Ramps - Our Deck

The time has come to begin my series on elevated access. By that I mean ramps and lifts that enable us to access those places not on ground level. I say that the time has come because until now I have focused on subjects whose consequences have the greatest impact upon quadriplegics. Ramps and lifts affect such a broad range of disabilities it would be difficult to list them all.

This ramp is the one in our backyard that allows me access down to our patio, flower boxes and lawn. Our deck supports are made of treated lumber but the surface materials are made from Trex composite material that does not require staining or care of any kind. That, combined with the aluminum railings, was undoubtedly more costly initially but over the life of the deck the savings in stain and labor to maintain it will easily pay for the additional cost. At some point I will discuss the invisible costs of living with a disability. Paying for labor to do something as simple as stain a deck is one example of those less visible costs.

Though it does not look very steep because of my choice of ultra-wide-angle lens, the ramp is the building code standard of 1:12, which I find a very easy climb, unless my push rims happen to be wet from watering flowers or chasing the dog with the hose. Times like those I am grateful for my hill-climbers which, when engaged, prevent me from rolling backwards. On occasion the flat landing halfway up the ramp has been a great benefit to either have a different view of our backyard or to be a place to turn around and chase the dog back down.

One final note for anyone looking to build or modify a home to be barrier free: Be aware of your space limitations on each side of the house. On one side we have crushed rock, which I cannot access nor cross. On the other side, by the patio as pictured above, is a sidewalk that leads to her front gate with the inconvenient exception that the air conditioner blocks my path. Had we known, or had our home builder being more mindful of the situation, we would have either relocated the air conditioner or had it installed higher up so that getting past my wheelchair, or with the lawnmower, would be possible.

Source: Custom-built by our home builder to suit the size we wanted and the space available.

Writing Splint

Over the next few weeks we will look at the technology available to enhance productivity. A simple microphone combined with voice to text software that allows me to type faster than my thoughts can keep up. Touch screens and styluses that can make using a smart phone or tablet much easier but also be the source of accidental actions when a clumsy finger inadvertently taps the wrong place on the screen. And a trackball that allows easy two-handed navigation of a cursor when even the twitch of an index finger to click a sensitive little button on a mouse is impossible.

Most common when you hear someone speak about a person's ability to write is to think about the topic of literacy. After a bad enough spinal cord injury, in the cervical region of the spine, the ability to write is most often affected by the betrayal of our digits, and not a deficiency in education.

I have my chicken scratch that I am still able to scribble out in a pinch with a writing implement woven under my index finger, over my middle finger and under my ring and middle finger. I find that hardly effective for anything more than a quick signature or jotting down a note. For any serious writing on paper I use the writing splint pictured above.

The plastic coated portion of the splint slides over the hand, behind the knuckles but in front of the thumb. The index finger rests on top of the end of the pen with additional support coming from the C-shaped contour wrapping around a portion of the finger. Writing with this instrument is most definitely better than without it but it does have its drawbacks. Movement of the writing implement is no longer made by the hand or fingers but moves back to the wrist, elbow and shoulder. This makes for reduced dexterity even after a time of practice, increased muscle fatigue, and poor posture which has long-term effects on body pain.

In addition to all of that there is the dependency on a and awkwardly shaped tool for something as important as writing. It's not convenient to carry with me. Thankfully, most of our writing has a technological advancement to it, be that for writing this post and most other medium to large writing tasks, texting or simple note taking. I have already looked at the adaptation I use for standard typing on a keyboard; a simple yellow pencil dipped in an industrial plastic coating.

Source: Occupational therapy product catalogue.