sheepfilms
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
oozey mess
JVL
taylor price
almost home
祝日 / Permanent Vacation
tannertan36
shark vs the universe
Misplaced Lens Cap
Mike Driver
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
art blog(derogatory)
pixel skylines
No title available
Xuebing Du
tumblr dot com
titsay
trying on a metaphor
KIROKAZE
seen from Germany
seen from Ecuador
seen from Slovenia
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Brazil
seen from Dominican Republic
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from Luxembourg
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
@wheelchairwarrior
Most wheelchairs only just fit through standard doors and so often, well meaning people who open doors for wheelchair users actually make it more difficult because they get in the way.
Please ask if someone needs help and if they do, please make sure to stand out of the way 🙂
Reblogs are welcome, please don’t repost
do you know anything about smart drives? the only advice i've gotten is that they're a good investment but you need to do your research and know their limitations. but i'm not good at research and all i can find is stuff from the company that makes them :( (i don't know anyone who uses one so i figured maybe asking around on the internet might help and i really like your blog)
Bad news: I don’t personally own one so I can’t give you any first-hand advice
Good news: A bunch of people who follow me do have one and they’ll be able to answer your question more directly
Medium News? I hear a lot of the same stuff from a lot of different folks. Here’s what I’ve heard (SmartDrive owners: feel free to jump in here and correct anything)
It Does What it is Supposed to Do
The SmartDrive is really good at what it does: help you propel your chair. The moves and maneuvers you see in the all the promo videos are a fairly good representation of what it can do.
It’s Heavy
According to their site, the thing weighs just over 12lbs. For reference, my chair is less than 9lbs with the wheels off. What this means is, when you’re not actively using the SmartDrive, you’re actively pulling an extra 12lbs under your chair.
The Controls are Touchy
I’ve heard from users that the fancy control band that it comes with can be a little finicky sometimes. I’ve heard stories of it turning on or off randomly as well as randomly switching modes (like trying to go in reverse while you’re going up hill). However, things may have improved.
Summary
The SmartDrive is a cool device that helps take the strain off your shoulders as well as help you up inclines. However, it doesn’t degrade gracefully. If it’s not actively working, it becomes a 12lb weight and the control band is glitchy and not necessarily user friendly.
If you deal with a lot of steep inclines or have upper mobility issues, the SmartDrive is a good product to look into. However, if there’s a chance that you could meet your mobility needs through therapy or exercise, I would recommend you try and go that route first.
Hey I have a SmartDrive! Here’s my take:
Cons:
I agree that the controls aren’t ideal, although I haven’t really had any issues with it starting or changing modes unexpectedly. For me it just sometimes is hard to get it to start moving and sometimes turns off for no clear reason. It is also quite heavy, so I put it on if I plan on using it for the entirety of an outing, but if I’m not going to use it the whole time I’m out I leave it at home so I’m not hauling around the extra weight. It also doesn’t work super well in bad weather - it’s supposedly waterproof, but I’ve found if it’s really wet out it doesn’t get much traction, and if there’s snow or ice it’s a wasted effort entirely. It’s also REALLY expensive.
Pros:
It’s really nice for getting up hills or if you need to go on an extended journey. You can adjust the max speed setting so you can tone it down while you’re getting used to it, it you can lock it into a speed below the max to be able to keep a comfortable pace with ambulatory friends or just to be careful over uneven pavement or whatever. It’s doesn’t really affect your maneuverability so you can still take corners and pop wheelies over stuff as necessary. The charge seems to be pretty good, although I advise plugging it in when you’re not using it because it takes a while to charge and I’ve found the battery drains slowly even if you have it off unless it’s plugged it.
My overall take:
I wouldn’t bank on it, but if you can convince your insurance to buy it for you it’s definitely worth the effort. If not, I’d say it depends how much use you think you’ll get out of it. If you’re constantly exhausted or struggling up hills all day or have shoulder problems or anything like that it’s probably worth it. If you just get tired every now and then, I’d say it’s probably money you’re better off saving for something else.
Need assistance? Well I wouldn’t if you installed a button for the door before you are legally required to by the end of the year. Disabled people don’t want “help”. We want accessibility to be so ingrained in design we don’t NEED to ask for help. Just because I can’t walk very far or safely so I use a wheelchair whenever I’m out under orders from my neurologist doesn’t mean I’m a child who needs to be coddled and pushed around. I’m very independent and don’t like it when barriers get in the way and I’m forced to abandon what I’m doing or ask for help because a place is inaccessible. Fail subway, fail.
In my experience subway does a good job of appearing accessible without being accessible at all. I went to a subway that was on a hill, and therefore had two ground level entrances - one to get to the counter to buy your food, one to the eating area. Inside, they were connected by stairs due to the hill. I go to the counter and buy my food, and then swing back outside to go in the door to the lower eating area. Which was locked. I go back in the other door to the counter to ask them to unlock the door, to which I am told no one currently in the building has the key. I ask how I’m supposed to get down to the eating area, and they open a door that had been previously closed and possibly locked to show me the world’s steepest ramp. It was three or four stairs to get from one area to the other, and this ramp covered the same vertical distance in less space.
Long story short, if you’re a wheelchair user subway is not to be trusted.
If Ableism Dropped an Album
Announcer: Introducing Now That’s What I Call Ableism (2018)! Featuring your favorite hits:
I’m Totally Accessible (There’s Just One Step)
She’s My Wife, Not My Nurse
Yes, it Works and I Can Feel It
I Dunno, why Don’t You Ask Him? (Feat: My Wife)
You Have the Keys to My Heart (and the Elevator)
Come Through the Back Door
No, I Don’t Know Them.
She’s Not a Nun Nor a Saint (Feat: My Wife)
It’s Really None of Your Business
Slow Down, Speed Racer (So You Can Stab Me)
I Totally Know What It’s Like (The Ballad of the Broken Ankle)
Wait for It (The One Accessible Cab)
No, it Doesn’t Fold But I Promise It’ll Fit
Born This Way (Why Are you Apologizing?)
Don’t Touch This
Leave your favorite ableist track title in the comments.
I can do it (if you stop trying to “help” me)
Are you going to get better?
Waiting, Feat. my health insurance company
Jump, Feat. the people who dive into my way thinking they’re getting out of the way even though I wasn’t headed anywhere near them
So yesterday I was going through a door and it had a little steel “push to open” plaque next to the door, so I go and push it thinking “nice, this door is motorized” BUT IT WAS JUST A FUCKING PIECE OF STEEL SCREWED INTO THE WALL. This god damn thing wasn’t a button, just the face of a button that was bolted directly to the door frame.
If this isn’t a metaphor for life I don’t know what is.
Ok, guys. I need your help.
As you know, I’ve been in the process of getting a new wheelchair. During this time, I decided that I wanted to switch from a folding frame to a rigid frame for several reasons. (I even made a pros and cons list!) I was really excited about the idea until I was told that I shouldn’t get a rigid frame if car space will be an issue. However, my friends that have this type of chair say it’s fine, and that if the chair won’t fit in a trunk it can go into a back or front seat. This made me feel better until I showed another friend the chair I plan on getting. She told me it won’t fit in the car. But, this doesn’t make sense because to me, the rigid frame chair looks to be about the same size or smaller than my current chair. I can also take the wheels off the rigid frame, which I can’t do on my folding frame, and that would save space, right? So, if my current folding chair fits into her trunk, shouldn’t the rigid frame fit too?
Most of my friends say I should go for it but professionals are telling me “maybe not.” What should I do? Who should I believe? I really believe the rigid frame is the best option for me right now, but I need to know that I am going to be able to transport it in people’s cars.
Please, if you have a rigid frame chair, I would greatly appreciate your input and opinion. How well does your chair fit into a trunk or back seat? Is it really difficult to fit or, are people just worrying me for nothing? For reference, I am looking at the Quickie Q7.
Yo! Rigid frame, all the way. You will have a lot more options when it comes to measurements and features with a rigid frame then a folding one. Most wheelchair accessories (like the FreeWheel) were meant to work with a rigid frame better than a folding one.
My chair fits fine in a trunk or backseat. I rarely have issues with it.
However, If you travel a lot (especially internationally), you absolutely need a folding frame chair.
Feel free to hit me up in my inbox or chat if you have questions (I have CP as well).
I’m about six feet tall, for reference on chair size. I have a rigid frame chair, and to put it in the trunk the wheels usually have to come off, but they do so at the push of a button. It’s fit in the back of an Audi A4, a mustang, and in the back seat of a tiny Mercedes convertible. Point being that they’ll fit in most cars if you need them too.
Y'all realize poor eyesight (aka needing glasses) is an actual disability right?
Its simply one our society has normalized and made accommodations for. Its one you can function with at virtually no impairment for most because its easy to get glasses/contacts and enough people need them that we’re taken into account.
People laugh at the concept of needing glasses being a disability, but that’s because its become the standard to see disabilities only as things extremely difficult and unbearable to live with, or things that aren’t for “normal people.”
That’s wrong. How life is for people with glasses is how life should be for people with any other kind of disability - normalized, unstigmatized, unquestioned, accommodated, with resources made available.
It should be just as easy for someone in a wheelchair to have access to things that make life functionally indifferent from people without wheelchairs - just like living with glasses is for most.
Society needs a redefinition of disability - or, scratch that, they need reorienting on what “disabled” looks like and how life should be for disabled people. Being disabled isn’t defined by its hardships - it is a state of being that is unfortunately 99% accompanied by ridiculous hardships because society refuses to accommodate and still thinks they don’t have to because to them, its a simple fact that “being disabled is hard.” Why should they change?
A disability is something that leaves you at a disadvantage, in pain, non functional, etc. without some sort of aid.
Without glasses I could not drive or work, and it would severely impair my ability to even be social. You know what else does that? My other disabilities that are considered “real disabilities.”
You know what aid I have ease of access for? The thing not considered a disability. And I’d bet money that’s a direct reason why.
Have you seen Bright? There's a gang leader in a wheelchair (he's not the villain). When he's trying to intimidate the lead characters into giving him a magic wand, he mentions he wants to use it in order to walk and have sex again. That's his motivation, but other than that line and "the guy in wheelchair," it's not mentioned. Wondered what your take on the character is.
[Image of a man looking confused]
The fuck? I’ve never seen the movie but that sounds like the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. That is a terrible motivation for a disabled character. It’s old, it’s tired, and it’s completely inaccurate when it comes to sexuality and disability.
BOO! BOOOOOOOOO! It’s 2018, we do not need another “I’m sad because my dick doesn’t work right” disabled character in the world. We do not need another piece of media that our able-bodied friends will watch and then later (drunkenly) ask us “So…. does…. does your dick…like…you know…uh…..work?” Why are you asking, Dave? Do you want to fuck me?! Because the only people who can get away with asking me that question and not receiving a fist to the throat in response are those who add “Because I want to fuck you” to the end of it.
God fucking damnit I’m sick of this shit. If I’d met that character in real life and he was all “I’m sad ‘cause I can’t fuck” I’d respond with “You’ve got two perfectly good hands and a mouth that won’t shut up about how hard it is to be disabled. Maybe instead of burying your head in the sand you should master the art of burying it in something else, ya dig?!”
I swear to God the only thing worse than one dimensional disabled characters in media is a one dimensional view of human sexuality in media.
Yo I actually watched bright and here’s my two cents- basically this dude wants this all powerful thing to heal his *whatever condition he has*. It’s a tired overplayed trope, but on the other hand they at least avoid playing into the useless cripple narrative. He wants to be healed to improve his quality of life, not because he doesn’t have one as a disabled person. He’s respected by his gang and holds a position of power and influence, as opposed to being pitied or babied. Overall it’s not a great representation, but it could be a lot worse (in my opinion)
Im the anon who was only using a chair for about a month and was exhousted and sweaty by the time I got there. Thank you for your great advice!! I ended up getting carpal tunnel and wasnt able to use a manual as often - so I now have a powerchair and it is much easier on my body :) Thank you so much for your helpful advice you are the best!
I’m glad it was helpful! Yeah the biggest part is listening to your body and giving it what it needs, so I’m glad you were able to switch over to a power chair if that’s working better for you 😊
Startling moments
The other day a pigeon dove in front of my wheels, and I have never been more startled by something. For starters, I don’t think I’ve even seen a pigeon on my campus before, and this when just came out of no where and headed full speed for the tiny space of ground that was occupied by my front casters
Well fuck me, rain makes everything terrifying
You know what sucks?
When you try to go out with friends but the bathroom doors aren't wide enough for a wheelchair to fit through I ended up spending twenty minutes wandering around in the dark until I found a dingy liquor store that had a ramp and a bathroom.
this is probably a weird question, but like...ive only been using my wheelchair for about a month or so, and it works well inside my house and around stores, but outside on sidewalks/crossing roads etc it is exhousting to push, never stays in a straight line, and im dripping in sweat and my arms ache by the time i get to where im going. is there a way to make this less difficult? i just want to be able to go places without my friends having to drive me.
Totally not a weird question, friend. Here’s some advice that might help
Make Sure Your Chair Meets Your Needs
This first bit’s gonna sound weird so let me explain: most folks who use a wheelchair long-term use a chair that was specifically meant for them. My wheelchair was custom built for my body and is designed to meet my specific needs. If your going to be using a chair long term, I would make sure you use one that is built with your needs in mind as opposed to a borrowed or rented chair.
Do Some Basic Maintenance
You would be amazed at how much hair and dirt get wrapped around the front axels of the chair and start to slow it down or pull one way or the other. Every few months, take your front wheels apart, remove any debris, and lubricate the bearings. This will make for a much smoother ride.
Make Sure Your Tires Have Enough Air
If you find your chair is difficult to push, it might be because your tires are low on air. Check the side of the tire for the recommended pressure and make sure you don’t let it get too low.
Exercise as Best You Can
In your question, you mentioned that you’ve only been using a chair for about a month. Odds are, your body is still getting used to the situation and it’s going to take time for it to adjust. You can help it along by doing things like lifting weights or going for a push around your neighborhood. This will help you build the muscle groups you need to operate the chair more effectively. You’ll be sore for the first few weeks, but eventually your body will get used to it and you’ll start to grow stronger.*
It’s Tough at First, but You Will Get Better at It
The important thing to remember is to never give up. Keep at it and you will get better at using your chair and traveling long distances. In fact, you’ll get so good that distance won’t even matter anymore. On an even surface, a person in a chair will always be able to travel farther than a person on foot. I can easily put in five or six miles without even thinking if there aren’t too many hills. Eventually, you’ll be able to as well.
* Always consult a physician before starting any kind of exercise routine.
**on an even surface a person in a chair will always be able to travel further than a person on foot ————————
Some people have disabilities that mean that they cannot push a manual chair and that’s okay.
If you are getting really fatigued pushing a manual chair it is okay to consider a power chair. Or a set of e-motion wheels (wheels for a manual chair that have a gyroscope inside that mean that they are powered and assist your pushing with electric power)
Love from your friendly neighbourhood power chair user xx
There are also add ons that give manual chairs a little extra help. The SmartDrive just came out with a new one that’s supposedly rly good! It fits in a backpack and you clip it to the back of your chair and with a wrist band it tracks your movements when you tap the wheel it starts to help you push. Infact if you get too fatigued you can just steer and it will push you forba bit.
Emotin wheel are also really good but they can make the chair heavier if thats an issue for you
And if you find there are some days you cant push at all there are even attachments that turn power chairs into full powet chairs. I have something called the smart drive and it allows me to make my ultra lite manual chail into a 100% poer chair and as someone who cant push a chair but wants to use something low profile while they are still able to it has been incredible. The only problem is that they are expensive as hell. I have one on loan from the smart drive company spinergy and are fighting with insurance to get it approved.
But The smartdrive is a cheaper and more portable solution that can help you get around and save you from hurting your back and shoulders trying to fight against this inaccessible world!👍🏼💕
I don’t personally own a Smart Drive, but I reached out to someone who did and here’s some things they told me:
It’s really (really, really) expensive
Like $5,000 - $6,000 dollars. That’s more than the cost of my ultra-light wheelchair.
It’s really heavy
It weighs something like 12lbs to 15lbs. This means that when it’s not activated it’s nearly impossible to push your chair with it attached.
The wrist band is prone to accidental activation
Apparently this can be fixed with a little calibration but it’s still something worth noting.
When it works it’s awesome and when it doesn’t, you’re stuck with a 15lb weight attached to the back of your chair. For comparison, my day chair is less than 9lbs with the wheels off.
I just recently got a smart drive, and while it is heavy enough to be noticeable when you're not using it, if you're able to transfer in and out of you chair, it's relatively easy to take off/put on. I use it if I know that I'm going to be traveling further than I want to push myself and actually use it most of the time while it's on my chair, but I take it off again when I get home, and I don't use it on a daily basis because when I do want to push myself, it's definitely easier without it. That said, one of the things that I like most about it is that it makes me feel freer. I can be pushing myself around all day and be exhausted by the time I get home, but then if my friends decide to get together I can just throw the smart drive on my chair and join them without having to worry about if my arms will fall off. If you have a manual chair, I'd say it's definitely worth at least looking into whether or not your insurance will pay for it. A smart drive plus a nice ultra light manual chair is probably still cheaper than a custom power chair.
hi! what brand is your wheelchair? what do you reccomend?? I'm looking to buy my first one and I need pointers on getting a custom chair
Well mine is a TiLite but it has an Icon back and a Jay cushion, I believe. The most important thing is get a referral to an OT or somebody who knows what they’re doing. Don’t try and do it yourself. There are so many measurements that need to be taken, and everybody’s needs are so different, so just talk to somebody who can help you. Especially if this is your first chair.
A word of advice from someone who was measured by a specialist for a wheelchair that I finally got last week - it's definitely a good idea to have a professional measure and fit you for your chair, but make sure you have some input too. The chair I waited six months for doesn't fit me well because apparently the person that I blindly trusted to measure me and dimension my chair apparently didn't do a good job. Ask them questions as they measure you and decide on dimensions and ask them if anything they say doesn't make sense to you
almost completely rejecting the notion of “inspiration porn.” i’m proud to inspire people by my perserverence in even simple tasks, and feel like that is part of my calling as a cripple, though not an obligation exactly.
I too take pride in my successes when I’m able to overcome challenges that my disability creates for me, but personally I find it irritating, even offensive, when people tell me how inspiring my independence is. For one, it takes something away from those who can’t be independent in whatever task no matter how hard they try or works towards it, and two it assumes that I am extradorinary for living my life. I am proud of what I am able to accomplish, but I’m just trying to live my life like anyone else. There’s a difference between being impressed with someone’s struggles in the face of adversity and being blown away that a disabled person can live an actual life.
I am blown away that I can get out of bed, get dressed, go to the store. That’s what I feel is taken away from me by this discourse. The fact that I can make a meal is very impressive. I know a lot of people feel the way you do, and that’s fine I guess. I tried to get on board for a while. But I don’t appreciate that being presented to abled people as a unified perspective of disabled people, nor do I like being pushed to minimize my accomplishments.
I don’t think you should ever be forced to minimize your accomplishments, and I’m sorry if anyone has made you feel that way. I just take issue with the fact that people often use our successes to pretend that we don’t struggle to earn them - it doesn’t feel like they’re saying “I recognize that it was really challenging for you to do that and I’m impressed and proud of you” so much as “oh hey look you did that thing, I guess you’re not really a pitiful cripple after all.”
that’s not…being inspired
And I think that’s the distinction between inspiration and inspiration porn
that doesn’t make any sense. the point of inspiration porn is that people see a disabled person do something and they’re like “well if that person can do it, so can i.” there’s a case to be made about whether or not that’s exploitative, or in what situations, but if it’s not about how it affects another person then it’s not inspiration porn, it’s a whole other phenomenon.
I find the concept of "if you can do it so can I" rather patronizing, and you run into serious issues if you try to make it reciprocal - if they cans do anything that I can, shouldn't I be able to do anything that they can? Should I be inspired by the person jogging by me on the street to be able to move my legs again?
I respect that your life experiences have been very different from mine so you may feel very differently from me, but I feel that this type of "inspiration" dehumanizes the disabled person
almost completely rejecting the notion of “inspiration porn.” i’m proud to inspire people by my perserverence in even simple tasks, and feel like that is part of my calling as a cripple, though not an obligation exactly.
I too take pride in my successes when I’m able to overcome challenges that my disability creates for me, but personally I find it irritating, even offensive, when people tell me how inspiring my independence is. For one, it takes something away from those who can’t be independent in whatever task no matter how hard they try or works towards it, and two it assumes that I am extradorinary for living my life. I am proud of what I am able to accomplish, but I’m just trying to live my life like anyone else. There’s a difference between being impressed with someone’s struggles in the face of adversity and being blown away that a disabled person can live an actual life.
I am blown away that I can get out of bed, get dressed, go to the store. That’s what I feel is taken away from me by this discourse. The fact that I can make a meal is very impressive. I know a lot of people feel the way you do, and that’s fine I guess. I tried to get on board for a while. But I don’t appreciate that being presented to abled people as a unified perspective of disabled people, nor do I like being pushed to minimize my accomplishments.
I don’t think you should ever be forced to minimize your accomplishments, and I’m sorry if anyone has made you feel that way. I just take issue with the fact that people often use our successes to pretend that we don’t struggle to earn them - it doesn’t feel like they’re saying “I recognize that it was really challenging for you to do that and I’m impressed and proud of you” so much as “oh hey look you did that thing, I guess you’re not really a pitiful cripple after all.”
that’s not…being inspired
And I think that's the distinction between inspiration and inspiration porn
almost completely rejecting the notion of “inspiration porn.” i’m proud to inspire people by my perserverence in even simple tasks, and feel like that is part of my calling as a cripple, though not an obligation exactly.
I too take pride in my successes when I’m able to overcome challenges that my disability creates for me, but personally I find it irritating, even offensive, when people tell me how inspiring my independence is. For one, it takes something away from those who can’t be independent in whatever task no matter how hard they try or works towards it, and two it assumes that I am extradorinary for living my life. I am proud of what I am able to accomplish, but I’m just trying to live my life like anyone else. There’s a difference between being impressed with someone’s struggles in the face of adversity and being blown away that a disabled person can live an actual life.
I am blown away that I can get out of bed, get dressed, go to the store. That’s what I feel is taken away from me by this discourse. The fact that I can make a meal is very impressive. I know a lot of people feel the way you do, and that’s fine I guess. I tried to get on board for a while. But I don’t appreciate that being presented to abled people as a unified perspective of disabled people, nor do I like being pushed to minimize my accomplishments.
I don't think you should ever be forced to minimize your accomplishments, and I'm sorry if anyone has made you feel that way. I just take issue with the fact that people often use our successes to pretend that we don't struggle to earn them - it doesn't feel like they're saying "I recognize that it was really challenging for you to do that and I'm impressed and proud of you" so much as "oh hey look you did that thing, I guess you're not really a pitiful cripple after all."
