On the ninth day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
Stories of youth who are making a difference across the world. Learn more about these amazing stories in the following care of Good Housekeeping.
Good Housekeeping: Read the Stories of 40 Incredible Kids Who Have Changed the World
On the eighth day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
The story of how a service dog helped its owner return to what she loved doing best. Learn more about the globetrotting adventures of Chris and her service dog Earle in the following care of The Dodo.
On the seventh day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
A story of high school kids who decided to put a stop to bullying. This story, caught on video, went viral because of the kindness shown by two young men to a frequently bullied student in their class. Learn more about this wonderful story in the following clip from Ellen.
On the sixth day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
An environmental activist who has given a voice to the youth of the world to fight back against climate change. Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish girl, has emerged as one of the world’s most impactful environmental activists and is sharing her message across the globe. Learn more about Greta and how we can work to put a stop to climate change in the following video care of Conservation International.
On the fifth day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
The story of an amazing woman who took up running late in life. Julia Hawkins, a 103-year-old record-setting runner, began her running career at the age of 100. Learn how she earned the nickname “Hurricane” and is inspiring others in the following care of the New York Times.
On the fourth day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
A viral video showing a different kind of spirit this Halloween – the spirit of kindness. This Halloween an 8-year-old boy noticed an empty candy bowl a neighbour left out while trick-or-treating, and instead of simply walking away, he decided to use his own candy to refill the bowl for others. See the video below care of Upworthy and be amazed at the generosity of young Jackson.
Upworthy: Kid boosts faith in humanity by filling an empty candy bowl from his own Halloween stash
On the third day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
A wonderful story of youth innovation. 14-year-old Alaina Gassler recently received an award for her invention which uses technology to eliminate blind spots in vehicles – an invention that has the potential to make the roads safer for everyone. Learn more about Alaina and this potentially life-saving technology in the following care of The Good News Network.
On the second day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
The uplifting story of how a hockey team stepped up to celebrate one of its fans. After hearing that Kade, an 11-year old fan, had a Maple Leaf themed Birthday party that no one came to, the Toronto Maple Leaf’s stepped in to give Kade a Birthday he would never forget. Learn more in the following from CBC News.
CBC News: Corner Brook boy meets Maple Leafs in Toronto after disappointing birthday party
On the first day of inspiration, my OT gave to me…
The story of a 2019 CNN Hero who is helping older adults complete their bucket lists. From skydiving to driving NASCAR Webb Weiman’s organization, My Jump!, has helped over 50 seniors fulfill their wildest dreams. Learn more about this amazing story in the following care of CNN.
CNN Heroes: He helps seniors skydive, parasail and cross off other bucket list adventures
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
I love the saying that we are all “temporarily able-bodied”. How true. Each one of us, at any time, is one situation, condition, virus, bacteria, accident, or even random event away from becoming disabled physically, emotionally, behaviorally or cognitively. Or, really, many of us are already disabled – visibly or invisibly, and I truly believe the saying: “be kind to all you meet as everyone is fighting a hard battle” – Plato.
This definition of disability from Wikipedia speaks to how all-encompassing the word really is:
Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. A disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person’s lifetime.
Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Thus, disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.
The last sentence is especially true. A disability is an interaction of the person and their environment. This is why I love being an Occupational Therapist. While I do enjoy helping people to function better through therapy that improves physical, cognitive, behavioral or emotional abilities, I also take pride in tackling the environmental aspects of functional problems. If we can’t change the person, we can try to change the environment in which they live, and the spaces in which they need to function. This “holistic” view of disability is, in my opinion, one of the key facets of Occupational Therapy.
I wanted to celebrate this important day by listing some of my most favorite quotes about disability:
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude” – Scott Hamilton
“I choose to not place “DIS” in my ability” – Robert M. Hensel
“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision” – Stevie Wonder
“One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless surrendered” – Michael J Fox
“We know that equality of individual ability never has existed and never will, but we do insist that equality of opportunity still must be sought” – Franklin D Roosevelt
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do” – Helen Keller
So, consider that we are all vulnerable and only temporarily able-bodied. We need to celebrate humanity – in all its forms, including the form that is “disability”.