Jose Feliciano at the CNE Bandshell

In August I saw Latin American folk singer Jose Feliciano play a show at the CNE Bandshell (Toronto). At 69, he is still in good, strong voice. Here is a clip from the show, where he revisits his cover of "California Dreamin'."

My favourite song of Summer 2014

During the summer, Chicago, one of my favourite bands, released their 36th album, Now (aka Chicago XXXVI). The title track became my favourite song over the summer. The song connects deeply with me, and I take its message to my heart and mind. I listen to it often, because I wish to apply its message to my life every single day.

Though Chicago's newer songs get less attention than their older material, I believe "Now" blends in well alongside their classic '70s and '80s hits. If you listen to this song 'now' you'll understand what I mean.

Chicago must be doing something right since their music continues to be enjoyed by fans old and new. They still record and tour frequently. I like how Chicago sounds... now.

The Corries' "Flower of Scotland"

Inspiration for Innovation: How disabilities are changing big business

Meeting the man behind Big Bird (and Oscar the Grouch)

Me with Caroll Spinney, plus two of his closest friends from Sesame Street

On April 27 of this year, a documentary film called I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story made its world premiere at the HotDocs festival in Toronto. In case you don't know who Mr. Spinney is, you've likely grown up hearing his voice on the now 45-year-old children's TV show Sesame Street.

Spinney has performed both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since the series began. At 80 years old, he is the last of the original Muppet performers who can still be heard regularly on the show every weekday morning. He has lived an extraordinary and rewarding life, and I highly recommend seeing his movie. I don't like to give spoilers, except to say that through some dramatic highs and lows, Caroll Spinney has managed to maintain his artistic integrity as an actor, animator, singer and comic performer.

One of my favourite moments in I Am Big Bird is his fond remembrance of Jim Henson, his late mentor and best friend.



Spinney, like Henson, comes across as a gentle genius. I saw the film four days after its premiere with a packed audience. After the screening, he and the two directors appeared and took some questions from the audience. I even got to ask him a question about a book I loved as a child, How to Be a Grouch. Spinney, who wrote and illustrated the book credited to Oscar the Grouch, shared that he came up with the book's concept as a self-book for aspiring grouches.

A few minutes after leaving the theatre, I got to meet him! He was warm and friendly, and genuinely pleased to meet with some of his lifelong fans. At one point during our conversation, he asked me if I had the same physical disability as Tarah Schaeffer, a former child actress who acted on Sesame Street during the '90s. The question didn't bother me because I remembered seeing her on the show. In fact, I was honoured he mentioned her because I told him I had made contact with her on Facebook. He seemed quite impressed!

Here is a profile of Caroll Spinney done by CBC earlier this year.



I enjoyed meeting Spinney and watching his film. Meeting him and seeing I Am Big Bird is an early nominee for personal favourite moment of 2014.

As I said goodbye to Caroll Spinney, he said, as Big Bird, "Nice to meet you," followed by "Have a rotten day" in his Oscar voice.

My trip to Indianapolis

This summer I took a road trip to the USA. The main reason was to attend a conference in Indianapolis for people living with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), or brittle bones. It was my third conference with the Maryland-based Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation. 

My trip actually began in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where my parents and I spent the night before going to Chicago, Illinois. The most notable thing about Kalamazoo is that it is mentioned in a famous big band song by Glenn Miller, called “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.” Needless to say, I did not get a gal in Kalamazoo. I did however have a good meal at Applebee’s and a restful night’s sleep at the hotel we stayed at.

The following day we drove to the north side of Chicago for a baseball game between the Cubs and the Colorado Rockies. The game was played at the historic Wrigley Field. At 100 years old this year, Wrigley is one of the last of the old ballparks still standing. I enjoyed the experience of being at Wrigley Field. It was a dream come true for me to watch a game there, and right at centre field. Wrigley is accessible as can be, despite the fact that it is old and not designed for accessibility. All visitors with disabilities require assistance getting on and off the lifts, because they cannot be operated easily.

What I liked most about Wrigley Field, aside from seeing a baseball game, was the friendly staff. They were eager to help anyone, and didn’t hesitate to greet people with a wave and a smile. The Cubs won the game 4-2.

Donald inside Wrigley Field in Chicago

Getting in and out of Chicago wasn’t as fun due to bridge congestion on the south side. It was worth seeing Chicago again for the second time in my life. The long waits in and out of the city were worth it.

Late that night we arrived in Indiana. The conference began the following day, a Friday. At the opening address, the guest speaker said Indianapolis is one of the most accessible and disability-friendly cities in America. I put that theory to the test throughout that weekend.

A few hours before the conference started, I went on one of the city’s buses operated by the IndyGo transportation service. I wanted to explore the city by venturing outside of the downtown area where our hotel was located. IndyGo requires all wheelchair users to be tied down when boarding a bus. That was the best part of going on one of their buses. The worst part of the ride was making frequent stops on a ride that should have only been 20 minutes long. I decided instead to go back to the hotel. What I discovered, however, was that some of the streets do not have sidewalks. This made crossing the road dangerous and scary. Fortunately some kind residents guided me along to the other side of the street. I arrived back to the hotel safely by bus.

I love going to OI Foundation conferences because it keeps me updated on the latest research on OI, and also gives me a chance to reconnect with other people who live with this condition. It also provides opportunities to meet new people with OI and their families. It is estimated that this year’s conference drew in 800 participants. Though most of them were from the U.S, there were other people from Canada who attended. I also learned there were visitors from England, Denmark and Norway, giving the conference some international representation.

One of the highlights for me was meeting Robby Novak, better known to the world as the Kid President. He’s a 10-year-old boy from Tennessee who posts inspirational pep talks in a series of videos on YouTube and Facebook. He is just as lively and energetic as he presents himself in his videos. When I met him, I let him know I am a fan. (Robby, along with his sister Lexi, has OI.)

Donald meets the Kid President

In-between conference events I explored some of downtown Indianapolis. This included a unique bike and pedestrian pathway at a park across from the hotel. The Indianapolis Cultural Trail is eight miles long, and promotes accessibility to people with disabilities by including the wheelchair symbol along its paths. The pathways opened to the public in May 2013. 

One of these paths leads into the White River State Park. This park includes several attractions, one of which is the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Headquarters and Hall of Fame. We stopped in briefly to look around, but didn’t stay for any tours. It is an impressive-looking building I think most sports fanatics will enjoy.

We took in a baseball game between the Indianapolis Indians and the Toledo Mud Hens. The OI Foundation sponsored the game played at Victory Field. A bonus that evening was getting to see the visiting San Diego Chicken, the Padres’ mascot! This popular major league mascot visits several minor league ballparks during the baseball season, with Victory Field being one of his favourites. The game went into 10 innings. Fortunately the Indianapolis team won 4-3!

Does this former Indy ballplayer wear his sunglasses at night?

The conference concluded with an awards dinner and dance. The foundation also announced that the next conference will take place in Orlando in 2016. I hope I can make it to that one.

As for my informal assessment of Indianapolis as a disability-friendly city, I believe it is a welcoming and inclusive city. The people I met were all friendly and I sense that the city has applied the Americans with Disabilities Act effectively, with more improvements to come. Though it has some shortcomings, particularly with the absence of some much-needed sidewalks, Indianapolis is impressive overall. I’m glad the OI Foundation picked it as the site for its 2014 conference.

RIP Joan Rivers