Inform@bility was formed by recognising the “gap” of accessible, wide-spread information on various disability-related issues to persons with disabilities and their families. There are already wonderful services, information and research on disability-related topics however many people may not know how to access this.
Having a disability myself, having family members with disabilities, working with people with disabilities and essentially focusing my masters degree on the needs of family caregivers of persons with physical disabilities, inspired the idea to bring information about disability-related issues to the community.
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS BLOG?
Inform@bility is aimed at providing information at grassroots, community level on everyday topics whilst also providing links to useful services and information as well as information on some academic research on disability-related topics. The topics and links on this blog can be helpful for persons with various types of disabilities or certain chronic illnesses, their families, professionals, academics, researchers as well as anyone else that is interested on disability-related topics.
WHERE DID THE NAME INFORM@BILITY COME FROM?
The name Inform@bility came from combining two words to create a new concept – i.e. information and disability to create the term informability – the ability to inform and be informed to empower (people with disabilities, their families and the community) about disability-related topics. The “a” in Inform@bility was replaced by the “@” sign to show the electronic nature of the information sources as well as how information from this blog is shared.
WHAT DOES THE LOGO MEAN?
The logo of Inform@bility is centred around the universal sign for disability (the wheelchair). The person in the wheelchair holds a torch resembling the Olympic flame. The reason for this is that the Paralympic games is seen as one of the main events that showcases the ability of persons with disabilities. This relates to some of the focus points of the site – to empower persons with disabilities and their families through information as well as to share inspirational stories of persons with disabilities’ abilities. There are also two hands on the logo. The bottom hand symbolises the aim of “uplifting” (empowering) people with disabilities by serving them (with information) and advocating for them through raising awareness. The top hand symbolises the aim of protecting people with disabilities and their families, not physically but by ensuring that they are well-informed about topics of their everyday concern.
HOW DOES THE BLOG WORK?
The blog is South African based but will also feature some information on disability related topics of other countries. There are various sections on this blog to suit different needs of persons with disabilities, their families, professionals, academics as well as researchers. The sections are as follows:
- The Articles section shows all articles published on this blog
- The South Africa section shows news on disability-related topics in South Africa
- The International section shows news on disability-related topics in countries besides South Africa
- The Inspiration section shows stories of persons with disabilities that inspire us
- The Research section shows research on disability-related topics
- The Useful links section shows useful other links to make use of for services
- The Contact section is where you can make direct contact with us and give us your opinions or comments on how we can improve the blog.
You can also follow Inform@bility on Facebook, Twitter or by e-mail. Become an advocate for persons with disabilities by sharing this blog with your friends, family and colleagues.
inform@bility 