Thanks to Our Survey Respondents

By Raymond D. Cohen

Our heartfelt thanks to the many readers who took the time to complete the Readership Survey included in our Summer 1998 issue. We received your numerous surveys by mail, fax and e-mail. Your feedback is very valuable, as it guides our editorial direction, as well as providing much-appreciated advice on future projects of the Canadian Abilities Foundation. In particular, your comments and suggestions will prove useful in the development of EnableLink, the Canadian Abilities Foundation’s most recent online endeavour (see page 60 of this issue).

At this time we are still collecting surveys; by next issue, we hope to have detailed results to share with you. But there has been enough of a response already for us to provide you with a hint as to the kind of feedback we are getting.

First of all, and in all false modesty, let me say that an overwhelming number of you responded with very positive comments about ABILITIES magazine. Here are a few of the remarks we received from some of our regular subscribers:

"This magazine helps me keep in touch with the organizations in the disability community and what is going on... I learn about new products and strategies." "It gives me a new and different perspective on life." "This magazine is a great asset to me, both personally and professionally." "I particularly enjoy reading about workplace and employment issues. I look forward to its arrival, mostly because of its pertinent information and down-to-reality attitude."

The feedback regarding our Forum section has been particularly encouraging. The venue that ABILITIES provides for regular updates from Canada’s major disability organizations has been well utilized, and well received -- by our Forum partners (see page 61) as well as our readership, respectively.

In a more general sense, here are a few comments on the magazine from first-time readers:

"It’s about time a magazine like this is available. I have been disabled... for 10 years and this is a first for me." "I’m a new reader, and I’ve already come across things that interest me." "First issue I’ve ever seen... I’m now going to subscribe to this magazine." "This magazine is very exciting. I intend to pass it on to others." "This is my first issue. I would like more!"

Regarding future issues of ABILITIES, many of you asked to see a wider range of disabilities covered, including hidden ones such as learning disabilities and epilepsy. It is our position to be a truly cross-disability publication -- and we will do what we can to ensure that there continues to be articles of interest to as many of our readers as possible.

In terms of future direction, both within the magazine and in the development of EnableLink, many of you have requested more information on: housing and barrier-free architecture; financial security and living on a low income; education options; products, including descriptions of innovative products and where to get them; women’s issues and relationships; health and fitness; activities like kayaking, martial arts, climbing and sailing; and accessible travel destinations, in Canada and elsewhere. Other topic ideas include gardening, crafts and alternative medicine.

Rest assured, we will take your suggestions to heart as we plan upcoming issues of the magazine -- and as we place articles and resource links on our website.

Many readers who filled out the ABILITIES readership survey are injured workers. We were astounded by the diversity we found in this group, both culturally and occupationally. The injured workers who responded to our survey hail from such diverse professions as helicopter pilot, police officer, physiotherapist and forestry worker.

With such diversity, it becomes all the more important for you, our readers, to become involved in shaping the future of ABILITIES -- as well as the various components of EnableLink. Our goal is for EnableLink to become a valuable resource for all people with disabilities in Canada. Check out the special EnableLink section in this issue -- and help us fulfill this mandate!