combinations, as well this group has been learning new and innovative modern dance patterns. The choreographed techniques these members have been drilled on are now being used in various dance routines. I've been having a lot of fun suiting these dancers talents to various pieces of music. We hope to continue this class in the winter and I'd like to welcome any members who are interested in learning something new to join this group in the coming New Year. Finally I'd like to thank those of you in the dance/martial arts group on a fantastic job and I hope you keep up your skills over the holidays!

Get Up And Dance

Who said people with various disabilities can't dance. They have never witnessed K-W Access-Ability's remarkable "Dance Group". Instructor Stephanie Schultz's style of dance-classy yet funky and edgy.

She teaches each routine slowly, then speeds it up to tempo. The choreography looks challenging yet the basic steps or movements are simple. Each one of the members comes up with their own ideas and different dance routines.

Here are some of my thoughts and feelings about dance. Dance provides an outlet, a certain kind of peace and comfort! Dance brings me so much joy and laughter. At times dance evokes sadness and pain, I am able to express a vast ray of emotions when called upon. A certain 'Dance Lady' once said," anyone can dance if they have a soul, heart, and mind. Let the music take you on a journey".

Stephanie, thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul. Thanks, for making my dreams come true. All my life, I wanted to learn to dance and sing. Dance is a form of acting. With you, I get a chance to do all three!

The Dance Lady - Better known as Susan Czajkowskyj

Coming Events

On Saturday, January 26, 2002 from 10:00 to 3:00 P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK will be running the first Web Page Construction Workshop of the New Year. Even if you have already expressed interest in such a Workshop, please call Ron Fleming at 885-6640 to make sure you are registered. There is a $5.00 registration fee, and a pizza lunch will be provided. You will need some raw materials for your web page, so please bring some pictures for us to scan, some text that you have written (preferably both a hard copy and a copy on disk), and a list of any favourite web-sites that you would like to add to your page. Space is limited. All participants will be awarded Certificates of Participation.

2001 Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting was held on September 22nd, 2001 at the Kitchener Auditorium Viewing Lounge. The keynote speaker was Fiona Sampson. Fiona is a Human Rights lawyer from Toronto. She has worked for several years as counsel with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and with the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) She is also a member of the Equality Rights Committee of the DisAbled Women's Network (DAWN) Canada.

Fiona is currently teaching law at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and working on the completion of her Doctorate of Jurisprudence. Fiona's Doctorate thesis is entitled "The Equality Rights of Women with Disabilities: Recognition and/or Redistribution".

Fiona spoke on the Supreme Court of Canada's recent treatment of disability equality in its decision making. She discussed recent important Supreme Court of Canada decisions for persons with disabilities, such as the Granovsky case and the Latimer case, and what they mean for the future of disability equality. She also emphasized the need for the Supreme Court to develop an appreciation of the social construction of disability as it relates to disability equality.

A Final Thanks!

Thanks to Grayson Church of Mobility Plus for volunteering to drive our members to the "Christmas Lights Display" at Waterloo Park on the evenings of Tuesday December 11th and Thursday December 13th. Much thanks also to Glen Hughes of Mobility Plus for organizing this trip!

Notice

K-W ACCESS-ABILITY Membership Fees Due

The time is fast approaching to renew your memberships for 2002. They are due January 1st, 2002. The membership fee is $10.00 per year. A membership card allows you to access al the programmes and services of the agency and demonstrates your support for our goals and objectives.

Please complete the form below and bring it along to one of the programmes drop it off at the office or mail it to:

K-W Access-Ability
Waterloo Town Square
Concourse #7
75 King St. South
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 1P2
................................................................
NAME___________________________________________________________

ADDRESS________________________________________________________

City___________________________Province________________________

Postal Code____________________Phone___________________________

K-W Access-Ability will close for Christmas Holidays at 5 P.M. On December 21st, 2001 & will reopen again at 9 A.M. on Wednesday January 2nd, 2002. The staff and Board of Directors would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

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