Disability Studies

One of the interesting things that I have noticed in the last few years is the traffic on my website from educational institutions, mainly universities.

I believe that some people participating in a relatively newer program of study called "Disability Studies" are beginning to notice the book "Travels in a Blue Chair" !!

This is a wonderful development. Imagine if this book could be a textbook in a faculty program?

AMI TV , interview will be next week, and air June 2

I have spoken with Paul from AMI TV and we have scheduled an interview for early next week.  The format will be a 15 minute spot discussing "Travels in a Blue Chair".

It will be great to further expose my travels and short stories to the visually impaired community, especially as the book is in the US Library of Congress as an audio book !!

AMI TV, contact from Robert.

Great news! I have been contacted by Robert at AMI TV and they are going to review where I fit into things over there. So this is very encouraging.

More info soon, once the interview about "Travels in a Blue Chair", has been scheduled.  Thanks for the feedback Robert!

AMI TV

Great news is that I am trying to interest AMI TV in an interview in the near future! AMI is Accessible Media Inc. and they have a cable channel geared to disability.

The channel has descriptive audio on all programs, which assists the visually impaired to "watch" TV.

Additionally, there are a number of programs for all disabilities.

It should be fun!

Happy New Year !! GoodReads.com

Well, another year of writing this blog has come to an end.

The great thing about writing a book like "Travels in a Blue Chair", about backpacking and travelling the world alone in a wheelchair, is the great feedback you receive from other disabled people who are challenging themselves to get out and see the world.  Or, even the next town, as one person from Europe, who was in a power chair, wrote me!!

The website Good Reads has been a new outlet to try to get some new exposure and it is very nice, to receive feedback from readers and to see them mark it as "to read" on their virtual bookshelves.

So I would like to wish you and your family, dear reader, a very happy and well travelled new year!! Go safely.

New wheelchair

Once again the time has been fast approaching to start looking around for a new blue chair.  It is amazing to see how fast a person who is active can wear out a chair.

I remember a buddy of mine from wheelchair rugby days who made chairs and called his "the chair you wear" !! I always loved that motto,  You really do wear your chair, and this current one, which I have had for 5 years now, has been a bit of a lemon, with armrests breaking all the time and not swinging away.

Oh well, I can look forward to a new travelling buddy in the near future, for some new adventures and chapters, in "Travels in a Blue Chair" !!

Back to the Future!

I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the Dominican Republic earlier this month.

Not backpacking, but just relaxing on a resort with an old friend and two of his work buddies.  I was very lucky, since my front wheel broke on my way out the door to the plane. I scrambled to get back into my abode and salvage a wheel off and old chair.  When we arrived, the resort's handyman helped put the new one on and I was able to relax without worrying about falling out of my chair!!

Reminds me of a story from "Travels in a Blue Chair"!!

Some questions from Chad

I received some great feedback about "Travels in a Blue Chair", from a disabled fan named Chad. He really enjoyed the stories and it has been a motivating factor in his decision to go backpacking in a chair himself!

Chad has forwarded a number of questions about his upcoming travels and is going to take a camera with him, as he is a documentary film maker! I really look forward to learning more about his trip as it happens and seeing the film, once it is complete!!

Good luck Chad and keep travelling!

An uplifting book

I received an email from someone who recently read "Travels in a Blue Chair" and really seemed to enjoy it! Here is a quote from the email...

" I saw you on Breakfast TV (I think) a few years ago and finally remembered to pick up up your book.  It was great!  I knew you were a traveler but had no idea how much and how far you have gone.  Your character really shines though and I wish everyone could share your perspective on life.  Very uplifting.  There are so many kind and helpful people in the world but sad that our media is completely focused on the opposite.  Will there be a part 2?"

It is always so nice when an author gets this kind of feedback!! As for the answer to your question...stay tuned...you may be surprised !!

Christopher Reeve Foundation

I was reviewing the website for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and noticed that "Travels in a Blue Chair" was listed a resource book for disabled travellers.  I am so honoured to be included in this list.

I am hoping that any individual with mobility problems will be able to make the effort to get out and see as much of the world as is possible!

Thanks to all at the foundation for their great work on spinal cord research!

Disabled passengers

One of the nicest things about writing a book about backpacking across the world in a blue chair is that sometimes you are asked to put the knowledge you have gained and put it to good use for the benefit of other disabled passengers in various forms of travel.

I have been working in the background to ensure that disabled travel passengers will have safe and efficient trips in the future. You never know what positive things will come out of writing a book!!

Spring Book Fairs - disabled traveller

With the advent of Spring on the horizon, I will be looking forward to checking out the various events in the area, and participating!

It is always so nice to meet and greet and let more people know about "Travels in a Blue Chair".

Keep tuned into this page for updates on the events I will be attending in 2012.

Follow me on Twitter

I have now created an account on Twitter, so I will be tweeting all things new and exciting.

BlueChairBook on Twitter!

You can follow me by using the link above. Enjoy!

Kindle edition of Travels in a Blue Chair

Great news! Travels in a Blue Chair is now available on Kindle as an eBook to be downloaded from Amazon.

You can take my adventures with you on the morning train, on the plane or anywhere you want to read it easily and electronically!

Here is the link....

Travels in a Blue Chair - the Kindle edition eBook

Happy Travels!

Word on the Street Festival

I have contacted Nicola, the festival director of the "Word on the Street Festival", which is held in the city each September. It is a great author's event held at Queen's Park right in the centre of town.

I am hoping they are interested in learning more about books on the disabled experience! I think it would be a great event to showcase "Travels in a Blue Chair", and open some eyes to the book loving general public. Here's hoping!

Accessibility Toronto - Rogers TV show

I have contacted the local cable TV show "Accessibility Toronto", to see if they would be interested in an interview this year?

The program is great, and features accomplishments of the disabled community in the city.

I am hoping to hear back from them in the next few weeks and will keep you posted!

Another year comes to an end.

It is hard to believe that another year of this bloggiary is coming to an end soon!

This year has been quite eventful with appearances, interviews and even some travels! My travel experiences this year were quite interesting in both a good and a bad way. More to come on the bad part later on.

I will say a special "Thank You" to each of you who have read this page and those of you who have supported "Travels in a Blue Chair" over these last 4 years!

Happy New Year!

GoodReads.com - author page

Serge, a buddy of mine who is a great reader, recently told me about the website GoodReads. He is an avid reader and urged me to participate as an author to try to spread the word about the book.

I have set up an "Author's Page", although it is quite sparse just now. I am trying to determine the best approach, and will be updating it regularly. The website urges me to run a contest to raise interest so I will be considering that.

Here is a look so far...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6933375-travels-in-a-blue-chair

Gretzky is a great guy!

I recently attended an event for the local hospital last night, and the guest speaker was Wayne Gretzky! Wayne is only the greatest hockey player of all time and does quite a lot of charity work now that he is in his retirement.

As I was enjoying a glass of wine and some sushi, someone to my left stuck out his hand for me to shake. Since I am in a chair, I didn't see who it was at first, as his head is at a different level than mine, but I shook the hand without thinking. It turned out to be Wayne!!

I told him my "Gretzky story", about how I was in the old Buffalo Aud when he scored a natural hat trick in the third period to win the game 3-2, and in doing so, he broke Phil Esposito's NHL goal scoring record. He laughed when I told him I was annoyed with him, because he scored all the goals at the other end of the ice, since I was behind the Oilers net that night.

I gave him a signed copy of my book, Travels in a Blue Chair, and he was really interested. Later, when it was time for my picture to be taken with him, he even remembered my name, likely because it is also his dad's name. On the way out he again called my name and said he looked forward to reading it.

Wayne is well known for his mild mannered demeanor and being a nice guy. He really is too!

Toronto Public Library - speaking @ Pape and Danforth

I have been contacted by Alice at the Pape and Danforth branch of the Toronto Public Library about speaking about "Travels in a Blue Chair" in the spring!

One of the great things I enjoy is being able to reach out to readers and travellers alike, especially at libraries. One of my most memorable was in Haldimand-Norfolk, when I packed the house with enthusiastic readers!

I am really looking forward to getting out there and meeting the group at the Pape and Danforth branch in a short while. Thanks Alice!