Just Mom here: Severe cognitive impairment and preserved high-level intellectual ability can coexist. I live that reality every day. Yesterday, I underwent continued cognitive and neurological testing, 20 years after a devastating traumatic brain injury. The results continue to have a profound emotional impact. Even as a neuroscientist who understands my deficits and has spent two decades learning to adapt, seeing those limitations documented remains difficult to accept. Yet I continue to write scientific papers, contribute to research, travel, and advocate internationally. What others don't see are the countless hours, repetition, and extraordinary cognitive effort required to accomplish what once came naturally. Functioning successfully within strict neurological boundaries is not the same as being neurologically unrestricted. Those boundaries are precisely what allow me to continue my intellectual work. Within my quiet, controlled environment, I can engage in complex scientific reasoning, find purpose in my work, and experience genuine happiness, contentment, and accomplishment. Outside those boundaries, everyday conversations, social interactions, and environmental stimulation quickly exhaust my cognitive reserves, often leaving me overwhelmed, depleted, and isolated. Perhaps the greatest emotional toll is knowing what I am intellectually capable of while living with neurological limitations that sharply restrict where, when, and how I can use those abilities. And therein lies the dichotomy. I know my limits, yet I still push beyond them, sometimes knowing full well that I shouldn't. I understand the consequences, but accepting those boundaries can feel like surrendering a part of who I am. Yet respecting them doesn't make me less capable. It allows me to be healthier, more effective, and more present in the work and life that matter most. My accomplishments do not diminish the severity of my disability, and my disability does not diminish my intellectual capacity. Both realities exist simultaneously. And even after 20 years, learning to balance them remains a daily challenge. I am not where I want to be yet, every day I work to understand and improve. But I sit where I once prayed I'd reach, and I think that is something to be proud of. #TraumaticBrainInjury #Neuroscience #InvisibleDisabilities #DisabilityInclusion

Why so few Mooseweilers remain in the wild They were never that hard to catch. All it took was a box of Timbits left near a Tim’s. The second they caught the scent of warm, glazed ones, every survival instinct disappeared. They’d wander straight out of the trees and into whatever waited for them. A few generations later and the wild ones are almost gone. The rest live on couches, still hoping someone drops a Timbits box.

Not every dog wants to be a skeleton. Some would rather just be a couch. If your dog actually likes the costume, you can get them used to it with short sessions and treats so it starts feeling like a good thing. But if they're panting, stressed, or giving you that look like they regret every life choice, take it off. A dog that's miserable in an outfit isn't being festive. They're being held hostage in felt and velcro. Taking them out for trick-or-treating sounds cute until you remember the neighborhood turns into pure chaos. Costumes everywhere, decorations that make noise, and those animatronics that jump at the worst possible moment. Your dog's brain is trying to process way more than it signed up for. Make sure they have lots of room and don't have to get too close to the giant animatronics or people in strange outfits. Keep an eye on their body language. Lip licking, wide eyes, tail tucked. If you see it, just head home. A scared dog can panic and make bad choices, and that puts everyone at risk. You're in charge of both ends of that leash. And please, if they look like they're smiling, remember that there is a good chance they're stress panting. Home needs to stay calm. All those strangers in masks ringing the doorbell nonstop is a lot for most dogs. Set them up in a quiet room with some white noise, a stuffed Kong, and zero access to the door. They didn't sign up to greet the world's creepiest parade. Halloween's for the dogs too. It's fine to mess around at home with them in their costumes before the trick-or-treaters show up, then just settle them down with their own treats. Either way the goal's the same: your dog feels okay, and you get to enjoy the night without dealing with a meltdown. Admin

"a random elective course changed her program, her student experience and her career trajectory." How would this happen without a comprehensive university in our province? #WeAreMUN @MUNFaculty @GSUMUN @GrenfellFaculty @GCSUnion @MUNSU35 gazette.mun.ca/student-life/…

SPECIAL EPISODE: Solidarity is Our Greatest Strength: Operation Metro Surge and The Righteous 39 RPH co-host Melanie Yazzie speaks with Tiffany Dunlap and Brixton Hughes, two Twin Cities-based activists facing federal charges for resisting state violence during Op Metro Surge.

Why is the issue of access for disabled people still so debatable? Access for disabled people is vital. The exclusion of disabled people is stifling. Disabled people, who constitute more than 25% of the population, deserve better than this shabby treatment.

Advocacy Doesn't End When an Institution Says, "We're Reviewing Our Policies." For more than two years, I have been working with a university ranked among the top 10 in the United States to advance disability accessibility and service dog inclusion in science laboratories. A year ago, I was invited to speak at the university about these very issues. Since then, I have continued pushing for meaningful policy changes. Progress has been painfully slow. Unfortunately, it is already too late for the student whose experience originally brought these barriers to light. But that doesn't mean we stop advocating for those who come next. That student was forced to shift their major to complete their Ph.D. pursuit. With each exchange, I am assured that policies are being reviewed and progress is being made. And with each exchange, I continue asking a fundamental question: Are people with disabilities, particularly service dog handlers in science programs directly affected by these policies, meaningfully involved in reviewing and developing them? I have requested and offered to assist in the policy review but been ignored. That question has repeatedly gone unanswered. And therein lies the problem. How can institutions develop effective accessibility policies without including the very people those policies are intended to serve? I recognize that institutional change takes time. Policies require coordination, legal review, safety considerations, and input from multiple departments. But two years is a long time for students whose academic opportunities, research participation, and futures are at stake. Progress measured in institutional timelines is not necessarily progress experienced by students facing barriers today. So, do we simply accept assurances that things are moving forward? No. We keep asking the hard questions. We ask who is involved in the process. We ask what measurable progress has been made. We ask when changes will be implemented. And we ask how institutions are ensuring that students with disabilities have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their access to education and research. I believe progress is being made, even if it sometimes moves at a snail's pace. But meaningful progress requires transparency, accountability, and participation. Accessibility should never be developed for people with disabilities without people with disabilities. Advocacy isn't always about celebrating victories. Sometimes it's about continuing the conversation when the responses stop coming. And after more than two years, I'm still asking. #DisabilityInclusion #STEMAccessibility #ServiceDogs #HigherEducation #DisabilityAdvocacy #ResearchAccessibility #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

From @IndependentNL: Memorial University cuts continue – without collegial governance, and without transparency theindependent.ca/commentary… @MUNFaculty @GrenfellFaculty @MUNSU35 @GCSUnion @TAUMUN_Official @LUMUN_NL @CUPE1615 @GSUMUN @jerry4nape @NLFL_labour @CAUT_ACPPU

I wish more people understood that disability is universal. You will experience disability at some point in your life, whether from accident, illness, old age, or even temporary disability. Please advocate for accessibility because it literally benefits everyone.

This is exactly why we need more working class people running for office. Villegas: "The programs I grew up on are all being gutted by my opponent and this administration to go give more tax breaks to billionaires."

"Bio-inspired ≠ Ecosystem-informed."

Aura Buni, Amürü Nuni, frente a la campaña de odio racial contra el Pueblo Garifuna. El odio racial es una estrategia para legitimar el despojo y desterrarnos de nuestros territorios, de lo que hemos heredado de muestros antepasados y que nos permite el bienestar colectivamente. Los que han acumulado el poder, han desplazado a la gran mayoría del pueblo hondureño condenandolos a vivir en los alrededores o periferias de las grandes urbes, solo para que trabajen y les consuman sus productos. Es este el modelo perfecto para hacer más ricos a los ricos. Y se atreven a afirmar que el pueblo Garifuna está desplazando a los no Garifunas de sus comunidades!!! Nosotros convivimos con los no Garifunas, prueba de ello, es el gran mestizaje que existe hoy en todas las comunidades. Desde la OFRANEH, apelamos a la convivencia pacífica, al respeto y reconocimiento de nuestra posesión territorial ancestral, esa es nuestra lucha. No tenemos odio contra nadie!!

My bread joke from my HBO Special coming to life 👀

It’s interesting that they can always find the money when necessary. We just have to make it necessary

I hear the winds of the Harper era blowing in… all the “abolish the Indian Act” talk… feds would love nothing more than to drop its fiduciary and treaty obligations. Saw this coming with Carney’s conservative extractive agenda. #cdnpoli #indianact #treaties

Service Dogs in Laboratories: Reasonable Accommodation Doesn't Have to Be Complicated. Two of the simplest accommodations for a service dog team in a laboratory is establishing a designated safe space where the dog can remain within sight of its handler without interfering with laboratory activities but still able to perform their disability related tasks, and determining the necessary personal protective equipment needed on a given day. An individualized risk assessment can help identify appropriate accommodations, including: ✅ Safe positioning: Assigning a bench near the room's perimeter, an adjacent unoccupied bench, or a suitable recessed area where the service dog is protected from foot traffic and potential hazards. ✅ Noise considerations: Positioning the dog away from high-noise equipment, such as sonicators, or providing appropriate canine hearing protection when necessary. ✅Chemical exposure: Locating the dog away from fume hoods, chemical handling areas, and potential exposure pathways. ✅ Appropriate PPE: Determining whether protective equipment is necessary based on actual hazards, exposure pathways, and established controls—not assumptions. Most importantly, the service dog handler must be involved in identifying appropriate accommodations, as each team's needs and laboratory environment are different. When necessary, alternative bench assignments or classroom arrangements should be considered. Reasonable accommodation does not mean compromising laboratory safety. It means applying established risk assessment principles to create an environment where safety and accessibility coexist. In many cases, inclusion requires little more than thoughtful planning, appropriate positioning, and evidence-based safety measures. Accessibility is not an exception to laboratory safety. It is part of responsible laboratory management. #ServiceDogs #Biosafety #ReasonableAccommodation #DisabilityInclusion #STEMAccessibility #LaboratorySafety

Sign on for what’s next. Two years on, the world has changed. As government priorities change with it, let’s make sure people are put first. canadianplan.ca/add-your-voi… @MUNFaculty @CAUT_ACPPU @GrenfellFaculty @CUPE1615 @LUMUN_NL @TAUMUN_Official

Bill C-39 is a fundamental attack on our constitutional rights. We will not stay silent as Carney’s Liberal government violates our human rights. Standing in solidarity against Bill C-39 with Indigenous leaders, unions, environmental activists. Winnipeg Centre knows how to fight back.

"We cannot continue to disguise institutional discomfort or personal bias as scientific risk assessment." @GrenfellFaculty @MUNFaculty @CAUT_ACPPU @AcademicChatter @CUPE1615 @TAUMUN_Official @GSUMUN @MUNSU35 @GCSUnion