Accessibility Life Hacks

[analogueswords]

Autistic children are not infants.

Autistic teens are not toddlers.

Autistic adults are not children.

Your 23 year-old autistic cousin does not have “the mind of a 7 year-old.”

Stop calling autistic men “buddy.” Stop calling autistic women “sweetie.”

Don’t act like it’s a crime to swear in front of an autistic adult.

Don’t assume that because someone is nonverbal, they can’t understand what is going on. ESPECIALLY don’t assume that they can’t communicate at all.

Stop infantilizing autistic people.

[accessibility-life-hacks]

Quick Cook Corn

[Image: Four steps of cooking corn, as listed below, with images of corn in each state of cooking. Last two pictures are corn fully cooked with the green covering and hairy stuff off with the caption "No hairy mess"; and the cob with several bites out of it with the caption "On nom nom"]

Easier and safer than boiling a huge pot of water to eat some fresh corn.

Start with fresh corn with all the leaves and green stuff on

Microwave for 4 minutes

Cut off the bottom, where the stem was connecting the cob to the corn stock

Squeeze on the green leafy covering TAKING CARE BECAUSE ITS HOT

[accessibility-life-hacks]

Refrigerador Organizer

If you have difficulty bending down to get at the items in a refrigerator, here's an easy way to make it easier to find what you need quickly and minimize pain.

[image: Inside of a freezer with two shelves, with blue rectangular plastic baskets containing different categories of food items. The top shelf has two baskets: one labeled "Breakfast Fake Meats" and the other labeled "Other Fake Meats". A white plastic drawer is next to the baskets on the top shelf labeled "Desserts, Ice Packs". The bottom shelf has three baskets: one labeled "Fake Meatballs, Burritos", one labeled "Vegetables", and one labeled "Fake Chicken Nuggets". Next to the baskets is a box with the nutrition label visible is labeled "Misc.". A blue ice cube tray is in front of the baskets.]

The picture shows using these plastic baskets to divide up items in a freezer, but should work just as well in the refrigerator. Get baskets that are as long as the refrigerator so you never have to move around items in the fridge like a real life game of Unblock Me or Tetris just to eat!

[accessibility-life-hacks]

Use floss or a wire clay cutter to cut cakes and brownies. Provides more stability with less risk than a big knife. Dental floss should be unscented. The floss can be wrapped around pens or spoons or any other oblong object to increase gripping surface.

[221bluescarf]

Get Stuff Done! ADHD Edition

You know all those post-it notes that populate your world? I figured out a great way to get all of those things DONE. - I know someone else may have thought of it already, but oh well :)

Step 1: Write all the things you need to do on your sticky note

Step 2: On the back, write a number (these are points)

Step 3: Every time you do a task, take down the note and collect your points

Step 4: Once you collect enough points (10, 20, 50) cash them in for a treat! Make it fun! ADHD brains love fun!

If I want my afternoon cappuccino, I must collect 15 points.

Remember, keep it simple. Don’t just write “clean the house”. Try smaller pieces like “empty the dishwasher” and “take out trash”.

**This can be for anyone, not just ADHD folks. That’s simply who I had in mind writing this post. Enjoy!

[accessibility-life-hacks]

Good for motivation, maybe not great for task inertia if you are autistic. But you can use post it notes as a quick way to organize tasks and make schedules with a clear order in which things should be done.

[aspieangles]

For those of you who use iPhones, but struggle with the screen brightness when it's dark:

This might be old news, and I apologise if it is, but I recently found a way to make an iPhone screen darker than the conventional settings allow. This could definitely be useful for people who have sensory issues with light. I often find that even the lowest brightness setting when using the slider on the control panel can be painful.

This can be a bit complex, but I’m going to try and make it as easy to understand as possible.

- Open Settings, then go to General > Accessibility > Zoom.

- Turn Zoom on.

- Exit the Settings app, and then tap the screen three times with three fingers to bring up a menu.

- Press “Choose filter”, and then select “Low Light Filter”.

- Press “Full Screen Zoom”.

- Toggle the slider on the bottom to your liking (you can zoom it all the way out if you don’t need to use the zoom feature.)

And that’s it. You’ve got a low light filter!

The only problem is that it can make the screen a bit laggy, but it can be good if you’re not doing much typing.

Maybe, someday, Apple will implement a proper low light setting. :(

[accessibility-life-hacks]

Cheap Shower Chair

Place a plastic chair in the shower for those who tire easily or have balance issues. Probably not appropriate for those that can't bear weight or need more stability in the shower, but as a place to rest a cheap plastic chair can go a long way to helping with this activity of daily living.

[disabilityempowered]

Wheelchair Resources

t can be extremely overwhelming to need/begin using a wheelchair. Resources and advice from disabled people can be hard to find. Here is a collection of helpful links and mini-essays from people with lived experience!

Resources for free/donated/discounted chairs

Discounted manual wheelchairs

Amazon has a decent selection of reasonably-priced wheelchairs

Great selection of chairs with a range of prices

Buy customized power wheelchairs at an affordable price. Non-profit organization

Guide to choosing the right chair

Fact sheet on manual wheelchairs (basic types, what to look for, etc)

Wheelchair-pushing tips for caregivers and loved ones

Tips for part-time wheelchair users

Lots of wheelchair tips from someone with firsthand experience

Advice on choosing a chair, accessories, etc.

When is it time to upgrade to a new mobility aid?

please feel free to reblog and add your own links and advice

[disabled-dionysus]

[ID: tweet by @annieelainey: “Please leave accessibility info in your event invites. This is just as important as a damn dress code or price of tickets.

You don’t want people getting denied at the door or having to leave early because of an accessibility issue.” End ID.]

[accessibilityfails]

If you aren’t sure if something is an issue or not or what accommodations may be needed for guests- ASK US.

[spoonie-living]

iWalk 2.0 Hands-free Crutch (~$150)

This is a really clever device that can take the pressure off your underarms & shoulders, let you rest your lower leg, and give you an extra hand too!

FYI, this device should be useful for amputees with 4″ or more residual limb below the knee, and the company says it can be useful for adjusting and practicing for a prosthetic pre-surgery and directly after as well.

[accessibilityfails]

Not a fail remotely- this is a huge win. I can not use standard crutches as they cause subluxations. Let’s spread the word about this!

[accessibility-life-hacks]

Cleaning Supply Storage

Use a plastic over-the-door shoe rack to hold cleaning supplies rather than having to crouch and crawl under a low cabinet to reach them.

[accessibility-life-hacks]

Grab-and-Pull Bar

Wrought-iron drawer pulls fit conveniently in door frames. Keep in mind that grab-and-pull bars are designed for balance and stability — not full body weight bearing.

Pulls like these will be a good size: