Lifestyle and Outdoors

Finding ways for people with disabilities to enjoy the great outdoors in Northern California just got a whole lot easier with the launch of the new Bay Area Outreach and Recreational Program’s (BORP) website, Access Northern California. This web-based guide provides detailed accessibility information on more than 100 entries under the headings, “Explore,” “Play” and “Sleep” and includes…

By Barbara & Jim Twardowski When our son, who lives across the country, agreed to spend part of his vacation time with us, we began looking for wheelchair accessible accommodations at the beach. Finding a hotel room with a roll-in shower and two beds can be difficult. Sharing a cramped hotel room with your adult…

By Regina Rosenthal, PT, MA As a physical therapist, health coach and author I strongly relate to Abilities Expo’s mission, “to connect the disability community to live and online resources that promote greater independence.” Personal and professional experience showed me the importance of self-awareness and education about simple, cost-effective self-care practices for caregivers and individuals…

By Stephanie Alves, Founder/Designer ABL Denim Welcome to our Abilities community fashion blog from one of your own. Do you like the title? I love double entendres. But it’s true—design does matter. It affects us in measurable and immeasurable ways. Our environments are so important. And so are our clothes. Because society is concerned with…

By Debra Kerper, Easy Access Travel It is often said that taking a child to Disneyland for the first time and experiencing the Magic Kingdom through their eyes is the best way to see it. After sailing more than 80 cruises, I am convinced that taking over 100 people on their first cruise is also…

By Wendy McPherson, Organic Gardener/Horticulturalist Last Sunday morning, I was up with the birds (the early ones) and buzzing around my backyard turning it into a movie set. This is Los Angeles, after all, and I suspect that the rest of the world thinks that’s what we do in L.A. It was the second morning of our “shoot” (that’s movie…

By Greg Smith, Sr., The Strength Coach If you are a baseball fan, surely you have experienced watching the “Fan Cam” during the Major League Baseball television broadcasts. Between innings, the television camera focuses on regular people enjoying their time at the ballpark. It opens showing a young couple on a date, unaware of their five seconds…

Brace yourself for this startling series of jaw-dropping Accessible Don’ts. Quick tip: They will be much funnier if you can ignore the larger implications that real people actually planned and executed these travesties of accessibility. We Don’t Recommend the Scenic Route From Spoon & Tamago. Oh, so many questions. For example…why? Wouldn’t it have made…

By Michael Lenox, Illinois Chess Vets My name is Michael Lenox, Chief Petty Officer Submarine/Diver USN (Ret). I am currently the Founder/President of Illinois Chess Vets NFP, a Board member for Illinois Chess Association NFP, and a committee member for the US Chess Federation (USCF) Special Needs and Circumstance Committee. Twelve years ago, I had a major stroke…

By Casey Cashman, U.S. Pain Foundation Chronic pain touches millions of Americans. The mission of the U.S. Pain Foundation is to educate, connect, inform and empower those living with pain while advocating on behalf of the entire pain community. One of our most popular initiatives is our U.S. Pain patient-education days and summits, Take Control of Your…

Elsa’s exquisite, ice blue gown has been the go-to Halloween costume for little girls since Disney’s mega-hit Frozen graced the silver screen. Retailers nationwide watch happily as they fly off the shelves. This year, Target’s choice to feature a little girl with leg braces and forearm crutches as the ice queen in their Halloween-time advertisements has met…

Because disability spans all races, creeds, genders and orientations, Abilities Expo is very much a “slice of life.” While all attendees are members of a very large, but uniquely connected community, their individual diversity is especially apparent in the ways they choose to express themselves. Take the following group of Expo-goers, proudly distinguishing themselves through…