Donate | Sitemap | Contact Us | Français 
Newspaper Interview: After breakfast, a newspaper reporter from Hokkaido Shimbun Press came to interview me about the book I wrote and illustrated, There’s Lint in Your Bellybutton”. It had just been printed in Japanese and people could now buy it in Japan’s biggest bookstores. I was so excited to see it printed in hard cover and for sale in a far away country on the other side of the world! The money from this book will be donated to Ability on Line, so Martha and George wore "Ability on Line" shirts to celebrate.
Martha, George and me, showing the Japanese edition of my book. (Note the official Ability on Line shirts!)
Sapporo’s wheelchair van A wheelchair taxi with a lift picked me up and slid me and my wheelchair right into the middle of the van! I’d never seen a van do this before! Usually you have to drive the chair in yourself. The driver took me to the International Plaza, where there were men with cameras and another interviewer who was waiting to ask me questions about life in Canada with a disability.
The wheelchair van waiting for me.
Getting into the wheelchair van.
Television interview The interviewer wanted to know about accessibility and jobs and schools and getting help with everyday things in Canada, like dressing and getting in and out of bed. She also wanted to know about transportation. “How do you get around in Toronto?” she asked. “How can a person with a wheelchair and a ventilator possibly travel to so many different places and countries?
The camera crew and interviewer waiting for me.
Being interviewed on camera.
The video crew following me outside.
Filming Outside Then we went outside and the video crew filmed me exploring the streets of Sapporo. I discovered that the sidewalks are different in Sapporo. They have a strange yellow trail in the middle and yellow strips on every street corner. Boy, were these bumpy for someone in a wheelchair, but they are a very big help to people with another kind of disability. Can you guess what disability this would be?
Sapporo sidewalks.
Sapporo street corners.
Being filmed in Odori Park.
The film crew followed me into Odori Park, where many families were having lunch and enjoying the sunshine. We were getting hungry too, so Noriko starting looking for a restaurant with great "Japanese" food. What will she find for us to eat? I wondered. Raw fish? Sushi? Fish eggs? Noodles? Seaweed? Hmmmm! I hope we like it!
