People in Motion 2018 by Sarah Evans

Last weekend was the annual People in Motion show in Toronto. This large exhibition for people with disabilities was held at a new venue this year, Variety Village, a sports and life skills facility.

Overall, I liked the change of venue. The displays in the main area were a bit closer together but there was still plenty of room to move around and everything was easy to get to. 

Volunteering at the Ability Online display, I met a lot of people, including a few people who said they were members at the beginning of Ability Online. This year, we shared our booth with Pathways for All, a private advocacy business to support children with disabilities in the school system. We spoke to a number of family members of individuals with disabilities who were struggling to receive the services they need and I hope we were at least able to offer them some tips.

Personally, I am always looking for social and recreational opportunities and I did find a few. One therapist is organizing social events for youth with disabilities. Although I am too old for these, maybe there is some way that I can help or help to get something else started. Another display that I was inspired by is ParaSport Ontario. Earlier this year I started playing tennis and would consider trying another sport.

May I have a straw in my drink please? By Sarah Evans

Lately I have been hearing a lot about cities thinking about banning plastic straws. The reasons they want to do this are commendable: plastic straws are bad for the environment because they don't easily decompose. As well, this issue heated up because of an online video that went viral of researchers pulling a plastic straw out of the nostril of a turtle.

But for people with disabilities like myself, plastic straws are as essential as the cup itself. I have used straws for as long as I can remember and I know that I am not the only one. On Facebook, I have seen the posts of friends with disabilities who need to use straws and are concerned.

My family and friends have bought me those plastic cups with a large reusable straw. Unfortunately, I find that it is difficult for me to get my lips around these big straws. Also, one time I accidentally bit off part of the plastic, which scared me.

While I am all for being environmentally friendly and helping animals, I question whether a complete ban on straws is the way to go. I think that educating people about the issues and concerns is the right thing to do, but ultimately I think that it should be left up to the person whether or not they want to use a plastic straw.