PEI's Mark Arendz won Silver in the Men's Individual Standing Para Biathalon on Sunday March 8, 2026. This medal is his 13th Paralympic medal over five Paralympic appearances. In an interview after the race he said, "It is a tough field, you're looking at it and I don't know top six only missed one [shot], so there's very little separating us and I think that's exciting and what's changed since I first started". He's happy to see that there are more and more serious contenders at the top of the field, which shows more growth and support for Para Sports worldwide. Arendz is well know on PEI and the provincial nordic ski park is named after him, in honour of his athletic accomplishments. 

The CBC coverage of this and other Paralympic events is Accepting, Respecting, and Valuing. It's easy to see that the commentators and reporters all have genuine respect for the athletes and see them as the high-performing competitors they are. While watching the Women's Individual Seated Para Biathalon, I noted that the commentators were warm and had genuine praise for the athletes, while still noting mistakes and poor form. It was clear that they had a true passion for the sport and wanted to celebrate the athletes without putting them up on a pedestal. Personally, I found it really interesting to watch. The ski-sledges they use for the seated event have fixed parallel skis on the bottom, and it's really cool to see how much balance and control is needed in order to handle the corners. The athletes all have extremely muscular shoulders and arms too, which is very, very cool! 

One thing to note is the terminology and categorization system, which is decided by the International Paralympic Committee, and falls within the medical model and uses person-first language. Part of this shows up as commentators referring to which "degree of impairment" category the athletes are competing in, for example: no torso control, partial leg control, etc. These distinctions are important in determining the "factored time", which is used to determine the final standings, but it's very clinical and controversial. Athletes have reported that the process of being categorized by level of impairment is stressful and dehumanizing. Boccia player Alison Levine shared in 2024 that, "I always get the feeling that you're being treated as if they think automatically everyone's trying to fake their disability or get into a lower class. … Instead of, this is what this person has, let's see their capabilities." As Para Sports continue to grow on the international stage more advocacy is required to overcome this problem. 

On February 10, 2026 a mass shooting occurred in Tumbler Ridge BC at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and in a nearby home. This was the deadliest school shooting in Canada since the École Polytechnique shooting in Montreal in 1989. This incident has raised questions about the lack of accessible mental health care in Northern BC and other rural areas, and has shed light on the concerning phenomenon of youth consulting LLMs for advice and social support. 

Reportedly, the shooter's mother, who was one of the victims, had tried to get her daughter adequate help with her mental health problems, but had been unsuccessful. This lack of success was because of lack of resources, according to the mother of one of the injured victims and the shooter's grandparents. The shooter had previously been taken to the hospital by police under the Mental Health Act, but she was released without an adequate follow up plan in place. This is a pattern in Northern BC, and the lack of in-person mental health services, including in-school counsellors and inadequately prepared psychiatric wards are to blame. 

On top of that, after the Tumbler Ridge shooting, it came to light that the shooter had been using ChatGPT to plan the attack. Apparently her account had been suspended by OpenAI for the concerning use, but they did not alert authorities. Because of this people have been putting pressure on Open AI to take accountability. The mother of one of the wounded victims is pressing charges because of the failure to report and also that ChatGPT was designed to agree with the user, and act as a "counsellor, pseudo-therapist, trusted confidante, friend, and ally" which allegedly encouraged her to perpetrate the attack. 

The lack of effective mental health care and encouragement from ChatGPT created the perfect storm to produce a school shooting. In Module 9 we learned about "Mad People's History", and the void in care left in the wake of deinstitutionalization. We see the consequences of this to this day in rural and remote areas in Canada. We're out of the frying pan and into the fire; free from the abuses of institutionalization, but without adequate oversight and care for those at high risk for harming themselves and others. 

Kaelynn Partlow is an Autistic Therapist and Advocate who is well know for her short-form content on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. She also appeared on Netflix's Love on the Spectrum. In July 2025 she posted a video to her YouTube channel called New ABA Therapy- Kaelynn & Dr Tarbox, where she interviewed Dr. Tarbox who she introduced as one of the leading voices in ABA Therapy. During the discussion he highlights the importance of assent and psychological safety for the client, as well as using their signals of discomfort as an sign to immediately stop. ABA Therapy has been controversial because it can be used coercively to control vulnerable clients, therapists would withhold special interests and try to stop stimming, and it was used for conversion therapy. According to Dr. Tarbox these practices are considered unethical and there has been a huge shift away from them. There's also a shift towards listening to Autistic voices with respect and compassion, which caused a shift in which behaviours are targeted. Now therapists and people using an ABA approach listen to what's important to the Autistic person, and not necessarily what authority figures decide. This "New ABA" aligns closely with what we've been learning at Sheridan, in the Autism course. We learned that it's important to choose appropriate reinforcers, and to accept when a student declines to participate, pause, and try another approach. 

The Pitt is a medical drama that takes place in a busy and chaotic ER in Pittsburg Pensylvania. Each episode of a season takes place over one hour of the day shift, with the whole season representing the workday. The show focuses on the hospital staff navigating the broken American health care system, while attending to everything from traumatic emergencies to abandoned babies. Season 2 has been released weekly on Thursdays starting on January 8, 2026. 

In Season 2 Episode 1, Harlow Graham (Jessica Flores) is introduced as a patient presenting with neck pain. Her storyline is important because it shows a realistic depiction of the barriers she experiences as a Deaf patient. First she has her name called by the triage nurse, but since the nurse didn't notice the interpreter request in her file, she missed her turn. When the nurse notices the mistake she brings Harlow back to a room. Dr. Santos (Isa Briones) picks up her case, which is notable because Dr. Santos is very impatient and grouchy in general, and this is no exception. One of the RNs, Princess (Kristin Villanueva), can sign a bit, so she interprets while Dr. Santos tries to take Harlow's history, but she's not familiar with the signs for Harlow's complaint, so Dr. Santos gets frustrated and leaves abruptly. Harlow is clearly in pain and Princess apologizes for Dr. Santos, calling her "crabby". 

Next they wheel in a monitor with a virtual interpreter, and they try to take the history again, but the screen freezes and Santos storms out again with no explanation to Harlow. Harlow is visibly frustrated. Dr. Santos is about to order some tests, but another doctor encourages her to wait for the interpreter. When the interpreter finally arrives, they start taking the history again, but then Dr. Santos is called away on another case, so Harlow has to wait again. This time, at least she has the interpreter for company and they complain about the virtual interpreter together. 

When she comes back they can finally take the history and Dr. Santos realizes the problem is easily treatable with a steroid injection and advises her to sit up while typing, rather than lying down. She realizes she almost ordered a bunch of unnecessary tests by being too impatient. Harlow is finally discharged after seven hours since her name was first called in the waiting room (Episodes 1-8). 

The barriers Harlow faced while trying to access medical care are extensive. First, they didn't get her attention in an accessible way, then they didn't have an interpreter, her doctor was rude to her because of the communication difficulties, and the communication barrier almost cost her a lot of money in unnecessary tests. This is a great example of the social model of disability; it's not Harlow's Deafness that's the problem, it's the barriers at the hospital that are the problem. This is, unfortunately, a very realistic depiction of the barriers Deaf and Hard of Hearing people face when trying to access services. 

Diana Cowern, also known as Physics Girl on YouTube, posted a new science video on March 3, 2026. This is remarkable because three years ago she contracted COVID-19 and has been dealing with disability from long COVID ever since. In the intervening time there have been three videos posted on her behalf about her health and how she's managing her disability. The comment section of her new video is a celebration that she felt well enough to record a new science video about a topic she's excited by. 

Diana is a beacon of hope for folks living with ME/CFS and long COVID as told by commenters. YouTube user CarliPike says, "This is the first comment I have ever made to any video. I feel great joy that you have returned. What a triumph.  As a 73 year-old woman with long COVID and CFS/ME for nearly four years, I have followed your recovery closely. You are a beacon of resilience and hope." User Antikyth responds, "I have been suffering from ME/CFS for two years. Not COVID related. I had to drop out of university, quit my job as an embedded engineer, and now I can barely leave my bed, I can't work on any of my own projects :( " The comments are full of people like this sharing their stories and wishing Diana well. 

I've heard ME/CFS and long Covid referred to as doubly invisible, not only because the person has no visible indicators of disability, but because they can't get out of bed, let alone out of the house on bad days. It's also a highly stigmatized condition and people with it are often accused of faking it for attention, or being too lazy to care for themselves. This is nonsense. The mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, doesn't work properly in ME/CFS, leading to a fundamental lack of energy for the body. And as my friend, Eleanor Robinson, who has it put it, "This disability has robbed both myself and society of a world where I could reach my full potential." You can read her whole statement on this other page. She has been living with ME/CFS since 2010. 

The Canada Disability Benefit program started in July 2025, and it received mixed reviews from disability advocates on PEI according to a CBC article from June 20, 2025. Glen Flood of Spinal Cord Injury PEI said that any increase in funding is a good thing for disabled people living in poverty. Advocates such as Christopher Weekes of Pat and the Elephant, and Laura Brehaut of Brain Injury Association of PEI point out that the promised "up to $200 per month" is too low to cover disability related expenses or cost of living. On top of that, the amount people are entitled to decreases based on the person or couple's income if it's over a threshold of $23 000 or $32 500 respectively. So some people may only be eligible for $40-$80/month despite having a need for more support. The Federal Government claims the Benefit is meant to supplement the Provincial benefit, which is why it's low. 

This model of Disability Benefits is similar to what we learned about in Disability Issues about the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), namely that the amounts are too low and decrease based on factors that don't necessarily indicate a lower level of financial need. A better approach would be Universal Basic Income, which would provide unconditional income support and directly fight poverty. 

The long-anticipated TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) light rail Eglinton line 5 opened on February 8, 2026. The new stations on that line are fully accessible, in contrast to the original Line 1 stations in downtown Toronto, for which an elevator installation project is underway. On my trip to explore the new line I found that each new station has automatic doors, a spacious elevator, and tactile pathways. There are nice, spacious, single occupancy accessible washrooms with low sinks and hand-dryers, and automatic doors with push-to-lock buttons. The gap between the platform and the train is less than 2 cm, the train direction and terminal station are clearly displayed and announced aloud in English and French, and each station is shown on a monitor and announced aloud in English and French as the train travels. There is room near each door for wheelchair parking, more room than on the subway cars and streetcars, and the ride is smooth for minimal jostling. The above ground stops are all accessible by ramp. According to the TTC website, the elevators have 2-way intercom and Braille instructions for what to do if the elevator breaks down. Accessibility disruptions, like elevator maintenance are announced on the TTC website and transit app, so you can plan your trip. Google Maps also shows these disruptions, but is less reliable than getting your information from the source, in my experience. 

Something to keep in mind is that not all entrances to the stations are accessible. Each station has underground paths to the far side of the intersection, but those are typically stairs-only. Also keep in mind that some Line 5 stations are deep underground and would be difficult to escape in an emergency if you have mobility concerns.

YouTuber notsmoothsteve made a review video documenting Line 5 on opening day. He doesn't have an accessibility focus, but you can see some of the accessibility features in the video. 

Physical barriers to accessibility are important to address, as we learned early on in this course. It's good to see that the TTC is taking steps to improve accessibility so everyone can make use of the system to get around the city and connect to other public transit systems. Similar to the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program we learned about in the autism course, the TTC uses the "Please Offer Me a Seat" Program to help people advocate for themselves on transit. You can get a free badge or card at any station collector booth. 

The PEI community of Scotchfort is getting a new and much-needed medical centre. The old one is simply too small for the growing community. In an interview with Chief Junior Gould and Abegweit First Nation Director of Health Gerard Gould CBC reported last spring that investing in the community by adding dental and pharmacy services among other services will help support elders and growing indigenous families to stay in the community. The Abegweit First Nation Health and Wellness Centre currently provides a weekly medical clinic, and various targeted programs such as sexual wellness, diabetes management, and immunization clinics. They provide an Enhanced Home and Community Care program for Disabled community members including a specific focus on Elders. 

With the new medical centre coming soon, the plan is to expand disability services in the community and give people the option to stay. Chief Junior Gould explained that having in-house services is important to community members, especially elders who feel uncomfortable going into Charlottetown for services because of the discrimination they face there. Health Director Gerard Gould also shared that being able to provide health care more independently is a point of pride, saying, "It gives us a chance to flex on the federally accredited facility that we've been running for over six years now. A lot of pride in our team to show the broader community what we can and can't do."

Speaking of the "broader community", there's another quote from the article to unpack: "The new health centre is being located in the front of the community to provide services to the Abegweit First Nation — all of its community, from its youngest to its oldest — but also provide services to Islanders that are in need of such services". It's telling that Gould uses the term "Islanders" to refer to non-indigenous residents of PEI, the term has long been used by white settlers against newcomers to the island. It's common knowledge that "you're not a real islander unless both your parents were born here". My white family and I have been outsiders to that definition since we moved there in 1998. The fact that indigenous islanders are also excluded from the definition of Islander, is absolutely bananas. They were literally there first! 

All this to say there are intersectional impacts on disabled Mi'kmaq people living in Scotchfort and hopefully this new medical centre will help decrease barriers and increase support.