Paralympic Athletes to Watch in PyeongChang by Shandi Pace

Although the Winter Olympics have finished, the Paralympics are only just beginning. More than 50 athletes will be proudly wearing the red maple leaf, representing Canada in PyeongChang, South Korea from March 8-18.

The Paralympics never get as much coverage or excitement as the Olympics do unfortunately, but learning more about the athletes that will be representing Team Canada can add to your enthusiasm at home. With varying levels of experience and multiple skill sets, here are three standouts to watch:

Brian McKeever

Sport:

Nordic Skiing - Biathlon

Nordic Skiing - Cross Country Skiing

Brian McKeever made history at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games when he was named to both the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams. Over his career, he’s raced at four Paralympics and remains one of the top visually impaired cross-country skiers in the world. McKeever has won an incredible 13 medals, 10 of which are gold. During the World Championships in February, he captured the win with his guide in the 10- and 20-kilometre events. He also helped Canada make its first ever podium finish in the 4x2.5-kilometre relay.

Read full bio: http://paralympic.ca/brian-mckeever

Ina Forrest

Sport:

Wheelchair Curling

Ina Forrest made her curling debut at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics vice-skipping for Team Canada. Forrest helped Team Canada capture Paralympic gold in Vancouver and in Sochi. In PyeongChang, she’ll be helping Canada try to win its fourth consecutive Paralympic gold medal in wheelchair curling.

In total, Forrest has competed at nine straight world wheelchair curling championships. She has captured first three times and has never finished outside of the top ten.

Forrest was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in February 2016, re-establishing that she is one of the most decorated wheelchair curlers and is still hungry for more gold.

Read full bio: http://paralympic.ca/ina-forrest

Liam Hickey

Sport:

Sledge Hockey/Wheelchair Basketball 

Competing in both the Summer and Winter Games is a feat not many athletes have accomplished. Liam Hickey is a 19-year-old from St. John’s, Newfoundland that played wheelchair basketball for Team Canada at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. He’s now making the transition from the court to the ice, and will be playing for Canada’s sledge hockey team in PyeongChang.

Hickey was named as one of four teenagers that were named to Canada’s National Sledge team in December 2016. At the 2017 World Para Ice Hockey Championships in South Korea in April of last year, Hickey finished fourth in tournament scoring with seven goals and nine assists. This was Hickey’s first world championship in the sport as he helped Team Canada defeat its rivals, the USA 4-1 to win their fourth world title.

Read full bio: http://paralympic.ca/liam-hickey 

Pink Shirt Day and Bake Sale

To celebrate Pink Shirt Day, Ability Online held a bake sale at Humber College. This was an opportunity to show off our pink shirts, and expand Ability Online to a wider audience. Pink Shirt Day’s campaign aims to increase awareness on issues such as bullying, and encourages people to stand up for others.

The justice studies interns manned the booth and brought all the baked goods included in the fundraiser. They provided useful information to those who had questions and delivered baked goods with a smile. Without their help Ability Online's Pink Shirt Day and bake sale wouldn't have been as much of a success.

Check out our video from the event:

Seeing the World Through A Virtual Window by Sarah Evans

I don't usually get excited about new apps I find, but I found a really cool one that lets you get a window into other people's lives and experiences.

Periscope is an app that lets you watch live videos in real time. It has gained a lot of popularity and is a lot of fun.

Periscope works in conjunction with Twitter. You can follow people and then the app will notify you when they go live. You can also search through people who are currently online.

I have seen some very cool things on Periscope. Many times, there are people who are at Disney Land or Disney World. Sometimes people are just walking through the park. One time, someone was going to Periscope while he was on a roller-coaster, but he logged off just before the ride started because he didn't want his phone to get damaged. I have also seen people Periscope from Hong Kong and from Times Square in New York City. For me, the coolest thing is that you feel like you are actually there.

If you want to get more information about Periscope, visit https://www.periscope.tv

Food for Thought: Self-Disclosure as a Boundary by Sarah Evans

How much information do you share with others? What boundaries do you set around self-disclosure? A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about boundaries. There are many kinds of boundaries that get crossed,  especially when you have a disability. Nevertheless, we must be aware of what is appropriate and inappropriate and not be afraid to set boundaries for others; physical or otherwise.

To me, self-disclosure is about what you tell about yourself to whom. Sometimes it can be difficult to know who's safe to tell what to. Sometimes people tell too much information about themselves, such as their finances and their personal life, to people they don't really know that well (maybe acquaintances or people they meet and are talking to in a store).

Personally, sometimes I'm too trusting of people and I just want to be friendly. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a hard and fast rule about keeping yourself safe. I think that we gain wisdom by just going out there and having experiences and dealing with people. This is one of the reasons why it is important that we all, including people with disabilities, are part of our communities and have social opportunities. Loneliness and isolation sometimes makes us vulnerable. Even though it is sometimes difficult to get out and about, we need to look for opportunities to be around others; if for no other reason, to help us gain street smarts.