The Beginner's Guide to Walking — Jennifer V.

Updated banner for Jennifer V.'s column The Beginner's Guide to Walking

Jennifer V. (she/her) received her diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder — aquaporin-4 positive — in early 2010. Residing in Toronto, Canada, Jennifer actively manages her condition, which is often unseen, by maintaining a busy schedule. She serves as a professor at George Brown College, works as an HR consultant, and is a passionate patient advocate. Jennifer also plays the roles of a devoted mother to her daughter, a pug’s loving guardian (her fur baby), a dedicated wife, caring sister to three siblings, and a protective daughter. In moments of sleeplessness, Jennifer finds solace in pug photos and videos.

Featured Post
Columns

The longest night of the year offers hope of brighter days with NMOSD

The winter solstice — the shortest day and longest night of the year — can feel daunting, but I see it as a powerful metaphor for hope, resilience, and the promise of brighter days. I’m writing this from a place of light, so that when the darkness returns, I can…

Jennifer van Amerom

Columns

How to Respond to the Dreaded Question, ‘How Are You?’

¿Cómo estás? 你好嗎 Ça va? How are you? With the holiday season upon us, people are getting together, hopefully safely, considering the persistent COVID-19 pandemic. While I always enjoy seeing friends and loved ones, I find it uncomfortable when I’m asked difficult questions like, “How are you?” While the phrase…

Columns

Why I Still Snowboard With a Disability

Gravity is my friend. Even if I’m tired, gravity will pull my snowboard and me down the mountain. I like to ride alone because I need to listen to music, which I only play in one ear so I can hear my surroundings. During the offseason, I build music…

Columns

How Pets Can Benefit People With Disabilities

Sometimes in life, the easiest decisions make the greatest impact. It probably wasn’t reasonable for a new couple to get a dog together, but that’s exactly how Marmaduke came into our lives. A wild idea led to an internet search, and as luck would have it, we were able to…

Columns

Why We Discuss Disability With Our Young Child

In my family, I am the third child of four, the daughter of proud, immigrant parents. I grew up in small towns until I finally relocated to Toronto in my early 20s. Growing up, I only knew one kid with an illness, and she entered my life as quickly as…

Columns

Turn Up the Volume, but Only Until It Hurts: My NMOSD Diagnosis Story

I will always love the feeling of a good bass line, the way the sound escapes concert speakers and vibrates through my entire body. It’s poetic justice that this feeling can now trigger painful spasms, a symptom of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). My husband (then fiancé) and I had…

Recent Posts


Explore More Columns