Thomas Logan of Equal Entry has completed an intriguing project: he has created 86 songs that teach about website accessibility. The result is the WCAG AI Accessibility Album. The album explains the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in music that’s engaging, memorable, and fun. Through AI-generated music and guided by human insight, these compositions show how accessibility can initiate new ways of learning. Learn about the album here: https://equalentry.com/album/
There are lots of reasons to exercise regularly and maintain an active lifestyle. Here are a few:
As with other verbs such as accept, damage, and embarrass, the verb “retard” can become the root word of adjectives by adding -ed (e.g., accepted, damaged, embarrassed, retarded). Verbs can be made into nouns by adding –(t)ion or -ation (e.g., dehumanization, exclusion, marginalization, retardation). Some verbs can also be used as nouns (e.g., bully, damage, respect).
In the early 1900s, intelligence testing was created in order to categorize individuals who might have cognitive developmental delays. “Mental retardation” began to be used as a medical diagnostic term for individuals with lower IQs at about the same time. The wording meant that these people had a slowed mental development.
Then “retard” (accent on the first syllable) became a pejorative noun and “retarded” an insulting adjective. Research in 2010 showed that 92% of youth ages 8-18 years had heard the word “retard” used as a put-down. Other research then showed that about half of YouTube videos used that term negatively.
Why is the pejorative use of “retard” or “retarded” to describe someone a problem? This harsh, harmful slur insults, demeans, and excludes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is a form of harassment that reinforces negative stereotypes, encourages bullying and exclusion, and damages self-esteem. It is an ableist slur.
What terms are preferred? Replace the pejorative use of the words “retard” and “retarded” with more respectful words. To describe an individual, person-first language focuses on the person, not the disability. Say “person with an intellectual disability” or “person with a developmental disability.” The acronym IDD is used to indicate “intellectual and developmental disability.”
Instead of saying an activity, object, or person is “retarded,” use words such as absurd, mistaken, ridiculous, or worthless. Those adjectives are more descriptive and exact, and far less insulting.
“Rosa’s Law” was passed in 2010 to remove these insulting words from US federal health, labor, and education policy. It required changing references to “mental retardation” to a new designation as “intellectual disability” or “intellectual disabilities.” This legislation respects the dignity and right to inclusion of persons with IDD.
What can you do to promote elimination of this derogatory term? Spread the Word to End the Word is a Special Olympics and Best Buddies effort to raise awareness of the impact of the “R-word” on people with intellectual disabilities. Their website offers several suggestions about how to counteract this slur, stop bullying, and promote inclusion.
To learn more about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, please visit the Healthinfo Island poster set titled March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month at the following SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/188/181/24
Reading is a healthy hobby. Did you know it can increase blood flow in the brain, reduce stress, and even improve your writing and conversation skills? And yes, listening to audio books also counts as reading.
We can’t all get to our local library on a weekly basis, order lots of books from Amazon, or drive to a monthly book club meeting. Here are some virtual options to sustain your reading habit.
Ask your local library if they have a program to lend books online. Many do!
Book clubs are meetings where a group of readers gather to talk about what they have read. These are casual social events, both educational and fun. Book clubs may be single-title, where discussion is of a book that all in the group have read, or they may be multi-title, where each member reads something of interest and shares about it with other club members. Often hosted by libraries, face-to-face book clubs have been popular for centuries. There are also online book clubs. You can find online clubs that meet on Zoom or other videoconferencing platforms here:
https://bookclubs.com/join-a-book-club/online
Some book clubs meet in virtual worlds! A list has been compiled by the Community Virtual Library group here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YWw07Va0y7zVWuQIWaxQtGSDOwqR3-eSrkT_t0Vi474/edit?tab=t.0
Virtual Ability has its own book club, First Sunday VAI Book Club. It meets (you guessed it) on the first Sunday of every month at noon SLT on the patio of the Cape Serenity Library, and it’s open to the public. Here’s the SLURL:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape%20Serenity/72/113/23
We each read or listen to whatever we want and share why we liked (or didn’t like) a book we read during the previous month. It’s a great way to learn from others about book titles or authors you might want to add to your To Read Soon list.
The Cape Serenity Library is a specialty library. It includes only works written by authors with disabilities. You will find novels, nonfiction, articles, and poetry by SL authors and classical works by authors who you may not have known had disabilities. The collection includes works on notecards, SL wearable books, works at URLs, and even audio books. Come on in and browse the offerings:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape%20Serenity/79/124/23
For your reading pleasure, there’s a cozy Frank-Lloyd-Wright-style space on Healthinfo Island you might want to check out. Daisyblue’s Reading Room is dedicated to VAI’s first Consumer Health Librarian. Inside the book-themed building you will find comfy chairs where you can relax and read, whether it’s a Second Life notecard, a virtual webpage, or a real life book. Stop by and enjoy the quiet ambience:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/70/189/33
Reading really is good for your health. Learn more on Healthinfo Island this month at the “Why You Should Read More” poster exhibit here:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/98/40/26
For more information on how to celebrate Reading Month, check out this link below:
https://www.rif.org/national-reading-month
On National Slam the Scam Day on March 5th and throughout the year, the Social Security Administration gives you the tools to recognize Social Security-related scams and stop scammers from stealing your money and personal information.
Help protect your loved ones and people in your community this Slam the Scam Day by learning about the latest scams. Information can empower you to quickly recognize a scam. Signs of a scam include:
Report scams as soon as possible. Victims shouldn't be embarrassed if they shared personal information or suffered a financial loss. We are all vulnerable to scams, and keeping informed is key like sharing a Scam Alert fact sheet which helps to educate others about how to protect themselves. Report Social Security-related scams to the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Visit www.ssa.gov/scam for more information and follow SSA OIG on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest scam tactics. Repost #SlamtheScam information on social media to keep your friends and family informed and safe.
Many people feel groggy or tired when the time changes in spring. Disrupted sleep schedules have negative impacts on the body’s circadian rhythms. Hospital admissions increase at this time of year, as do car crashfatalities. Stress at the start of DST causes elevated production of cortisoland inflammatory markers, with more heart attacks and strokes.
How can you avoid these potentially life-threatening consequences of the switch to Daylight Savings Time?
Officially, Daylight Savings Time (where it is in effect) begins at 2am Sunday morning. It’s probably more efficient to turn your alarm clock ahead at bedtime on Saturday night so you don’t miss out on Sunday morning events. Start shifting your sleep schedule slightly backwards about 2-3 days earlier in the week of the time change. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and heavy meals within 2-3 hours of when you go to bed.
Ensure propersleep hygiene- keeping your bedroom dark, cool, quiet, and free of electronic devices. Get a 10-15 minute dose of morning sunlight as soon as you wake up. If you need a daytime nap because of extra fatigue, make it a short one so it doesn’t interfere with your night’s sleep.
Be prepared to spring forward with energy and good health on the morning of March 8.
