|
||||
  |
A man’s love for his Chesapeake retriever helped him overcome some of the difficulties high-level quadriplegia presents. By Laird A. Doctor My adventure started long before my injury, when I received a lovable eight-week-old Chesapeake retriever I named Max. | TECH EDGE By John M. Williams In a recent historic event sponsored by the National Press Club, Jim Fruchterman, chief executive officer of Benentech, announced partnerships between Bookshare (www.Bookshare.org) and universities nationwide and between Bookshare and publishers to provide digital books for Bookshare’s accessible on-line library for people with print disabilities. Bookshare is a web-based digital library that gives people with print disabilities the same ease of access to books and periodicals enjoyed by those without disabilities. Bookshare allows a book to be scanned once and then shared with many qualified individuals who require digital formats that are easy to download, [...] | TECH EDGE By John M. Williams Reading is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. I devour novels, history books, biographies of great men and women, and short stories. Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain are my favorite short story writers. Their writings transport me either backwards or forwards into different eras. I would develop mental apathy if I could not read. At 63, it is difficult for me to read type smaller than 10 point. I sometimes use a magnifying glass to read. One of the most frustrating areas for me when reading is dealing with hyphenations when the [...] Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) offers numerous benefits to individuals living with disabilities. But education is paramount to ensure the safety and efficacy of this treatment [...] Building a new accessible home? Michael Anderson has a story to tell. “My builder had his lawyer there. I knew then, there was a fight [...] 52 year old quadriplegic gets an independence boost as form meets function when a van, a man, and a new wheelchair come [...] Polio survivor and United Spinal Member Kathy Galletly on her transition from getting around the hard way to using a powered [...] This United Spinal member says his two-wheeled wonder is his ticket to freedom. By Alan Maccini I am a 48-year-old male diagnosed with Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) (a neurologic condition affecting the bundle of nerve roots at the lower end of the spinal cord) which was featured in the January 2008 issue of Action. My original prognosis was that I probably would never walk again. Fortunately, after many months of physical therapy and nerve regeneration, I progressed from a wheelchair to a walker, and now I can use a cane. Needless to say, I am very limited in where I can [...] For more information on maintenance, service, and sales of manual and power wheelchairs, as well as scooters, hand-cycles and accessories, contact Wheelchair Medic at 718-352-1623 or visit www.wheelchairmedic.com. Ray Grim, who manages the Wheelchair Medic division of United Spinal Association, recommends an easy do-it-yourself wheelchair maintenance plan. First, is to periodically clean the entire frame with a damp cloth and mild detergent or disinfectant (do not use bleach) and then dry thoroughly. Polish chrome plated parts by using a commercially available polish or metal protectant spray. Check wheelchair frame for rust and cracks and that the nuts and bolts are in place and [...] Keep your power wheelchair juiced and humming with these tips on wheelchair battery [...] Your wheelchair cushion is your first line of defense against skin breakdown. By Dr. Richard Louis Bruno Those who wheel instead of walk have a special enemy: Gravity. And where does this enemy exert its particularly pernicious pull? It’s through the gluteal muscles (if you have some) and the ischial bones of the pelvis, that is, your butt. And your first line of defense against gravity? The seat cushion. Much of the information in this article is available at United Spinal Association’s USA Tech Guide (www.usatechguide.org/cushion_reviews.php), a great source if you’re in the market for any assistive technology device. Inspired by California facility, Push to Walk in New Jersey offers clients with SCI a chance for recovery on the East Coast. By Anya Starykh Jim Laughlin (right) gets some assistance on the Power Plate from trainer Eric Prol. At 21, Darren Templeton of Kinnelon, New Jersey, has many accomplishments to boast of. A student at Ramapo College, he’s an avid athlete and a passionate rugby player. He recently went skydiving for the first time and is thinking of going again in the spring. He is also organizing a ski trip to Windham Mountain Ski Resort in Upstate New York with some [...] By Bob Nunn Dealers mingled at the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) show in Tampa, Florida where new products making personal transportation more accessible to drivers with disabilities were exhibited. When Carol Hawkins needed a rear-entry wheelchair van to transport her 37-year-old daughter, Joella, from Rhode Island to Florida, Hawkins turned to eBay. Joella, who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, uses a wheelchair too big to fit in a side-entry vehicle. Late last year, Hawkins paid $13,500 for a used van from someone in Kentucky and immediately noticed problems with the vehicle upon delivery. A discrepancy with the odometer [...] How does someone with limited resources find an affordable adapted vehicle? Here’s one person’s story… By Tiffiny Carlson Note: Some of the terms used in the following article are specific to the state of Minnesota. Four wheels. We can get them for free from the government if they’re on durable medical equipment, but when it comes to gas-powered four-wheeled vehicles that take us 65 mph on the Interstate (i.e., an adapted vehicle), the government isn’t as interested in giving those away for free. Most states simply don’t like to fund adapted vehicles for citizens with disabilities. With new vans costing upwards [...] By John M. Williams For decades, people have been complaining about the high costs of assistive technology (AT) products. It is a repeated complaint that I hear every time I go to a conference on assistive technology. The voices are loud and angry as they demand, rather than ask, an answer from manufacturers, “Why can’t you lower your prices?” For decades manufacturers have heard the same irate questions. Contrary to consumers’ believing the manufacturers are gouging them, manufacturers staunchly defend their prices. Hybrid Taxis at the Expense of Accessibility Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s announcement that the city’s yellow taxi fleet will become completely hybrid within five years (news article, May 23) callously ignores the immediate transportation needs of people with severe physical disabilities who cannot enter or exit currently approved hybrid taxi vehicles, as well as New York City’s growing aging population, who are much more likely to acquire a physical impairment. Despite the availability today of half a dozen minivans that can be modified for easy access for all people, and the continuing development of a factory-built wheelchair accessible sedan that can carry four additional [...] Bill Lasher’s wheelchairs are stunning works of art. Bill Lasher’s “Chopper Chair” (courtesy of Lasher Sport) Bill Lasher Jr. makes beautiful custom wheelchairs for his company Lasher Sport (www.lashersport.com) out of a warehouse in Anchorage, Alaska. A United Spinal member, and longtime Alaska resident, Lasher became paralyzed during a skiing accident when he was in high school. Here he talks about how he came to make these unusual creations, and what his vision is as he makes them. The first time I pondered creating a chair, I was in my first year as an engineering student at Arizona State University [...] By Jenny M. Lieberman, MSOTR/L, ATP As a clinician responsible for evaluating clients for wheelchairs for more than 10 years, I have developed an appreciation for and an understanding of the importance of a thorough assessment for those clients who are wheelchair mobile. For each of my clients, multiple factors must be considered. The results of a physical assessment and an understanding of the client’s needs are important; however, equally, if not more important, is a clear understanding of the client’s expectations. With this initial column in a series on the subject of wheelchair positioning and seating, I want to introduce you to this process [...] Women liberated by their wheelchairs are celebrated at the annual Rolling with Style Gala during Fashion Week in New York. By Kelly Rouba Wendy Crawford, chairwoman and founding member of Discovery through Design, rolls on the red carpet in a chair and outfit designed by Thom Browne. Last month, seven women made history by becoming fashion “roll models” when they rolled down the runway in their wheelchairs during the peak of Fashion Week in New York City. “You are truly part of a historic event,” said Marilyn Hamilton, creator of Quickie wheelchairs, as she addressed nearly 600 attendees following the fashion [...] By John M. Williams How would you like to have a single device that turned on your lights, changed the channel, regulated your home temperature, opened automatic doors, answered your phone, checked your e-mail, and helped you balance your checkbook? How would you like it if the device could be operated by voice, eye movement, or a simple touch of a screen? Anyone with access to such centralized environmental control would find it intriguing, but people with limited mobility or dexterity would probably find it especially useful. And that is why makers of environmental control systems market their products to people [...] |
 |
||
|
Copyright © 2012 United Spinal’s Action Online Magazine - All Rights Reserved 
|
||||
