From Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba:
On May 1st, 2020 Marie LeBlanc’s Exhibition, “Air on the Side of Caution” will be available to view in full on AANM’s website (aanm.ca) and we will be posting one image from the show everyday on this event page.
Guest Post from Marie LeBlanc:
I ran across a sign that the lung association had created, and while I am glad they are doing something , I found the message and visual required some tweaking.
Of course, the lung association didn’t come up with the term “sensitive”, it’s what is used in human rights laws, but it seems to have created an impression in the public’s mind that chemical and environmental sensitivities are trivial, and not disabling or even life threatening like they can be.
It also needs to be said that signs without enforcement are endangering lives and perpetuating harm, systemic accessibility barriers, discrimination, and forced isolated segregation for those who are disabled by any or repeated exposures.
To download printable posters, see below.
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Human Rights, Images, Policy
Tagged accessibility, allergies, asthma, autism, chemical sensitivity, Fragrance, fragrance-free, fragrance-free policy, fragrance-free signs, health, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, migraines, multiple chemical sensitivities, scent free, signs
People have asked for simple printable signs that can be posted at home or elsewhere. There are 2 versions of each sign, one being mostly black and white.
Click on the images below to save and print
Posted in Accessibility, Healthy Environment, Images, Policy
Tagged allergies, asthma, autism, chemical sensitivity, door signs, environmental sensitivities, fibromyalgia, fragrance-free, fragrance-free signs, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, migraines, multiple chemical sensitivities, resources, signs
We need an easily recognizable accessibility symbol for non-toxic, wireless, VOC, scent, and fragrance-free places that show they are accessible to people with MCS/ES, asthma, COPD, migraines, and others who need healthy environments in order to remain functional and not become physically or cognitively impaired.
These signs would be used only in places that actually enforce the policies.
The standard accessibility signs have white symbols on blue backgrounds like these:
I’ve never seen anything like this to signify healthy wireless, scent, and fragrance-free indoor air, but these are some others I have found or assembled that might give a designer ideas to run with:
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Fragrance, Health Promotion, Healthy Environment, Images, Policy, Public Health
Tagged accessibility barriers, allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivity, fragrance-free, hazardous air pollutants, Human Rights, IAQ, MCS, MCS/ES, petrochemicals, toxic trespass, wireless
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
How many times have we heard it’s “only a little fragrance”?
Telling a person with MCS/ES that there is “only a little fragrance”
is like
telling someone with Celiac Disease that there’s “only a little gluten”
or
telling someone with a peanut allergy that there’s “only a little peanut”
or
telling someone who uses a wheelchair that there are “only a few steps”.
It’s not ok.
It’s NOT ok.
Individual images follow: Continue reading
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Chemicals, Disability, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Images, MCS/ES
Tagged access, accommodation, allergies, asthma, barriers, barriers to access, celiac, environmental sensitivities, essential oils, Food, gluten, health, MCS, multiple chemical sensitivities, peanuts, sensitivities, wheelchair
My first photo collage using found photos.
It is what it is. Now that I have figured out I can do this, I plan on doing more!
“collage 1” May 2015
Posted in Brain, Environmental Health, Gifts, Images, Nature
Tagged art, photo collage, play
(This post is for us, not so much for those who’ve made it clear they can’t hear us)
There have been a lot of online arguments lately, where people just aren’t listening to each other. I know this phenomenon isn’t limited to what’s happening online either, especially when it comes to people choosing petroleum based fragrances (or other petrochemical products and materials) over family and friends, or worse, over the health of their children! (yes, it happens, and it’s happening far too often these days)
(naninanipoopoo is something my kids used to say when they wanted me to know they weren’t going to listen to me)
Then, just like the fragrance industry is doing, by creating fragrances for absolutely everything, I too was inspired to come up with a fragrance for that: Continue reading
Posted in Air Quality, Change, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Images, Public Health
Tagged allergies, asthma, be fragrance-free, cancer, children, denial, environment, fragrance chemicals, friendship and fragrance, hazardous air pollutants, headaches, It's good for me, It's good for you, MCS, naninani poopoo, petrochemicals, unexplained health problems
Sometimes when words fail me, images take their place. Lately words have been failing me, so I’ve been playing with my photo program. I thought I’d share some of the results with you here. You can click on them, to enlarge them.
What kind of a world are you eating for?
Posted in Child Health, Environmental Health, Food, Fragrance, Images, Pollution
Choose fragrance-free products. Clean air is fragrance-chemical-free. Fragrance chemicals create an invisible barrier to access for people who are disabled by pollutants and can cause health harm to everyone who breathes.
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 