Voices

I didn’t grow up as an explorer, but I like to travel now. I may have caught the bug a few years before my injury, when I backpacked with a friend through Europe. We had no real itinerary and journeyed wherever the spirit took us. When I travel now,...

Wheelchair accessible vehicles and adaptive driving equipment bring greater freedom for individuals and families with mobility challenges. If you’re like me, you enjoy the freedom that comes with being able to hit the road to do anything from grocery shopping to taking summer vacations. After all, we live in...

Freedom and autonomy are invaluable to our mental health, and in North America, one of the most celebrated feelings of freedom is driving down an open road. Feeling the wind in your hair and hearing those upbeat road trip tunes is an unbeatable feeling everyone should get to experience....

As the great poet Dr Seuss once said, “You’re off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way.” Here at SCIO, like Dr Seuss, we too believe you’re off to amazing places. As those who’ve caught the travel bug can also...

Living with a spinal cord injury will likely mean getting a little more creative with your approach to sexual intimacy. Or, if you’re already the creative type, perhaps it means continuing down the road of experimentation. Either way, there are many adaptive techniques to consider that accommodate decreased or...

There are a lot of life changes when you develop issues with your mobility, including to your sexuality and intimate relations. How we know ourselves, connect to others and find our way in the world is related in part to our sexuality. Which makes this a natural and necessary...

Take a walk around your business. What do you see? Are there steps leading you through the front door, a ramp? Or both? Does the restroom in your business have a door that swings out or in? What does the checkout area look like? Is the debit machine fixed...

Finding a job can be tough for most people. For people with disabilities, it can be even more of a challenge. People with accessibility needs have historically faced discrimination from employers based on myths and misconceptions society holds about people living with disabilities. Unfortunately, many of these myths are...

There’s an expression that job hunting is often a job in itself. I’ve discovered that this is very true. Just like finding the right job, finding the right type of employment services that fit your needs as a job seeker can be challenging. Sometimes you have to go through...

Happy Pride Month, everyone! This June, LGBTQ2+ communities from around the world celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Pride gatherings are wonderful events full of colour and fun, however, they are also an opportunity to highlight a greater cause. Pride Month is a chance to pay homage to the...

As the weather gets warmer our thoughts turn to ways we can become more active, expand our social circle and get outdoors this spring. With that in mind, here are 10 great activities you can try this season to get the exercise that plays a huge part in a...

With warmer weather coming this spring, many like to enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and fishing. In Ontario, many of these activities take place in our popular provincial parks. Have you ever wanted to visit one of these parks but weren’t sure if they were accessible? Here’s...

In 2018, while studying at McMaster University, I was given the fantastic opportunity of doing a 4 month internship with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. Working with the organization was one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my Masters degree. It was the first time I had worked...

Photographer, raver, adventurer and exercise enthusiast, Chris Rice (pictured with his sister on the CN Tower EdgeWalk) has been a Peer Support Volunteer with SCIO for three years. Chris was inspired to be part of our team after receiving Peer Support when he sustained his injury in 2012. “One...