Sterling Creations Blog

Hello everyone and we at the business desk are introducing a new feature to
help you become more aware of those nasty scams making the rounds.
This is going to be a weekly feature and we hope that you take advantage of
our info as it will help you to stay out of the way of scams and scammers!
It’s all about scam alerts!

You need to remember that scams come in the following formats:
As emails, as phone calls both recorded and via a live caller, and o yes!
It can even show up at your door and in your mailbox.
And now they are targeting us through texts being sent to our cell phones.

Before giving you the latest scams making the rounds; we have some do nots
to share with you.
Do not respond to emails that look strange to you.
Do not download attachments from unknown senders.
Do not share your username and password to your online banking and any other
online payments facilities with anyone.
Do not give out any banking or personal details on the phone to unknown
callers.
Do not pay any attention to threats from automated phone recordings or from
live persons with regard to your credit card or that you owe money to any
revenue agency.
Do not entertain any offers either via email or by phone from senders and
callers offering incredible service packages as they may pertain to cable
and tv services, prizes that you have won, or any sort of any type of
service package.
Do not answer the door to unknown callers.
Take extra caution to make sure that the details of your credit cards and
debit cards are fully protected when you make payments at restaurants or at
stores, pharmacies, and elsewhere.
Do not enter your password for Facebook or Twitter in response to a text
request on your cell phone.
The same if you are asked for your Apple ID.
Do not fall prey to a text message telling you that your banking details
have been compromised online.

Scams of the week –

* New scams:
1. This is a holiday scam!
Phone calls asking you to donate to causes for kids.
If you want to donate then it would be in your best interest to fully check
out these types of phone calls fully.
For if you don’t then you could easily get into trouble; donating to lost or
scam causes.

2. Persistent emails from a supposed West Jet email address offering you
seat sales for the holidays!
These are what we call new and not so new!
Do not be fooled by these silly emails.
They are fake and you know exactly what to do!
Delete and move on.

* old scams:

1. Emails that bounce but you never sent one.
This is getting to be very hold hat!
Yes, just another scammer trying to entice you to respond and then bingo!
Your info will be exposed if you slip and reply.

2. Invoices from senders you do not even know! These are scams that will
continue to haunt us for a very long time so just delete these emails.

3. Phone calls telling you that your credit card has been suspended.
Please, do not pay any attention to these phone calls.
Simply hang up!

Until next week:

Greetings and o yes! The holiday season is now in full swing and I am sure
that this weekend the malls will be crowded with holiday shoppers and online
websites will have many visitors.
Today, I am pleased to share our president’s weekly editorial with you and
for this week Donna J. Jodhan shares her opinion on the growing gap between
training and the trained.
Enjoy your weekend now.
I’m Christian Robicheau.

+++++++++++++++

The gap between training and the trained

I recently came across this dilemma and decided to do a bit of investigation
on my own and in so doing I discovered that there is a definite gap when it
comes to training and the trained. So what am I referring to today? Here
it comes.

Companies are supposed to provide adequate training to their staff with
regard to the services that they provide to all customers; but even more so
to customers with special needs/requirements. Yes, training but after my
informal investigation I have been left with the sad realization that even
if this type of training is being fully provided, the trained still seem to
be missing something.

Example: Front line service staff at accessibility or special needs
departments still do not seem to fully comprehend how screen readers work,
their purpose and use, and how customers who are blind or vision impaired
use them.

Just imagine my horror when I had a phone conversation with a service rep at
a said department with regard to my inability to use their audio captcha and
this service rep told me that it all had to do with the inadequacy of my
screen reader.

I went to great lengths to explain to them that when I was required to enter
an audio captcha, I first had to listen to the audio and then enter it into
the text field. I told them that my problem had to do with an audio that
was extremely unclear and difficult to decipher and no way to enter what I
heard because the text field was not clearly marked.

Just imagine my shock when I discovered that this lack of understanding and
training was not just confined to said company. I then decided to conduct
other types of inquiries and quickly realized that some staff at special
needs departments did not even know that a blind person could not read
printed matter, they were totally unaware of the existence of Braille, they
had no clue when I started to discuss alternate formats, and on and on it
went.

There is a definite gap here and several others also concur with me.
Companies need to ensure that their training programs are on target,
adequate, and include content that enables and allows their staff the
ability to interact in a sensible manner with their customers.

Just my two cents for today.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific weekend.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog
Learn more about Author Donna Jodhan and her campaign against bullying at
www.jodhanmysterybook.club
Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

And now her weekly podcast at www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html
From recipes to apps, and from 5 minutes mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs
and alerts on the latest scams
Available for download from iTunes and Google music play.

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Now you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
‘Let’s Talk Tips’ is your monthly resource for the most current and reliable
informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media,
Business, and Advocacy.
http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Hello there and welcome to our newest segment: Where we highlight important
articles on topics pertaining to advocacy.

We are introducing this segment based on several requests that we have
received from readers.
Please feel free to send us your feedback and if you wish us to publish your
own articles then by all means send it along to info@sterlingcreations.ca

Please take a moment to subscribe to our newest newsletter:
‘Let’s Talk Tips’ is your monthly resource for the most current and reliable
informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media,
Business, and Advocacy.
http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

With best wishes
From the business desk team
Follow us on Twitter @accessibleworld

+++++++++++++++

Accessibility Must Be More Than an Add-On to Online Pedagogy
By CHELSEA JONES AUG 21 2018

If we are serious about accessible online learning, we must talk openly
about disability as if it is right
here, right now because it is.

By CHELSEA JONES

AUG 21 2018

Recently, I attended a conference presentation ostensibly about accessible
online learning, where I
watched a man we’ll call Steve fumble over gadgets at the podium. After a
few assurances that we
would get started right away, folks, a woman’s face appeared on a large,
projected screen. Catherine
(not her real name) was introduced by Steve and began talking. The trouble
was that nobody could
understand what she was saying.

Catherine’s voice was a loud, jarring hum of electronic crinkles, like a
jammed Skype call. It was
impossible to understand her, not because of her speech impairment, but
because the presentation was
inaccessible. She was the epicenter of a technical disaster and there was no
transcript to support the
audience. Even so, we got the message from Steve’s quip: “What I love about
Catherine is that she’s a
real go-getter!”

Catherine, a disabled woman, completed an online degree program. She was an
inspiration. But what
was she saying? Something about discussion boards, maybe. This went on for
10 minutes. Astonishingly,
at the end, people clapped.

As online learning becomes the norm across Canada, faulty conversations
about making online learning
accessible are cropping up in higher education conferences. These
conversations fall short when they
fail to uphold standards of inclusivity that are at the heart of basic,
proactive Universal Design for
Learning (UDL) strategies that is, when they do not include gestures of
access such as transcripts, live
captioning, or American Sign Language

(ASL) interpretation. Or, when they present disabled people in stereotypical
ways. In this case, Catherine
was served up as a “supercrip” a term commonly used in disability studies to
describe someone who is
celebrated for overcoming impairment by performing like a “normal” person.

Her story, though distorted, was the predictable, tokenistic tale of
overcoming barriers to learning
through her own hard work and perky resilience, rather than through any
university’s meaningful
commitment to removing barriers. The audience’s applause spoke to the room’s
low expectations of
Catherine. I did not clap. When a supercrip story becomes the marker of
accessible online learning, the
bar is set too low.

As an instructor teaching online in community services, I am aware that
building accessible online
pedagogy means diving deep into difficult conversations about accessibility.
These conversations are
ones which must involve social movements and the academy. We educators and
institutions must
acknowledge that disability is more than an add-on to already established
pedagogy. Rather, disability is
a significant, ongoing part of our scholarship

that is crucial to any conversation about accessibility.

Planning pedagogy that takes accessibility seriously means noticing how
disciplinary fields that study
disability invest in accessibility as a critical topic. Disability studies,
deaf studies and mad studies, for
example, trace the eugenic histories of universities, pointing out that
disabled people have historically
been unwelcome in the academy. They teach us to be critical of institutions
that lean on buzzwords like
“inclusion”
while simultaneously refusing to acknowledge historical and contemporary
failures to make
programming accessible. They also caution against reinforcing negative
stereotypes about disabled
learners and teachers, such as supercrip tropes. These disciplines also
teach us the basics of access:
when there is no ASL interpretation, for example, we send the message that
we are not expecting Deaf
people to be here, learning and teaching alongside everyone else.

If we are serious about accessible online learning, we must talk openly
about disability as if it is right
here, right now because it is. Contact North, a provincially funded online
education non-profit in
Ontario, estimates that Canada has 1.3 million online course registrants
each semester. By Statistics
Canada’s count, the enrollment of disabled people in postsecondary programs
is growing slightly, but
the prevalence of accommodation services across Canadian campuses suggests a
steady flow of disabled
learners ready to hit the books.

Disabled instructors are teaching and researching in the university, too.
It’s time to plan pedagogy that acknowledges that disability, and disabled
people, are in our classrooms.

We can make pedagogy more accessible by recognizing ableism in our
individual and institutional
practices. Ableism is a type of discrimination that privileges non-disabled
people, and accessibility is
concomitant to acknowledging ableism. In much the same way that
conversations about decolonizing
classrooms must mention colonization, or conversations about race must speak
to racism, conversations
about accessible learning are conversations about ableism.

Here’s how ableism creeps into online course delivery: when we think that
disability is getting in the way
of how online courses could run because we’ve only been anticipating
“normal” learners, that’s ableism.
When students don’t seem to live up to the smart, energetic, social,
independent, self-starters we were
expecting online, that’s ableism. When we wait for students to “come out” as
disabled and request
reactive accommodation, that’s ableism. But, when we plan for and embrace
disability, we counter
ableism by building content everyone can tap into (even in the event of,
say, technical disasters).

We can also resist ableism by listening to what disability communities are
telling us about education and
by being wary of moments where disabled people’s stories are co-opted for
institutional gain. Disabled
people’s ongoing struggles for access and accommodation on campus are well
documented. So, too, are
tokenistic stories that “cash in” on disability as cultural capital in order
to promote classes, programs
and software. Alyson Patsavas explains “cashing in” as parading disabled
people’s stories around
without sustained engagement with disability movements or with their
respective scholarly fields. A
supercrip story is a cash-in story, and disability movements across North
America have been protesting
such stories for decades. In other words: our ableism is showing and has
been for some time.

Accessible online learning is a noble ambition, and it’s not easy. Even with
captions, transcripts, and
other access features paired with a healthy dose of good intentions, we
still might fail because ableism is
alive in higher education, even online. However, we can work on creating
more accessible practices by
including access, fessing up to ableism, and consulting disability
communities and scholarship. In these
ways, we can move beyond supercrip stories to expect and include disability
as it is right here, right
now.

Chelsea Jones an instructor at Ryerson University’s faculty of community
services, where she has been
teaching online courses in disability studies for seven years. She also
co-produces and cohosts a podcast
about teaching and learning called “Podagogies: A Learning and Teaching
Podcast.
“

100 years later – 2018

I was not there when it ended but I know enough to say that we need to keep
on remembering.

I do not think that we could ever repay such a debt of gratitude to the
hundreds of thousands of soldiers who died saving the world for us! I do
not think that we could ever fully appreciate their sacrifices, or even
share their anxieties, their thoughts and their last sentiments beforetheir
young lives were snatched away.

Each time we do such things as raise a gun to someone else, brandish a knife
in preparation for a violent act, kill innocent children in the arms of
their parents or senselessly through shootings, or each time we complain and
criticize about what we do not have or should have, we need to stop for that
one moment and remember! Those selfless young men and women who gave their
lives for us over 100 years ago.

We would not be here today were it not for them and their selfless actions
and we must ensure that these pieces of dark history are passed down through
generations to come and forever. We need to take the lessons of 100 years
ago and make sure that we and those after us learn them very well.

To know the true meaning of commitment and sacrifice. To develop more self
discipline. To be more selfless. To be more tolerant. To take the
examples of 100 years ago and put them into practice. That is, to use the
examples of these many young men and women who gave their lives for us!

We would not be here today were it not for them! We would not have a future
were it not for them and we need to never forget this!

Please, let us make a pact that the next 100 years would be ones where we
would do our best to ensure that the great guns of 100 years ago remain
silent forever!
Let us walk the walk and not just talk the walk!

Finally, let us take one moment in time today to remember this; the last
sound of a boom coming from the last firing of a gun, then total silence
punctuated only by the song of birds!

Just my two cents for today.
In gratitude forever

Greetings everyone and now that Halloween is behind us it is time to start
getting involved with the holiday season.
This is the best time of the year in my opinion and for this week I am
pleased to share our president’s editorial with you.
It is an editorial where Donna J. Jodhan talks about some of those Courier
companies that should be avoided at all costs for the holidays and beyond.
Enjoy your weekend now.
I’m Scott Savoy.

+++++++++++++++

Those renegade courier companies`
By Donna J. Jodhan

With the holiday season upon us; I think that it is time for us to pay some
close attention to those courier companies whenever we need to have things
delivered to us.

If we choose to go the online shopping route then it is more than likely
that a courier company will be delivering your parcels to you or on your
behalf. Or it may turn out that regular postal services will do it for you.

Of course, there are good companies and then there are bad companies; and
this is not just limited to courier service companies. However, it would
help for you to get some hints so here goes.

I personally have had good experiences with Fedex and UPS. These two
companies are committed to delivery on time and they are at your door when
they say that they will be. However, I cannot say the same for DHL.

Unfortunately, DHL is probably one of the worst courier companies when it
comes to delivering on time. They do not deliver on time. Their drivers
never seem to be able to keep their story straight when it comes to
excuses/reasons for not showing up.

They often claim that they showed up at your door but in essence they do
not. They do not leave any notices and then they claim that there is no
buzz number for them to press when in truth all that they need to do is to
use one’s last name to obtain the buzz number.

Their drivers never seem to be able to tell the same story more than once.
Their stories change by the minute and then customer service can’t even seem
to follow your instructions.

They tell you that they will be at your door between 10 am and 6 pm but
guess what? They never come and they never have the decency to notify you.

In short; don’t use DHL for your holiday parcels. This company needs to
take a long hard look at how they do business!

Just my two cents for today.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific weekend.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog
Learn more about Author Donna Jodhan and her campaign against bullying at
www.jodhanmysterybook.club
Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

And now her weekly podcast at www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html
From recipes to apps, and from 5 minutes mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs
and alerts on the latest scams
Available for download from iTunes and Google music play.

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Now you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
‘Let’s Talk Tips’ is your monthly resource for the most current and reliable
informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media,
Business, and Advocacy.
http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Hello there and welcome to our newest segment: Where we highlight important
articles on topics pertaining to advocacy.

We are introducing this segment based on several requests that we have
received from readers.
Please feel free to send us your feedback and if you wish us to publish your
own articles then by all means send it along to info@sterlingcreations.ca

Please take a moment to subscribe to our newest newsletter:
‘Let’s Talk Tips’ is your monthly resource for the most current and reliable
informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media,
Business, and Advocacy.
http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

With best wishes
From the business desk team
Follow us on Twitter @accessibleworld

+++++++++++++++

Meet the Toronto Blind Jays, Canada’s only blind baseball team

In ‘beep baseball,’ visually impaired players use a softball that emits a
high-pitched sound

by Jonathan Ore.

CBC Radio, Sept. 23, 2018

It’s the bottom of the third inning, and the Toronto Blind Jays are not
doing well.

It’s August, and they’re 14 runs behind the Minnesota Millers at the
National Beep Baseball Association World Series in Eau Claire, Wis.

“In reality, the odds of us coming back and winning this game are slim,”
coach Arthur Pressick tells his team. “But for us, we’ve paid all the money
to get here. We need as much experience as we can because this is the only
chance we ever get to play this game.”

That game is beep baseball, an adapted form of baseball for visually
impaired athletes.

The Blind Jays are the only Canadian team in the U.S.-based NBBA. August was
their third appearance at the world series; 2015 was their first.

Rained out in the middle of the game, they are faced with a choice: forfeit
or continue the next morning, knowing their chances of turning things around
are slim at best.

To Pressick — who is also the team’s manager, pitcher, driver, cook and
co-founder — giving up wasn’t an option.

“We didn’t spend 16 hours in a van together to call a game because of rain,”
said Pressick.

They choose to come back next morning, no matter the outcome.

Play it by ear

Beep baseball traces its origins to 1964, when a telephone company engineer
implanted “a small beeping sound module” into a softball, so blind players
could detect the ball.

Each team has up to four sighted players — the pitcher, catcher and two
spotters — and all other players wear blindfolds. Since players may have
different degrees of visual impairment, this puts everyone on an equal
playing field.

“Honestly, batting with a blindfold on is hilarious,” joked Jays player Ben
Ho-Lung, 19. “It’s really satisfying when you actually hit it. It’s great.”

To play, a sighted pitcher lobs the ball at the batter, who then runs to one
of two “bases” — four-foot-high padded cylinders — that emit their own
high-pitched buzzing noise.

It’s incredible. It’s a rush. Have you ever ran blindfolded? It is something
else.

– Amanda Provan

Fielders from the opposing team must retrieve the rolling, beeping ball
before the runner reaches the base.

“There’s no better feeling than when your bat hits the ball — except for
when you hit that base and it’s a run,” said player Amanda Provan.

“It’s incredible. It’s a rush. Have you ever ran blindfolded? It is
something else.”

Amanda Provan has made new friends through sports. (Sinisa Jolic & Ben
Shannon/CBC)

Blind sports communities

For Provan, 24, who always wanted to play baseball but couldn’t, joining the
Blind Jays was a dream come true.

“I had a really hard time accepting my visual impairment. I was born with
it, and blind sports helped me come to terms with it,” she said.

Her mother Lisette Melantie, who drove her from Sudbury, Ont., to Toronto
for practice, is especially touched to see her daughter’s growth. Melantie?
says when her daughter was younger, she played sighted hockey, but refused
to tell anyone about her condition.

“It was almost like she was embarrassed because she didn’t want people to
treat her differently — and they did, I guess, when they would find out. She
just didn’t want to stand out and be different.”

Now Provan can enjoy sports without those reservations.

“I haven’t spent a lot of time around visually impaired or blind people, and
the community is incredible.”

‘We’ll be back next year’

For player Meghan Mahon, blind sports offered the chance to meet others with
stories similar to her own.

“I myself have a very rare genetic eye condition [called achromatopsia],”
the 22-year-old told CBC Radio. “The doctors said, ‘You won’t meet many
other people with the same condition.’ But they didn’t really bank on me
playing blind sports because I’ve met quite a few people with the same eye
condition.”

Blind Jays catcher Meghan Mahon also played goalball, a soccer-like sport
for the visually impaired, for Canada at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de
Janiero, Brazil. (Sinisa Jolic & Ben Shannon/CBC)

Mahon is a veteran of multiple blind sports, including track and field,
blind hockey and blind soccer. She represented Canada at the 2016 Rio de
Janiero Paralympic Games in goalball — but the beep baseball World Series
still gives her jitters.

It’s the morning after the Jays-Millers game was rained out. The Jays fight
it out to the end, but ultimately lost 17-3. They end this World Series with
a 2-6-0 record, landing at 19th place out of 22 — one worse than the year
prior.

But their resolve didn’t go unrecognized: they won the event’s Sportsmanship
Team Award.

Mahon’s pride is a little bruised by the final score, but she says the team
managed to come out of the trial by fire stronger and with a greater resolve
for future competition.

“You know what? As much as it hurt — it hurt us all to go down that much and
to just let our game slip like that —but I think we pick each other back
up,” she said.

“We’ve definitely grown a whole bunch as a team. We’ve gotten closer as a
family and just our whole team atmosphere has gotten more tight-knit.”

Greetings everyone and I hope that everyone is ready for holiday season
2018.
Halloween is now over and it’s time to start getting into the holiday mode!
Today, I am pleased to share our president’s weekly editorial with you and
for this week Donna J. Jodhan zooms in on the attention dilemma.
Happy weekend everyone
I’m Christian Robicheau

+++++++++++++++

The attention dilemma
By Donna J. Jodhan
We are living in a world where our lives are being ruled more and more by
the demands of technology. Yes, technology and I say this because I
honestly feel that we probably spend most of our waking hours trying to keep
up with technology.

We have to contend with a plethora of so many components of technology;
emails, text messages, posts on social media, and this is just the tip of
the iceberg. Small wonder that we seem to be falling further and further
into a pit when it comes to being able to give sufficient attention to any
part of our lives these days.

There seems to be just too many things that are competing for our attention
these days. Just think about this picture for a few seconds:
You are trying to read and reply to emails both at the same time. You are
also trying to read a text message and while all of this is going on your
cell phone rings with an incoming call.

Wow! So much going on all at once but there is more. While you are trying
to divide your already stretched attention amongst these goings on; your
mind is racing to keep up! It is screaming at you that you need to be doing
something else outside of your computer’s screen! Family things to look
after, personal stuff that needs your immediate attention, and the list is
growing by the minute!

What to do? You are drowning and this is what I call the attention dilemma!
For let’s face it! One’s mind can only handle a certain amount of activity
at any given time and the mind’s span is nowhere being described as
limitless.

My humble solution? First take a very deep breath. Next, sit quietly and
begin the arduous process of prioritizing and organizing. Then start slowly
to tackle the task list.

Not a perfect solution but it is a start.
Just my two cents for today.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific weekend.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly features on how to increase your success with your business ventures
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly articles and editorials on issues about accessibility
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog
Learn more about Author Donna Jodhan and her campaign against bullying at
www.jodhanmysterybook.club
Now you can enjoy Donna’s detective DJ crime crushers Series by visiting
http://www.donnajodhan.com

And now her weekly podcast at www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html
From recipes to apps, and from 5 minutes mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs
and alerts on the latest scams
Available for download from iTunes and Google music play.

You can follow me on twitter @accessibleworld
and chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Now you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
‘Let’s Talk Tips’ is your monthly resource for the most current and reliable
informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media,
Business, and Advocacy.
http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Hello everyone and we at the business desk are introducing a new feature to
help you become more aware of those nasty scams making the rounds.
This is going to be a weekly feature and we hope that you take advantage of
our info as it will help you to stay out of the way of scams and scammers!
It’s all about scam alerts!

You need to remember that scams come in the following formats:
As emails, as phone calls both recorded and via a live caller, and o yes!
It can even show up at your door and in your mailbox.
And now they are targeting us through texts being sent to our cell phones.

Before giving you the latest scams making the rounds; we have some do nots
to share with you.
Do not respond to emails that look strange to you.
Do not download attachments from unknown senders.
Do not share your username and password to your online banking and any other
online payments facilities with anyone.
Do not give out any banking or personal details on the phone to unknown
callers.
Do not pay any attention to threats from automated phone recordings or from
live persons with regard to your credit card or that you owe money to any
revenue agency.
Do not entertain any offers either via email or by phone from senders and
callers offering incredible service packages as they may pertain to cable
and tv services, prizes that you have won, or any sort of any type of
service package.
Do not answer the door to unknown callers.
Take extra caution to make sure that the details of your credit cards and
debit cards are fully protected when you make payments at restaurants or at
stores, pharmacies, and elsewhere.
Do not enter your password for Facebook or Twitter in response to a text
request on your cell phone.
The same if you are asked for your Apple ID.
Do not fall prey to a text message telling you that your banking details
have been compromised online.

Scams of the week –

* New scams:
1. This one is new and it will come to you courtesy a phone call.
The callers are exceedingly aggressive and downright rude.
They call and want to discuss your Hydro rebate.
They call you by name but do not be fooled by this!
Simply ignore and hang up!

2. Persistent emails from a supposed West Jet email address offering you
seat sales for the holidays!
Do not be fooled by these silly emails.
They are fake and you know exactly what to do!
Delete and move on.

* old scams:

2. Emails that bounce but you never sent one.
This is getting to be very hold hat!
Yes, just another scammer trying to entice you to respond and then bingo!
Your info will be exposed if you slip and reply.

2. The Amazon is still hanging around.
You receive a phone call telling you that you have won a prize.
You know what to do; just hang up.

Until next week:

Hello there and welcome to our newest segment: Where we highlight important
articles on topics pertaining to advocacy.

We are introducing this segment based on several requests that we have
received from readers.
Please feel free to send us your feedback and if you wish us to publish your
own articles then by all means send it along to info@sterlingcreations.ca

Please take a moment to subscribe to our newest newsletter:
‘Let’s Talk Tips’ is your monthly resource for the most current and reliable
informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media,
Business, and Advocacy.
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With best wishes
From the business desk team
Follow us on Twitter @accessibleworld

+++++++++++++++

Kids and disability inclusion

Teach your children to make peers with disabilities feel welcome with other
playmates

Sally Lindsay University of Toronto

The Toronto Star Oct. 15, 2018

Social inclusion is a key social determinant of health. Without it, people
are more susceptible to anxiety, depression and poor health outcomes. Young
people with disabilities often experience the consequences of stigma, but we
can all play a part in changing that – even our kids.

There are at least 400,000 children and young adults up to the age of 24
with disabilities in Canada.

At Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Holland Bloorview) where
I work as a senior scientist, our Dear Everybody campaign is raising
awareness of the stigma kids and young adults with disabilities face. At my
academic home, the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine, a campaign
called We All Belong calls upon the community to nurture an environment
where people of all races, genders, sexual orientations and abilities feel
welcomed and respected.

More than half of children with a disability have either no close friends at
all, or only one. Young people with disabilities are two to three times more
likely to be bullied than their peers without disabilities.

I lead the Transitions and Inclusive environments Lab (TRAIL) at Holland
Bloorview’s research institute (the Bloorview Research Institute) where we
develop programs and interventions to help foster welcoming and supportive
environments for youth at school, work and in the community. We’re
especially interested in how young people transition between environments
and from childhood into adulthood.

Earlier this year, we published a study involving young people with and
without disabilities to outline a model for developing what is called
disability confidence, the ability to include and work with a person with a
disability.

The continuum often starts with some discomfort, then moves into people
reaching beyond their comfort zone to begin to understand and minimize
differences between themselves and someone with a disability. This can lead
to broadened perspectives and, ultimately, disability confidence – empathy,
comfort and understanding the abilities of people with a disability.

Right now, much of my work focuses on improving inclusion and employment
opportunities for young people with disabilities because their job rates are
significantly lower than their peers who don’t have disabilities.

But inclusion starts early: kids can play a big role in helping their peers
with disabilities feel welcome and valued.

An important first step is to encourage your child to get to know people
with disabilities – they’re regular people just like everyone else. This can
help eliminate stigma by opening the door for kids to learn what they have
in common with their peers and to consider their perspectives.

It’s also a good idea to teach kids to be mindful of how they speak about
disability, and to role model respectful language ourselves. Consider
person-first wording – instead of saying “disabled person,” use “person with
a disability.” It’s just one part of a person’s identity and doesn’t define
them.

Further, language like “suffers from” or “confined to a wheelchair” implies
people with disabilities have less value than others. Ableist language like
this feeds into the misconception that it isn’t “normal” to have a
disability and contributes to stigma. Instead, use “has a disability” or
“uses a wheelchair.” We shouldn’t view disability as being either tragic or
inspirational.

Talk to your kids about the fact that although not all people are the same,
we can celebrate our differences and find the things we have in common with
others who have a disability. Talk to your child about how they can include
friends with disabilities in a game – for example, maybe there’s a way to
make it easier for a kid in a wheelchair to participate.

For younger kids, this could mean including a peer with a disability in a
game or inviting them to a birthday party.

For teens and young adults, share the message that young people with
disabilities belong in the community, in the classroom and workplace, and
have valuable skills to contribute. Encourage youth to invite their peers
with disabilities to participate in social and community activities.

With a bit of guidance, your child could play an important role in making
change – helping break down barriers for kids with disabilities, from
childhood and beyond.

Sally Lindsay is an associate professor in the Department of Occupational
Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of
Medicine. She is also a senior scientist at the Bloorview Research
Institute. Doctors’ Notes is a weekly column by members of the U of T
Faculty of Medicine.

Hello everyone and we at the business desk are introducing a new feature to
help you become more aware of those nasty scams making the rounds.
This is going to be a weekly feature and we hope that you take advantage of
our info as it will help you to stay out of the way of scams and scammers!
It’s all about scam alerts!

You need to remember that scams come in the following formats:
As emails, as phone calls both recorded and via a live caller, and o yes!
It can even show up at your door and in your mailbox.
And now they are targeting us through texts being sent to our cell phones.

Before giving you the latest scams making the rounds; we have some do nots
to share with you.
Do not respond to emails that look strange to you.
Do not download attachments from unknown senders.
Do not share your username and password to your online banking and any other
online payments facilities with anyone.
Do not give out any banking or personal details on the phone to unknown
callers.
Do not pay any attention to threats from automated phone recordings or from
live persons with regard to your credit card or that you owe money to any
revenue agency.
Do not entertain any offers either via email or by phone from senders and
callers offering incredible service packages as they may pertain to cable
and tv services, prizes that you have won, or any sort of any type of
service package.
Do not answer the door to unknown callers.
Take extra caution to make sure that the details of your credit cards and
debit cards are fully protected when you make payments at restaurants or at
stores, pharmacies, and elsewhere.
Do not enter your password for Facebook or Twitter in response to a text
request on your cell phone.
The same if you are asked for your Apple ID.
Do not fall prey to a text message telling you that your banking details
have been compromised online.

Scams of the week –

* New scams:
1. This one is new and it will come to you courtesy a phone call.
The callers are exceedingly aggressive and downright rude.
They call and want to discuss your Hydro rebate.
They call you by name but do not be fooled by this!
Simply ignore and hang up!

2. Persistent emails from a supposed West Jet email address offering you
seat sales for the holidays!
Do not be fooled by these silly emails.
They are fake and you know exactly what to do!
Delete and move on.

* old scams:

2. Emails that bounce but you never sent one.
This is getting to be very hold hat!
Yes, just another scammer trying to entice you to respond and then bingo!
Your info will be exposed if you slip and reply.

2. The Amazon is still hanging around.
You receive a phone call telling you that you have won a prize.
You know what to do; just hang up.

Until next week: