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SPIRIT NEWSLETTER - September 1999

Chairman's Address

I'd like to welcome everyone to the fall edition of the K-W Access-Ability's newsletter. I hope everyone had a good summer. I know those of you who participated in the summer recreation program were quite busy. I know that whenever I was in the office, the office staff was either busy on the phones making arrangements or running to get to the next activity.

And speaking of activities, I understand that the End of Summer Party was a great success. I hear there were some good impressions done that night. And it was said to have been a magical night for everyone.

Well I guess we have to face up to the fact that fall will be thrust upon us before we want it to, but we can hope that the warm weather will stay with us until maybe, say, Christmas. Wishful thinking I suppose. There are of course some good things that come with fall. There is Oktoberfest and of course the new hockey season.

There are also some good volunteer opportunities to be found. Important to many of us, is the annual United Way Fund-raising Drive. Some of you may even be called upon to help out with some of their activities. So don't be shy, jump right in.

Now that the summer is over it is also time for the board of directors to get busy again. Meetings and more meetings!

So I guess I will sign off now so that I can get prepared for my next meeting.

Randy Barrett

Executive Director's Address

As we enter the last quarter of 1999, we have much to talk about. A quick recap of the past summer for those of you who missed it. Our summer programme was extremely successful, with a wide variety of programmes and activities. Of course we had the old faithfuls such as the yearly Blue Jays game, crafts and swimming, but also added Tai Chi, Art workshops and Battle of the Sexes.

We had an interesting summer staff this year, with no recreation background. Catherine and Nadine were steeped in Drama and Thomas was a computer aficionado. However, once they got into the swing of things, they provided a bright new perspective on our activities. A special note concerning the Variety Show; the best yet! Each year our performers, spend more time preparing and work a little harder. We look forward to bigger and better shows in the years to come.

A special thanks to Sharon Ward Zeller who coordinated the Bike Club this year, and Norm Benest from the C.N.I.B, who was the bike club volunteer trainer. This group worked well together and the Bike Club has become an important part of summer activities.

My congratulations to everyone who was involved in our Summer Programme. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any ideas for next year, please let me know. As you may know the Bowling Alley in the Mall closed during the summer and as of this moment we are still trying to find a suitable time and place to run this programme. Other Fall programmes are moving ahead as planned and we look forward to an exciting Fall season

I continue to receive questions concerning the future of K-W Access-Ability in Waterloo Town Square. Many of you have heard about the possible sale of Waterloo town Square and the plans to tear down the Mall and build new retail stores along King Street. If this occurs, it will be a tremendous change for all of us, but as of this moment, the sale is on hold. A part of the larger picture was to build a 12-screen theatre behind the Mall and the local downtown residents of Waterloo are appealing this decision to the Ontario Municipal Board. They feel that the downtown area will attract too much traffic and destroy the small town atmosphere of the surrounding residential area.

Our Board of Directors is keeping a close watch on the situation and is considering our options in the event of the sale and eventual redevelopment. We will keep you informed as this progresses.

A thrust of the federal and provincial governments is employment for persons with physical disabilities. This does not always necessarily have to mean employment in the traditional sense of the word. I am interested in talking to those of you who may feel that employment is not the direction for you, but that perhaps running your own small business, or being a part of a group operating a business is your goal.

I would also like to hear from those who would consider being part of setting up a store front craft co-op. This could involve anything from working in the store and making craft supplier contacts to learning how to do stained glass work.

Our Christmas Party will again be held at the Kitchener Auditorium, Viewing Lounge on Saturday, December 11th. This is our last party before the new millennium and I would encourage everyone to come out and celebrate with us. Let's make this one the best yet.

Finally, I would like to encourage all those who have thoughts, concerns, ideas, suggestions concerning our agency, to call or come in and talk to me. It is your organization, and you can make a difference!
Chris Hodnett

Message from your new Resource Administration Person

As summer draws to a close, it is with mixed emotions that I say goodbye to our summer students, Catherine Seeback, Thomas Campbell, Nadine Thornhill and Jerome Deschenes (an exchange student from Grandby, Quebec). It was a pleasure to work with these students over the last few months and I will miss them immensely. Their enthusiasm and hard work are what made our summer program a success.

I had the opportunity this summer to attend the barbecue at Shamrock. We were treated to freshly cooked hotdogs, hamburgs and a Yummmmmy ice cream bar. As the evening wore on and the upcoming summer events were announced, I was impressed by the number of members who took advantage of the many events offered. Way to go!!!

I would like to thank Project Lift and especially Bob Little for their guidance in teaching us about transportation this summer and for coming through for us especially the Variety Show.

Keep in mind that we are still collecting Zehrs tapes. However, it has come to my attention that some of the tapes are being rolled up and tied with an elastic band which makes it more difficult to handle the tapes when counting them. To make this task easier for our volunteer, we would greatly appreciate it if you would not roll up your tapes.

In the months to come, our fall activities such as swimming, crafts, music and electric wheelchair hockey will resume. Please let us know if you are interested in any of these activities. Suggestions of what you would like to see us offer are always welcome.

I am looking for a member of our agency who would be interested in assisting me in updating our information resources. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please give me call. I can be reached at 885-6640.

With September brings the United Way Campaign. As your United Way Campaign Coordinator, I would like to encourage all our board of directors, staff, members and past employees to consider making a donation, large or small to this worthwhile cause. Your generosity ensures that organization such as ours continue to exist in our community.

I would like to remind our members to please inform us if you have moved or changed your phone number. We need this information for our mailing list database.

Joyce Baker

P.H.I.R.S.T. Tutor

As the agency's resident Internet addict, I believe it is my responsibility to make people aware of as many of the Internet's features as possible.

Many of you know about the World Wide Web, and the vast amount of information you can access through it. But that is only one aspect of the Internet. Another feature is e-mail. E-mail is a great way to keep in touch with people you know, or introduce yourself to people you don't know. Through e-mail, I have made contact with people all over the world. I have corresponded with at least one person (but in most cases many more) from each continent. It is fascinating to learn about people from other countries and cultures.

My correspondence with people all over the world began when I subscribed to the soc.penpals news group. News groups are yet another feature of the Internet. A news group is similar to a bulletin board in that people can post messages to it for other people to read. You can post a message of your own in a news group or respond to other people's messages.

Acquiring e-pals through the soc.penpals newsgroup (this news group is only one example of millions of news groups on millions of topics) can be a wonderful adventure into the unknown. Thanks to this news group, I connected with a gentleman from Holland, who came to visit me two years ago. That was an incredible experience! In early October of this year, I will be flying to British Columbia - alone! - to meet a female e-pal with whom I've been corresponding, both through e-mail and by phone, for three or four years. Although we have never met, we are the best of friends, and I am very excited about meeting her. For those of you who think that the Internet tends to isolate people, think again!

Closer to home, K-W Access-Ability's Internet connection allows our members to have online conversations with one another. This feature is called "talk." You can request a talk with another person who is online at the same time. A message will appear in the middle of the other person's computer screen, saying that you want to talk to him or her. Both parties' screens will split in two and you will be able to see not only what you are typing but what the other person is typing as well. However, since the talk request message appears in the middle of the other person's computer screen, it can interrupt what he or she is currently doing. I recommend sending that person an e-mail first, asking if he or she would like to "talk." That way, the other person can exit what he or she is doing before the talk request comes through.

You can also subscribe to mailing lists on the Internet. Some mailing lists work similar to news groups, in that you can read messages from other people and respond to them. Other mailing lists are for information purposes only, and then there are mailing lists that are purely for the fun of it. There are mailing lists on a variety of topics including disabilities, Internet information, news headlines, joke-of-the-day, etc., just to name a few. I discovered some of these through news groups, through the World Wide Web, and through my e-pals. With all these things literally at your finger tips, playing on the Internet can become a full-time "job"! The more you connect with people on the Internet, the more you will learn about its capabilities.

"Internetting" is a lot of fun, so I hope you will explore all the possibilities. Even I haven't discovered everything there is to know about the Internet, but I'm working on it!

Stay tuned for the next issue of our newsletter when I will tell you all about my trip to British Columbia.

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

Now that the Summer Programme has finished, P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK is looking forward to setting up additional permanent bookings for new and returning students. If you would like to begin or continue your computer training, please let us know as soon as possible.

P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK's next closure week is set for October 11th through 15th, so there will be no computer lessons scheduled during that time. If you are cancelling your own computer sessions at other times, please let us know as soon as possible, preferably 24 hours in advance by calling P.H.I.R.S.T. Link and speaking to either Joyce or myself.

One of our volunteers has recently completed the Herculean task of virus checking all of our computers and disks. Such a task needs to be thorough to avoid re infection. Please remember, do not take your P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK computer disks back and forth between home and the agency. Any disks of your own that you bring in must be virus-checked before and after you use them on our machines.

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

COMPUTER CORNER:"Saving Your Computer's Life"

Have you ever wondered how your computer keeps track of the current date and time, even when it is unplugged?

Well, your computer has a special type of capacitor or battery-powered memory called the "CMOS" that tracks and remembers all sorts of information, including the current date and time, even when your machine is turned off or unplugged. (CMOS is simply an acronym for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, the material from which this special type of memory is made).

To start up properly, your computer needs to know not only the current date and time, but also how much temporary (RAM) memory it has, as well as the number and type of disk drives installed. Unfortunately, when you turn off your computer, any unsaved information in your computer's RAM memory loses power and is lost, and consequently your computer may not even know that it has any RAM memory, let alone permanent disk drives! Fortunately, that's where your computer's battery powered CMOS comes to the rescue.

Like a life-preserver, your CMOS battery can last many years. But, like all batteries, eventually it will fail--probably at the most inopportune time. Your computer will display an error message such as "Invalid System Settings-Run Setup", and all the important information in your CMOS memory will be lost. Your computer will be dead in the water. So, you should write down your CMOS settings now, so that someone can get your computer working again later.

Turn your computer on, and wait for the on-screen memory "number count" to finish. An on-screen message may tell you what keys to press to enter Setup. If not, try either DEL, ESC, or F1. (Or hold down the CTRL and ALT keys and simultaneously press ESC.) You have to be fast though, or you might have to turn your machine on again. Don't change anything, but write down all the information you can, especially information about the c: hard drive, and then turn off your machine. When you need to have your original settings restored, you will be very glad you took the time to record them. You may have just saved your computer's life!

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

SUMMER STUDENTS NEWS

Catherine Seeback

Hello everyone! This is so weird writing to you all after I am gone. I wanted to pack you all in my bag and take you to Kingston, but the UHAUL only had so much room. I just wanted to say that I had an incredible summer. I had some great laughs and did some things that I thought I would never do (like ride the Ferris wheel with Pearl even though I was terrified of heights). I had such a great time at the variety show, all of you who performed did an amazing job. I will remember it forever, along with Chris' long beautiful head of hair (I'm referring to the summer staff skit).

I have to say thank-you to my staff---Nadine and Thomas, they were wonderful and kept me smiling all day long. Joyce Baker was our amazing organizer and fixer of our mistakes. Joyce N (I can't spell her last name) clearly needs to sing more around the office and Ron needs to make more use of his magic by making people disappear.

Thanks to all the members for making my summer a memorable one. I will think of you fondly.

Thomas Campbell

Well in the words of J.P. Guenard ....."YEEEEHHAAWWWW". It's been a great summer but all good things must come to an end. This year's Summer Programme has of course had it's ups and downs but I trust that everyone has had a great time. From Movie's to Cooking to Music at Kitchener City Hall, this has been a very busy and exhausting summer. Right up until the Variety Show, everyone put forth an amazing effort. Congratulations to the Members, Staff and Volunteers, for making this summer such a great success.

I'd also like to send a strong thank you to our numerous volunteers, especially Phil Eisen (Nadine's fiance). Without you, the summer program would definitely not exist. Finally to the Staff at K-W Access-Ability, especially Joyce Baker, thank you for your guidance and encouragement. [No more faxes Joyce ] I want to send the warmest and strongest thanks to my co-workers, Catherine and Nadine. Without their humour, and friendship, this summer would have not have been the success it was. Without a doubt they are two of the best co-workers a guy could ever have. Thanks for a great summer!!!

On behalf of the entire Summer Staff I hope that everyone has had a great summer this year. Good luck to all of you and best wishes for the Fall. Your Favourite Summer Staff --- Thomas

Nadine Thornhill

I can't believe that summer is over and in a few short days the summer staff will be leaving K-W and scattering all over country. I have laughed a lot and learned a lot working at K-W Access Ability and I will never forget this summer.

A fond good-bye to my dear friend and roommate Catherine. I'm sure that Brian Thomas' prediction will come true and that we will have many years of friendship ahead of us. Good-bye also to Thomas, a new friend who will hopefully become and old one (I need a place to stay, the next time I visit Nova Scotia). Over the summer they have become my favourite partners in crime.

Of course I will miss the members tremendously. I never thought I would meet anyone as goofy as me, let alone an entire group of people. Thanks guys for always being crazy, goofy and funny. Good-luck to you all and don't forget about nutty ole' Nadine.

Last, but not least, thank you to Joyce Baker. Without you to coach me I would have never got the hang of those confusing Project Lift faxes (no offense, Bob!). I will really miss you and good luck in the future.

Well, that's about it for now. If you're ever in the Ottawa area look me up. So-long to Kitchener-Waterloo and K-W Access-Ability.

Rules for Being Human

You will receive a body. You may like or hate it, but it will be yours for as long as you live. How you take care of it or fail to take care of it can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life.

You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time school called Life. Each day, you will be presented with opportunities to learn what you need to know. The lessons presented are often completely different from those you THINK you need.

There are no mistakes -- only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success.

A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it (as evidenced by a change in your attitude and behaviour), then you can go on the next lesson.

Learning lessons does not end. There is no stage of life that does not contain some lessons. As long as you live, there will be something more to learn.

"There" is no better than "here." When you are "there" has become a "here," you will obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here." Don't be fooled by believing that the unattainable is better then what you have.

Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something in you. When tempted to criticize others, ask yourself why you feel so strongly.

What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. Remember that through desire, goal-setting and unflagging effort you can have anything you want. Persistence is the key to success.

The answers lie within you. The solutions to all of life's problems lie within your grasp. All you need to do is ask, look, listen and trust.

Meet our NEW Member of the Board of Directors

Brad Ullner

I was born and raised in Waterloo and will have been a computer tutor volunteer with K-W Access-Ability for a year at the end of October, teaching in P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK.

One of the main things I will be doing this fall is returning to the University of Waterloo part time to begin studies for a Master's degree in Political Science. I hope to use some of this time to explore the many aspects of Public Policy and Disability.

IN MEMORIAM

Floris Ellen Hockley passed away on September 7, 1999. Loving mother of Chris Hodnett and Tim Hockley ( former volunteer director of our swim programme) she was a long time member of K-W Access-Ability.

Many of you will remember her from our Annual Christmas parties. She looked forward to attending each year and especially enjoyed the dancing. She was also a member of the group who joined The Rangers Electric Wheelchair Hockey team on the journey to Florida in 1990 to witness our first ever wheelchair hockey game on ice. Although her health had deteriorated in the past few years, she remained independent, living in her own apartment and still pursuing her passion for shopping through The Shopping Channel.

Her greatest joy of late was the arrival of not one, but two granddaughters, Casey (December 1997) and Maya Lee ( October 1998).

"Nana sleep"

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Paul Bender. Paul was a long time member of Access-Ability. He became involved as a computer student in P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK and continued on as a volunteer computer tutor before going to Conestoga College to further his computer education. Paul also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Project Lift. Paul backstopped the K-W Rangers to their first C.E.W.H.A. championship and was an integral part of the dynasty which saw the Rangers with Three consecutive Championships.

Who's News

Norma Jeanne's Puppy Power

& Free Advice Hotline

Call: (519) 576-8421

Norma Jeanne has been running Puppy Power for eight years this September and began training professionally because of an experience with a friend of hers who is quadriplegic

She created a Dog Training School based on "Dolphin Techniques for Dogs". Their training is 100% touch-free, designed to mentally stimulate the dog in order to create a dog who is more intelligent, and better trained, while maintaining trust and a good temperament. This type of training eliminates the need for physical punishment and eliminates not only all the negativity that use to be a part of dog training, but also gives us the ability to train our dogs without touching them.

This type of training is ideal for persons with disabilities, because the dog is doing the thinking and problem solving, and simply returning to the owner for reinforcement.

She also teaches trick classes, and what is "special needs training", but trick training.

Since January 1999, she has been accepting National Service Dogs, who are in temporary foster homes, for free level one training.

All disabled people receive free level one classroom training, and free advice over the phone any time they need it. (The free advice hotline is open to everyone). If you have special goals, she will teach you how to train your own dog for this special purpose, either before or after one of her other classes, using clicker and target stick training.

Natalie at Spa for Paws Grooming (571-1256) also offers her services to the disabled. She offers free bathing and nail clippings as well as 10% discount on all other services.

Interested in learning to play an instrument? Music Therapy is available at Wilfrid Laurier University

Piano Lessons

Clarinet Lessons

In instructor's home - accessible

$15.00 per ½ hour

$20.00 an hour

Please contact:

Nichole Robertson (Instructor)

Phone (519) 886-2442

KITCHENER CITY HALL RINK

The rink at Kitchener City Hall opens in late November (depending on the weather)

Did You Know:

Two sledges and three sets of wheelchair skates (skis that attach to a wheelchair) are available for use at the rink. This equipment must be reserved in advance by calling 741-2225 (voice) or 741-2385 (TDD). One set of wheelchair skates is available for use at City of Kitchener or City of Waterloo arenas. Please call 741-2225 (voice) or 741-2385 (TDD) to borrow this equipment.

Homelife Health Care Buys, Sells & Services NEW & USED Home Care Equipment They are located at: 451 Mill St.Kitchener ON N2G 2Y5
(corner of Mill & Ottawa 1-800-641-8486 Phone: (519) 743-2971 http://www.hhc.com EMAIL: homelife@hhc.com

Klingon Assault Group I am recruiting members for a ship in K-W Area. We hold meetings where we discuss what events we want to go to, who will go and what we want to do. After the business meeting we generally talk about Sci-Fi things like Star Trek, Babylon 5, Star Wars etc.

What a ship member does is attend events like:

ACCKWA Walkathon (Aids Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener Waterloo Area),

Terry Fox Run Walkathon, Hamilton or Kitchener Santa Claus Parade and so on....

What do we do at these events?

Giving water out, receiving pledges, information desk person, monitoring the lines, handing out papers, security etc.

If you want to know more, talk to the KAG recruiter, send a self addressed stamped envelope to: Lt. K'owK'ary (Laura Fiorilla)

58 Queen St E, Kitchener ON N2G 1V6

Phone: 519-584-2829

E-mail cowgirl@cowgirlsrodeo.com or ask for more information at K-W Access-Ability

Congratulations Philip & Rita Philip & Rita Merner tied the marital knot on July 3, 1999! Their perfect day was at St. Jerome's College, University of Waterloo with 160 of their closest friends and family. Their fantastic honeymoon was in Niagara Falls. They now live in Kitchener with their 2 cats and keep busy working at their computer store, Useit, located at 22 King St. S. Waterloo . They met at K-W Access-Ability while volunteering in 1997, made a love connection and the rest is history.

EVERYBODY'S SPECIAL K-W Access-Ability production "Everybody's Special" was performed at our 1999 Summer Variety Show on August 26. The evening's entertainment included singing, poetry reading and skits. We would like to thank all of our performers Donna Brown, Melissa Kropf, Deborah Bailey, Pam Chatterson, J.P. Guenard, Carey Ruby and Argus, Paul Coghlin, Susan Czajkowskyji, Karen Turvey, Joyce Nieuwesteeg, Ron Fleming, Mike Hinschberger, Jim Stuart, Sarah Blundon. The success of this years Variety Show reflects the hard work and dedication all the performers and organizers. We look forward to even better things next year. For those who were unable to attend, a highlight of the show were the "skits of our office staff" written and presented by our own summer students, Catherine, Nadine and Thomas.

We also had the pleasure to have as our special guests Tori Wilhelm and Laura Antal. Tori is a close friend of Brian Thomas and she performed a song written for Brian and Carey Ruby. Laura has recorded a CD entitled Goodbye. For those who are interested in purchasing a copy, please contact Brian Thomas at 772-9206.

A special thanks is also in order to Brian Thomas for all his organizational assistance and to the Great Swiss Bagel Co. and Coffee Time, King and William St. for the donation of donuts and bagels.

486 Computer For Sale 8 MB Ram 14" Monitor Keyboard Printer (Epson LQ570) Includes the following programs: Please call Vivian at 745-9345

(Excerpts from "AN EVENING WITH CHRISTOPHER REEVE) COPPS COLISEUM - MAY 13 1999

Christopher Reeve:

What a welcome. Thank you so much. It's a real privilege for me to be here. Of course it's a real privilege to be anywhere and I'm sure many of you have had that experience. But it seems to me that this past century has accomplished two Civil Rights movements. First, the right for blacks and Hispanics and people from all different nationalities to take their place in the middle of society and that has been achieved at great cost.............

But, there remains one HUGE minority that is still terribly discriminated against. And that population is the disabled population. And that comprises 1/5 of the world's population. In the United States, for example, we have 54 million disabled people and the thing that's very difficult is when blacks and Hispanics and women were fighting for equal rights there was a level of discomfort. But nothing approaching what happens when "normal" people look at the disabled and are uncomfortable. That is a prejudice that they MUST overcome because we're not in a position to always look our very best or to feel our very best, or to be pleasing to the eye because we have suffered terrible debilitating diseases and injuries. But what's happening now is the kind of discrimination that is so bad and I want to tell you that it exceeds any prejudice that ever occurred before in the previous civil rights movements.

But, when we live in a society when something like that can still happen we are still back in the ages when blacks had to go to the back of the bus. When there were separate facilities for blacks and whites. When a woman couldn't possibly hold out the hope of running a movie studio, we were still back in the dark ages. And what is really discouraging is that science is making tremendous progress and there are new ways to modify buildings and houses to bring them up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed back in 1991 or 1990, and when those things can be done, but aren't. There are still so many places in the United States and I'm sure you find it true here in Canada too, where we ought to be able to get into a door, where we ought to be able to get into a restaurant, we ought to be able to get into a facility and we still can't. There is still discrimination because it costs the owner of the building, it costs him money to make the modifications. Then they figure there's not that many disabled people, why should I spend the money?

We are still suffering from the prejudice. And that has got to change. The other thing that's got to change is the way that we look at the future of people with disabilities because, just to take people with spinal cord injuries as an example, the United States government spends $9 billion/yr just meeting Medical and Medicare payments to people who suffer from spinal cord injuries and keeping them in nursing homes (which are like human parking garages, where there is no therapy and where it is virtually impossible to maintain a positive attitude about the future). That's nine billion dollars just to park people without doing anything for them. Well, the fact of the matter is, if we were to spend more money on research, when money is spent what happens is the young scientists are attracted to the subject because they can make a living doing the research. There is a future for them.

In 1984 the US government spent no money on AIDS, no money at all on AIDS research. And nine years later, they spend $10 billion annually. And the reason for that was because the social stigma of AIDS was removed. At first there was a prejudice against the gay population and many lawmakers had a really horrific attitude of prejudice, that well, they get what they deserve. It's a plague on a minority. Well then children started dying of AIDS, women started dying of AIDS, it happened all across the country. And if you remember there was a quilt with all the names of those who had died, that made its way across the country, then was spread out on the mall in front of the capital in Washington and now with that grass roots movement, the politicians had to respond. It was now politically safe for them to respond and they allocated money and sufficient money to bring in all kinds of new investigators and the result is they now have protocols at the National Institute of Health that are prolonging lives. And I know one individual who in 1985 was at death's door and today, thanks to the protocols at the NIH, the virus is virtually undetectable in his bloodstream and he's never been healthier in his life.

Now the problem is that was a national symbol, something visible, very dramatic, but those of us who suffer from spinal cord injuries, who suffer from ALS, or suffer from Parkinson's or MS, who have had terrible strokes, we can't march on Washington. We can't organize the same way because it is simply too physically demanding to do. And so what we have to do is get the message out to our political leaders, that in spite of the fact that there is no quilt and there's no big rallies that are going to be staged, that for economic as well as humanitarian reasons they must address this issue and what's happening now is that Americans are living longer. Canadians are living longer. The life expectancy in the next 20 years is going from 76 to 96. That's a long life, but what will be the quality of that life? And if we don't spend the money to bring in the researchers, bring in the scientists, that quality of life will be poor for those of us suffering from disability.

Now fortunately, even a couple of years before my injury, we were in the dark ages about spinal cord and the common wisdom was that the cord could not regenerate. But I want to say that one of the great heros and really the father of regeneration is a distinguished Canadian who will go down in history as the father of spinal cord recovery. And that is Professor Alberto Aguierro at McGill University. He is the one who discovered that there are two protein molecules at the base of the brain stem. The positive function of these molecules is to stop the brain from overdeveloping during gestation. But then in the adult these protein molecules perform a negative function, they stop the regeneration of nerves in the spinal cord. Now you can chop off your hand then a surgeon can sew it back on again and you can go out and throw a baseball, because of the plasticity and ease with which the peripheral nervous system is able to make appropriate connections. And the good news now for us is that they have discovered nerves regenerate in the spinal cord they seek to find appropriate connections across the injury, across the lesion. And when these appropriate connections are made there will be improvement in sensation and in motor function and depending on the severity of the injury, there are endless possibilities to how much recovery can occur. If someone has been very damaged there may be limitations, if someone is less damaged there may be a better outcome.

But the point is, through regeneration the use of human embryonic cells, the use of gene therapy, the spinal cord can and will regenerate and so it is only a question of time before these techniques make their way into humans. One of the most exciting discoveries was made by a Dr. Viscovi in Milan who found that there are cells called epitomal cells which were thought to only exist in again, in the child during gestation, because these cells are undifferentiated and they can become anything.

Well, very recently, just two months ago these cells were found to exist in the adult in the ventricles of the brain, in the spinal cord and even in the skin. And this is tremendously exciting because the hope, the best hope for recovery now, is to biopsy these cells from your skin, from your hand for example, they could grow hundreds of thousands of cells in a petri dish and genetically instruct them to become neurons and axons. They would then be injected inside of the injury and they would become the nerves necessary to carry messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

Now that would have been science fiction a few years ago, but it's here and it's happening and it doesn't matter whether it's an acute injury or a chronic injury. So I offer you the specific detail, not to give you a boring science lecture but to tell you there is very real tangible hope, very real hope...And one of the great advantages of this technique is that there is no danger of toxicity to the body or rejection by the immune system. And what I love about it is the body is healing itself. Taking cells from one part and using them in another area and I think that's somehow a beautiful design, rather than loading up the body with more chemicals and more drugs and more artificial agents.

So in the meantime one of the things I think we need to do is in two parts and that is something that has been very hard for me to learn but I call it acceptance and denial and in a weird way they work together. I've been injured for four years which is nothing compared to many of you and you have my utmost respect for what you've endured. The point is that, if you don't accept that for some reason you're in a wheelchair or you have some disability, life is a horrendous struggle and it's perfectly okay to say well right now I am paralyzed from the chest down, there's a lot of things I can't do. There's a lot of things I miss, but so what, I'm not going to mope about it.

That I think is one of the most important things that we have to work on. We have to keep our state of mind positive and accept ourselves the way we are. There is nothing wrong with us. There is nothing wrong with being disabled and society must learn to get rid of its prejudice, the same way...the same way they had to learn to deal with minorities and women, to remove the stigma and say disabled people are actually more able than many supposedly able people. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that if a company hires a disabled individual and puts them in the middle of the workforce in the company, everybody else has to strive to catch up because the disabled person works harder. We are motivators of other people........

When I was on my feet, I chose my friends and I did not go out of my way to make friends with someone who was disabled. No I didn't because I was uncomfortable, I admit it. In fact when I trained for a film in which I had to play a paraplegic, I went to a rehab centre in California and studied a woman who had a bookcase fall on her head during an earthquake, and she still had the halo on her head and she was just learning to walk again and I found it incredibly uncomfortable. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to be with her. I was very, very awkward and I just kept quiet and every time I'd finish a session with her she was cool, she was great. Told me about everything she goes through but I'd get in my car and I'd drive away and smugly think to myself thank God that's not me. I deeply regret thinking those words because as we all look out at each other, anyone of us, anyone of us, it could be me. Once people understand that and they are beginning to more, then you get the beginning of compassion.

When people project and understand that in an instant and as they grow older they face Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, MS, strokes, all the diseases of the brain and central nervous system, which will effect the entire population as we get older. People begin to realize hey I'm lucky, I'm just temporarily not disabled. So, the point is we're beginning to see equality, we're beginning to see new opportunities and that brings me to the other part we've already talked about, acceptance and the other part is denial. And what I mean by that, and everybody has to work it out for themselves, my point of view may not be your point of view, so please hold onto your belief and let me hold onto my belief. But my belief is that there is nothing we can't accomplish if we set our minds to it......

Now if we say that people who have disabilities who want a better life, who want to get out of wheelchairs, who want to be able to walk, who want to put their arms around their loved ones, who want to be able to go back to things they love doing, then that mission, if we get behind it, can't be stopped. And with enough money and enough commitment and enough support, which is already growing around the world, there will be a vaccine for diabetes, there will be a vaccine for AIDS, it will be possible to stop the demyelinization of nerves that causes the disintegration of the body in MS. It will be possible to regenerate the spinal cord.

All of these things are within our grasp. We simply have to decide whether or not we are going to make the commitment and do it. And I think that with the energy and the leadership that you show here and that is prevalent all over the country. This last great civil rights movement of inclusion and recovery and allowing us to lead the lives that we wish to live and are entitled to live, I think this civil rights movement can and will be accomplished.

Thank you very much.

We have complimentary tickets for Waterloo Siskens Jr. 'B' Hockey Club Valid for the 1999-2000 Regular Season only If interested, please call

Joyce Baker at 885-6640.

PROJECT LIFT's ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 19, 1999 PLACE: WATERLOO INN (POOL SIDE) TIME: 7:00 P.M.

- GUEST SPEAKER:

CHARLES FITSIMMONS

- KITCHENER & WATERLOO MAYORS

- REGION OF WATERLOO CHAIR

- DRIVER'S SAFETY AWARDS

- CAKE AND REFRESHMENTS

CALL AND BOOK YOUR RIDE TODAY

Poetry Corner

If you choose to smile, you will make someone else happy.

I guess I will go to sleep until I wake up.

Cement looks better when it is clean.

Go somewhere to cool off once in awhile so you don't curdle.

Please persuade me to smile. I feel grumpy today.

If I can't get there from here how will I know that I am at my destination?

Is it okay to build a coffee shop or to even drink coffee at a "T" intersection?

A fellow could wander while he wonders until he freezes in the pond of Flounders..

If robins sing on a rainy day, why don't we pay attention and whistle like a thrush when we are going through a dry spell?

What do baby bits of land that are surrounded by water say when they need to consider and ponder before they respond to a question? "Isle have to get back to you on that.

Who is the happiest flower in the garden? Answer>:Gladiolas..

The cat said, "I'm not really interested in banking here, but I could be persuaded."

Stephen Martin

"KW Access-A-Bike (KWABs)" Summer 1999

An outdoor activity providing exercise, companionship and FUN to both the blind or visually impaired "stokers" and the sighted volunteer "captains".

Staff Facilitator: Thomas Campbell

Volunteer Resource/Trainer: Norm Benest

Volunteer Coordinator: Sharon Ward-Zeller

The summer of '99 was a great season for tandem biking. KWA's tandems were brought out of storage and ridden happily and regularly form mid-June to mid-September.

We started with an orientation/training session in June and thereafter biked merrily twice a week on average. Norm, with many years of experience on both single and his own tandem, provided the training and knowledge (and 2 donated helmets) which helped make our outings both safe and comfortable. Thomas was a most reliable, friendly and helpful facilitator.

There were about 16 persons involved in the biking this summer, with an average of 6 per ride. All captains filled out a KWAA volunteer captain form and all stokers a KWAA stoker application.

Many trips were made though University of Waterloo's campus to Laurel Creek Conservation Area and back past Colombia Lake, where we had fun making the turn without ending in the lake and avoiding the geese. We became quite proficient at our goose honks (stokers) and swerving around goose poop (captains). Captains Norm and Debbie were particularly good about describing local flora, fauna and notable scenery as we rode. As we became more practiced, we traveled city streets, touring much of Waterloo & Kitchener. We also tried the Iron Horse Trail a couple of times. After approximately 2 hours of biking, it soon became a popular ritual for the group to head to a nearby spot for refreshments and socializing. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. One couple came in almost every time from New Dundee bringing their own tandem and sometimes their 6 year-old on a trail-a-bike. They even contributed 5 bike horns so we wouldn't have to honk so loudly.

Peter Carr, manager of McPhail's Cycle & Sports, proved most generous and helpful by providing free service and parts to repair our ageing tandem bikes, and even loaned us a brand new tandem for our final ride.

This was the Great Tandem Tour from Cambridge to Paris and back on Sept. 11/99. KWAA's bus and driver transported captains, stokers and bikes to our departure point on the old railway trail in Cambridge and we spent a fund day cycling to Paris for lunch in a lovely little Parisian park. On our return to Cambridge we decided it was a great success except for some tenderness in the ends(s).

In summary, our tandem summer was safe (only repairs needed were to bikes), good exercise and lost of fun for all. Some great and lasting friendships were made. Many thanks to KWAA and Chris for staff support, helmets, and all assistance provided throughout the season.

Sharon Ward-Zeller

Words of wisdom from children...Sent to us by "Mikey" K-W Access-Ability Thanksgiving Food Drive will be held September 29th to October 13th. Please support our Food Drive

Friday's Craft Group will be holding a craft sale on Friday, October 22, 1999 at Waterloo Town Square. A wide variety of items for sale, made by our own members.

The K-W Access-Ability Christmas Dinner and Dance will take place on Saturday, December 11th in the Viewing Lounge, at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex. Tickets are $12.50 ($5.00 for dance only)

K-W Access-Ability Recreation

Swimming Enroll in our swimming program. It is a great way to exercise! Our sessions are held every Wednesday evening at the Waterloo Recreation Complex pool.

*** Start date: Wednesday, October 13

Music

If you are musically inclined or would like to learn a new instrument the Music group is for you. The sessions are held Wednesday evening at the University of Wilfrid Laurier.

*** Start date: Wednesday, September 29

Bowling

Join our group "The K-W Wildcats" for this bowling experience.

***Start date: Tuesday, October 12. Electric Wheelchair Hockey

Looking for an exciting way to spend and evening? Sign up for this stimulating sport. We play Thursday evenings.

*** Time and start date unknown at present time.

Crafts

Come out and learn a new craft. Our group meets every Friday afternoon at K-W Access-Ability. *** This group is offered year round.

NOMINATION FORM

I wish to nominate _________________________________________

for the

"CORENE HAMILL SPIRIT AWARD"

In nominating this individual I believe he/she exemplifies the qualities that endeared Corene to everyone who knew her: a zest for living, a desire to experience new things, a taste for adventure, a genuine caring for and a willingness to help others, great commitment, loyalty and a sense of responsibility.

Describe briefly the nominee's involvement with Access-Ability

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Signed ______________________________

Date ____________________________

All nominations must be returned to the office of K-W Access-Ability by

5:00 pm on Friday, December 3th, 1999.

COMMENT FORM

In order to meet the continually changing needs of our members and the community at large, K-W Access-Ability is involved in an ongoing evaluation. Your input is vital to this process. If you have any suggestions for improving our programmes and services, or you just wish to comment on some aspect of Access-Ability, please use the form below. You may return it by mail or drop it off at the office. Thank you for your contribution.

This form may be returned to:

K-W Access-Ability

Waterloo Town Square, Concourse #7

75 King Street South

Waterloo, Ontario N2J 1P2

COMMENTS

Name: Telephone:

Do you wish to be contacted for further discussion? Yes No

PLEASE NOTE: Membership fees for 1999 were due January 1, 1999. If you have already paid your $10.00, we thank you . If you have not done so, payment would be much appreciated at your earliest convenience.

K-W ACCESS-ABILITY

Waterloo Town Square

Lower Level

75 King Street South

Waterloo, Ontario N2J 1P2

519-885-6640 VOICE

519-885-4526 TTY

519-885-4526 FAX

kwaa@kwa.on.ca

HOURS: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 9-5, Wednesday 9-9

STAFF

Executive Director - Chris Hodnett

Resource Administration Person - Joyce Baker

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

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

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