Traditionally May is MCS and MCS/ES Awareness Month.
After decades of awareness raising, it’s time to move on to welcoming action and accommodation, don’t you think?
Are people with MCS/ES, often referred to as Human Canaries, actually welcome in this world?
If you are a person with MCS/ES, please share in the comments if and how you are being accommodated and welcomed (or not) in this world.
If you are a person who doesn’t have MCS/ES, please share in the comments how you are accommodating and welcoming people with MCS/ES into the world.
May is MCS Awareness Month, and there’s a new fb page just for this!
MCS Awareness Month https://www.facebook.com/MCSawarenessmonth/
If you are on fb, please go “like” the new page, and then click on ‘following’ to choose “see first” so that you can see all the curated material that will get shared over the course of the month, making it easy for you to ‘like’ and share the posts with your fb (and other social media) circles.
As many have noted, much of the world has had to adopt a ‘lifestyle’ much like we human canaries and other people with disabilities have been living for years, albeit without so many of the additional challenges that disabilities and chronic illnesses bring to surviving daily life.
It would be nice to think that this small taste of what we have been living for a long time will bring about more compassion, empathy, and changes of heart that will inspire people to remove accessibility barriers and welcome us in the world when everyone else is released from isolation.
To that end, we need people to know we exist, as more often than not, there is little to no understanding, or it is trivialized. Sharing info on social media is known to create change, so let’s all be a part of making a better, healthier, and accessible world for everyone. ♥
p.s.
Please leave a comment here if you know of any other groups or people who have organized events or material for MCS (and related) Awareness Month 2020, so that we can all support each other.
Posted in Accessibility, Action, Community, Disability, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Health Promotion, Human Rights, Inspiration, Support
Tagged allergies, asthma, awareness month, chemical sensitivity, EHS, environmental illness, GWS, invisible disabilities, MCS, migraines, multiple chemical sensitivities, Sick Building Syndrome, TILT, toxic brain injury
Two new petitions have been brought to my attention. Both of them are on change.org.
Please sign and share if you are able:
Make all health care facilities and services “fragrance free.”
…”Please ask the secretary of HHS to provide leadership on addressing this issue and require all health care facilities and service providers to be scent free.”…
and
Stop the Human Rights Violations of Disabled British Columbians.
…”Health supporting housing is needed for low income British Columbians living with MCS. Currently there is no safe, affordable housing in BC for people with this chronic illness. In fact, the housing that is available is making people with MCS more ill by exposing them to off gassing building materials, strong chemicals used in building maintenance, laundry venting, cigarette smoke, and toxicant containing household and body products used by fellow renters.” …
Dream big! 
What would you wish for? Continue reading
Dear Minister of Health, we’re ready for action!
According to official statistics:
250,000 Ontarians had been diagnosed with MCS in 2014
and the discrimination is still systemic in 2018
SUBJECT: Accommodation for People with Disabilities
Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Health (at hjaczek.mpp@liberal.ola.org )
On September 29, 2017, Ontario quietly released the report “Time for Leadership: Recognizing and Improving Care” for those with myalgic encephalomyelitis /chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and environmental sensitivities /multiple chemical sensitivity (ME/CFS, FM and ES/MCS). This report was produced by the Task Force on Environmental Health for the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.
The report found that throughout the Ontario health care system and in society at large, there is:
• a lack of recognition of the seriousness and severity of these conditions
• a profound shortage of knowledgeable care providers
• a dearth of clinical tools to support and guide care
• a discouraging shortage of services and supports for people living with these conditions
• an absence of support for family caregivers
The lack of knowledge and appropriate accessible care has devastating effects on Ontarians struggling with ME/CFS, FM and ES/MCS.
Posted in Accessibility, Action, Environmental Health, Health Care, Human Rights, Policy
Tagged allergies, chemical sensitivity, Chemicals, environmental sensitivities, fibromyalgia, fragrance-free, hazardous air pollutants, IAQ, MCS, MCS/ES, ME/CFS, multiple chemical sensitivities, Ontario, Task Force on Environmental Health
The Province of Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care’s long awaited Environmental Health Task Force Interim Report has finally been released!
“We found that, throughout the health care system and in society at large, there is:
•a lack of recognition of the seriousness and severity of these conditions
•a profound shortage of knowledgeable care providers
•a dearth of clinical tools to support and guide care
•a discouraging shortage of services and supports for people living with these conditions
•an absence of support for family caregivers.
The lack of knowledge and appropriate accessible care has devastating effects on Ontarians struggling with ME/CFS, FM and ES/MCS.
…
For those living with ME/CFS, FM and ES/MCS, the lack of recognition of these serious and debilitating conditions is as harmful as the lack of treatments. …
We urge the Minister to act now to raise awareness of these conditions and address the barriers that keep people with ME/CFS, FM and ES/MCS from getting the care and services they need.”
…
From the press release:
Posted in Accessibility, Action, Environmental Health, Health Care, Human Rights, Policy
Tagged AODA, environmental sensitivities, ES/MCS, fibromyalgia, FM, hospitals, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, ME/CFS, mental health, multiple chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivity, OHIP, Ontario
These images are available on facebook. Feel free to download the appropriate one and use for Awareness Month, or at least for May 12th Awareness Day!
Posted in Accessibility, Action, Education, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Friendship, Images, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Support
Tagged allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivity, EHS, environment, invisible disabilities, masks, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, sensitive to pollution
Here’s an easy way for everyone to show some support!
And maybe, just maybe, wearing a mask for an hour or a day will spread some understanding of why the people who fought for smoke free policies did that instead of expecting all non-smokers to just wear masks always and everywhere.
The Mask Challenge is brought to you by
Help us make May 2017 the last time that we ever hear or read the words:
“MCS? #NeverHeardOfIt!!”
#MaskChallenge! Do it! Grow #MCSAwareness!
Watch the video and read the transcript below:
Posted in Accessibility, Action, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Pollution, Public Health
Tagged activism, awareness, chemical sensitivity, environmental sensitivities, IAQ, invisible disabilities, masks, MCS, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, support, toxic trespass, video
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 