Dave's Faves 1

School and health issues are keeping me out of advocating trouble. I’m not having as much time as I’d like to post my thoughts, but many other bloggers are writing great stuff, and there are always interesting things to be found in the news. So, welcome to the first “Dave’s Faves”, where I’ll be linking to some of those interesting finds.

Steve Kuusisto, dealing with a guide dog stress injury, hits on an issue that is all too common for people with disabilities. “I wonder sometimes if the able bodied public knows that people with disabilities have stress injuries that are the result of their accommodations. Wheelchair users have carpal tunnel syndrome; back aches, neck aches, profound tension headaches—all of these things are essentially the norm for PWDs." So true. I need my computer because I cannot handwrite, but I get neck pain from using my computer too much. It’s tough to figure out the right balance when the computer is a necessary part of my independence and yet causes me so much pain.

"This is best for you." Ruth eloquently writes about those simple, yet incredibly annoying words that people with disabilities hear from total strangers. “So far the winner is a secretary at a local DME provider who ‘decided’ which wheelchair was best for me in less than a minute. I suppose she had a chart in front of her which indicated the exact model to "prescribe" for a quadriplegic. When I brought up the issue of what medical folks thought I should have, she promptly replied ‘Oh no. The model I gave you is the one you need.’”

As people often presume incompetence in all areas when one is in a wheelchair, Bridget Houlihan offers great examples about "what it takes to simply be your best when your have a disability." I can relate to her experience of hoping a college education would encourage people to take her more seriously.

“Bah humbug.” In Goals schmoals, Terrible Palsy shares her feelings about school and therapy goals for her son. “Stick your goals where the sun don’t shine. Happiness is all that matters.” Right on!

Thanks to Ruth for noting this USA Today article about the rise in reporting of housing discrimination. I did not know that housing discrimination on the basis of disability was as prevalent as discrimination based on race.

Ever been in the hospital at night? I have. Billie, at Micropreemie Twins, shares the wonderful night’s sleep she and her daughter get while in the hospital. Not! It’s common knowledge that sleep is necessary for healing – someone needs to tell hospital personnel.

Disaboom is a new website hoping to become a resource for the disability community. Check it out.

Mobility International USA is looking for 15-17 year olds with and without disabilities to participate in a 21 day trip to Bahrain next summer.

Finally, Amanda, at Ballastexistenz, shares and analyzes the story of a boy who really was a hero in Kid Hero Saves a Teacher.

Carnival time!

Check out Pedestrian Hostile for Disability Blog Carnival #23, "Simply the Best!" I haven't had a chance to check out the links, but there are a lot and they look varied and interesting.

It's Carnival time!

Jodi Reimer at Reimer Reason has put together an awesome collection of posts on the them of "Resilience". Check them out!

Going to college: high-tech, low-tech, mom-tech

This week I started college at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. I'm excited and looking forward to a challenging (in the good sense!) and rewarding experience.

It's taken me a couple months to address my unique needs for college. I know from other experiences that planning makes a big difference. But, I also know that even with the best planning, unpleasant surprises and delays occur.

I have a few new things to help meet my various needs - some high-tech, some low-tech, and some designed with the tools of improvisation (like velcro, duct tape, items intended for other use) with which every person with a disability becomes all too familiar. Like other times in my life, many adaptations were designed by a creative genius, a.k.a. my mother, because there was no product that exactly worked for me.

Improvisation is a key aspect of living with a disability. Many times there are no products available to meet the individual’s specific purpose. You have to use your imagination and be creative. In the basement, my family has a box filled with Velcro, extra padding, spare parts, and a ready supply of duct tape.





The staff from the University of Illinois Assistive Technology Unit, who I started meeting with last March, designed and installed a small flip-out tray for my Kensington Trackball. They designed it so that I can store the little tray under my wheelchair tray, and independently move it into place when needed. They also designed my armrest to flip open to give my wrist added support while using the trackball. Now I can use my laptop computer while in my wheelchair! At this time, though, I still prefer to lie on the floor and use the computer, including my Dragon software, because then I can have all my papers on the floor to look at and sort through. And, I can roll around and change position as needed; my back doesn't get quite as sore.



I needed to get a cell phone for school. My parents spent a lot of time checking out the possibilities. Unfortunately, the UIC AT people didn't have advice on particular phones. Access World had an article on cell phones, and Planet Mobility had information on a 100% voice activated phone. Also, Jitterbug makes an easy to use cell phone. None of those exactly met my needs. We went to the Verizon store and picked a phone that seems like a good match for me - the GzOne phone. It's a rugged phone, made to stand up to shock (i.e. accidental dropping) and also water resistant. The buttons were not too hard to operate, and we programmed the numbers I'd use the most into speed dialing, so that I can call them with the press of one button. I decided against a Bluetooth headset because I am not able to get the headset on and off by myself. I also was not able to flip the phone open in its original form. We put the phone in a holster, and taped an old caribiner hook on the back. Now I had something I could grip with my left hand. Then my mom threaded a string through two washers and taped it all to the top of the phone. With my right hand, I can grab the string and flip open the phone.

My mom found two different baby stroller cup holders and set up one for my water bottle. The other one she rigged up to be attached to the first one and to hold my cell phone. She also attached a strap to the phone to make it easier to pull out of its cup holder.

I also bought the Day Cruiser bag from Wheelchair Gear, which is attached to the left side of my chair. With practice, I am getting the hang of opening the velcro flap and getting into the bag. We may have to remove the velcro. We attached a key chain holder to the zipper compartment with the hope that I can get the hang of using that compartment also.


I have also worked with the university to address my needs. This semester, I’m only taking two classes to make it easier to juggle academics, learn the ins and outs of addressing my needs, do physical therapy, and, of course, have time for fun stuff.

I emailed my professors over the summer to explain some of my needs. I ordered audio version of my textbooks from RFB&D and my local branch of the National Library Service for the Blind. And, I just got a subscription with Bookshare. (Even with all that planning, I still don't have all my books in an audio format!)

After the first day of class, I met with my professors to talk about what I needed to succeed in their classes. I was pleased that they were both receptive, and the meetings went well.

Each professor is helping me to find a classmate to be my notetaker. The classmate will make a copy of his or her notes for meand get paid $9 dollars an hour by the Department Of Rehabilitation Services Vocational Rehab (DORS). DORS has been a great support thus far - helping with some of my tuition and also with books and equipment costs.

I don't have the care of my personal needs (eating, bathrooming) figured out yet. With the light load I am taking this semester, I'll just address those needs at home for now.

I’m looking forward to the start of this college adventure. I don't think I'll be doing any interviews in the near future, but I still plan to continue blogging and sharing my two cents. Sorry, the blogosphere can’t get rid of me!

Telethons and Pity

Today is Labor Day, and, to many people, that means it’s time for Jerry Lewis and the MDA Telethon. I had never watched the telethon, and this year I checked it out for the first time. I have to say, I didn’t watch much of it, and it was enough. I am not going to comment on the mission of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA); I am not familiar it. However, I would like to comment on the destructiveness of pity.

1. Pity fosters negativity. The negative aspects of the condition are emphasized and magnified, rather then the positive aspects and enormous potential of the individual's life. Instead of focusing on what a person can do by embracing all their strengths and gifts, pity limits a person.

2. Pity promotes the view of charity rather than the view of inclusion. Charity for pity divides people into 2 groups, the “haves” and the “have nots”. The premise is that the person who “has” will help the person who “does not have,” because the “haves” feel sorry for the “have nots”, rather than because it is the morally appropriate action to do. Unlike pity, inclusion encourages respectful dialogue to discuss ways to adapt to the obstacles of society.

3. Charity often seems focused on making those that contribute to the charity feel warm-and-fuzzy-good about themselves. That is the wrong focus. An action should be taken because it is the right thing to do, because it is fair and just.

4. Although often without consciously recognizing it, the person who is pitied usually has to conform in some way to the giver’s expectations and stereotypes to receive the charity. For example, in extracurricular activities in school, it seems to me that children with disabilities often have to participate in the sport or activity that has the most willing coach or advisor, rather than in the activity that the child likes the best or has a natural affinity for.

5. Pity lowers an individual’s self-esteem. It’s hard to feel good about yourself, when you are seen as a drain and burden on others.

6. Pity towards people with disabilities gives society the false impression that disability and happiness cannot coexist. That isn’t necessarily true, and that simply serves to cause more pity.

7. Another problem with charity for pity is that it can give the impression that once the charitable act has been done, societal responsibilities are finished. A corporation that publicly writes a check to MDA is still obligated to provide an inclusive work environment with fair opportunities even though they likely won’t receive public recognition for those actions.

Check out Protest Pity, The Blog Against the Telethon, for an excellent collection of thought-provoking posts about the telethon from the point of view of people with disabilities.