Infrared Activated Garbage Can

I'm back from my long hiatus with a few new items to post. I know it has been too long, but I feel like I have nearly completed everything I, personally, have to share. As new technologies or barriers are faced I will share them, and there's one that really got under my skin yesterday that I may need to rant about on here, soon. For now, a simple, affordable and very useful piece of technology is the infrared activated garbage can lid.

It can be difficult enough with functioning hands to bring a load of garbage to the can and open it without leaving any mess in the process. Add to that paralyzed fingers and often our dexterity itself is not enough to carry garbage over, let alone open the lid. Obviously foot pedal operated garbage cans don't work for us and many of the good cans out there are spring-loaded or designed in a way that the lid cannot stay open. With these cans, if you know you will need the lid open for a significant period of time, there are buttons to press to keep the lid open until you press the other button to close it.

These cans are not perfect. In my opinion, they automatically close too soon after opening and are not sensitive enough to stay open when a person's hand is still over the sensor while depositing multiple pieces of garbage. The first one that we had had critical parts, the gear responsible for opening the lid, made of plastic that broke far too soon, rendering the automatic lid useless, even after being repaired with some epoxy. Charge me an extra five dollars and make those important pieces of metal. Also, as entertaining as it is for children and some seniors, they almost need to come with instructions on the front indicating that you don't need to close the lid. All you will be doing is breaking that plastic gear I just spoke of.

That said, using D batteries, it will open and close thousands and thousands of times between needing new batteries, so, as long as they don't break the lid, let the kids play.

Source: The best one we've bought came from Costco for about $40. Other department stores like Canadian Tire carry them but are way overpriced until they come on sale, like most of the items at Canadian Tire.

Swiffer Duster

I haven't disappeared forever and Challenging Reality is not finished, yet. It's just that I've had some excellent opportunities to work on even larger projects that will help more people in even greater ways than what I've done here. When those opportunities come I've had to take them. As they wrap up, and a smaller two-week project for the health region begins soon, I can begin thinking about the work here.

One item that I've been meaning to highlight for a long time is a Swiffer Duster. Any wand type duster will work, I just happen to have the brand name at home. That said, it's not that I use it nearly as much as I should. I greatly appreciate my wife's keeping of our home and feel as though what I am able to do, and am able to reach, is not the most efficient use of my time if I could be cooking, washing dishes, managing finances or the other tasks that I excel at more than cleaning.

As simple as these static charged dusters are, they work even better in combination with The Gloves, as do so many of those things that require a little bit of dexterity to use effectively. I imagine that a universal cuff, or other strap to assist in securing the duster to your hand, would do a fine job in giving the strength and grip necessary for something as light as a duster like this.

The little bit of extra reach, the lightweight nature of the product and the effective way that it picks up dust makes it a fine product for quality cleaning, whether being used by a disabled person or an able-bodied person.

Source: Any department store.

Think Twice Before Taking that Handicapped Spot in Russia

Last week I discussed Handicapped Parking Spaces and Placards.The irony of this video making its way into my presence into my newsfeed via Reddit, just a few days later, is quite remarkable. Without question some of the most effective anti-drinking and driving or anti-texting and driving advertisements are those that shock and surprise a person. After all, it's becoming more and more difficult to make an impact on people as we grow increasingly desensitized.

I don't have a problem with shocking advertisements in the safe situation such as watching TV or YouTube. However, as you will see in the video below, my concern is that the surprise my cause a driver to slam on the gas, instead of the brake. Watch for yourself.

I can't say that I have a problem with this strong approach. It's clever and makes people think. It may be Russian, Russian drivers may purportedly be less considered about leaving accessible spaces open to those needing them, but I'm pretty sure the message is transferable to just about anywhere in the world. I don't know if I like the shock it might cause a driver but maybe it would make them think twice and never forget what they saw. Still, face-to-face communication and a growing understanding is probably more long-lasting and encouraging but it's pretty difficult for us disabled people to connect with everyone we would like to educate.

Good on Russia for addressing the problem. A lot of blatant accessibility problems in Canada never get attention or looked at. I guess it takes somewhere with a little bit of courage to respond strongly enough to effect results.

Originally seen on Digital Synopsis.

Handicapped Parking and Placard

 

  Handicapped Parking Placard and Spaces by Jay Scott on 500px

There is a problem with that title, I know. I'm not entirely certain what the politically correct term is but I know it's not handicapped spaces. I'm not certain if it is accessible parking spaces or barrier free parking spaces. In Saskatoon and most of Saskatchewan those terms would be as literally incorrect as they are politically correct. I chose this title because, as outdated as it is, it is the most easily recognizable term that is understood by the most people.

Parking Spaces

It's not that we are not grateful for them because we are. It's that seldom are they wide enough to deploy a ramp or a lift and then still have enough room to exit the vehicle. Heaven help us if there is a median, as is common in the construction of current parking lots. Medians may protect vehicles from carts but they do not allow us adequate space to enter and exit our vehicles and they are the perfect place for snow to build up against, making the spot even smaller in winter. Often the only way is to park right on the driver's side line or park at an angle so we don't get blocked in. Far too many times I hear about peers of mine having notes put on their window, telling them what horrible drivers they are, because they were protecting their own interest and safety by parking at an angle. One more reason why I hope this site and this specific post reaches a few able-bodied people. This is one of the most public and visible struggles and adaptations to the average person.

This summer would you do us a favor and take a look at the lines in the parking lot? Try to remember how wide those spots are and, this winter, when you are desperately seeking that parking space a precious 10 feet closer to the door, remember we need that extra room and that spaces are designated as wider. If you are ever in a larger center in Alberta, British Columbia or Washington state, take a look around. Their spots are wide enough for both the vehicle and a ramp, and have designated marked off sections between each for a person to exit the vehicle, be it transferring into a wheelchair from the driver side, or exiting a ramp or lift on the passenger side.

Finally, regarding the parking spaces, to those who don't lose sleep over using them occasionally, I know you are just running in, but you might very well be taking up or blocking a critical spot for a vulnerable person who needs it or is trying to get back to their vehicle. We only wish we could just run in.

Placards and Permits

The second portion of this post is regarding the parking placard hanging from my mirror. Thankfully North America has standardized the format and any time you see a placard that size and that colour, regardless of where it is issued, you can know its purpose and so can parking enforcement officers.

On the front side is a sticker as issued by the city of Saskatoon which allows a person to park at any unreserved meter belonging to the city (this excludes the University campus or Innovation Place) for up to 36 hours. This is invaluable when we cannot easily come out to move our vehicle or when we quadriplegics have difficulty putting coins in the meter. Most the time, half of the coins end up in the gutter and parking costs us twice as much. Yes, the city is switching over to more automatic meters and they are uncertain how they will handle these stickers in the future. As of this writing this sticker system is the case. This I say to those who think we are getting a free ride, they do cost us $20 a year and I would gladly pay more for the convenience.

Finally, take a look online before you travel to a different city. Some places, like Seattle, allow free parking to anyone with an issued placard. This was great, convenient, and perfectly affordable during our visit some two years ago. However, that city has cracked down on the number of improperly issued permits. Too many people were using expired temporary ones or did not genuinely need the helping hand. I respect the City of Seattle for their decision to prevent abuse by those who would occupy a spot that could have been used by someone with a greater need.

Placard Source: Abilities Council or applications can be found online. A doctor's approval is likely necessary.

One final note about the photo. The pink in it is a tribute to the pink neon light I was so fond of in my old 1981 Chevy Scottsdale.

Touch Lamp

Everybody needs a grope light. You know, that light that's easy to find and smack the switch when you need light in the middle of the night. Certainly there are plenty of lamps available with a nice easy rocker switch that serve this purpose but nothing is quite as easy for someone with paralyzed fingers than a touch lamp. Unfortunately, they are becoming a little bit harder to find and new bulb technology is causing them to function differently than they used to 10 years ago.

My favorite touch lamp, pictured above, still uses incandescent bulbs. Just a nice, small, 60 W chandelier bulb. The lamp is what controls the dim, medium and bright levels. Built into it is a relay that allows only so much wattage through at each of the three levels. Many touch lamps actually require special bulbs which contain three separate filaments and that is how the three levels of brightness is controlled. I understand that this is necessary for lamps of a higher maximum wattage but thankfully smaller bedside lamps do not need the special bulbs.

In most lamps like this CFL bulbs simply don't work. They only work with lamps that have on and off, not multiple levels of brightness. The bulbs that can either cause a malfunction or cause the lamp to no longer have three levels of brightness are LED bulbs. If you notice when you shop for either CFL or LED bulbs they give their ratings in two measurements, actual wattage and equivalent wattage. Eventually we will become accustomed to the amount of light put out by a 10 W LED bulb but for now most of us need to know that that is typically equivalent to the 60 W incandescent bulb that we all grew up with.

In the case of the touch lamp, where the settings are 20 W output for low, 40 W output for medium and 60 W for high, even on the low setting you have already exceeded the LED bulb's maximum draw. So, using that bulb in this lamp would give me high, high, high and off. There would be no low or medium settings. There is no danger in this case because the bulb will not draw more than it needs. The lamp is not going to try to push an extra 50 W of power through the bulb on what would normally be the brightest setting. However, some lamps that function differently have warnings about not using LED bulbs in them and some LED bulbs on IKEA's website indicate that they are not well-suited for all touch lamps. I used IKEA as an example because that is about the most affordable place to purchase LED bulbs.

I don't believe touch lamps are going to disappear forever but they have been becoming more difficult to find. It may simply be a matter of searching hard to find the right one and, before long, we may not enjoy the ease of waking up to a low or medium setting if on or off are our only options.

Source: Lamp – department stores and online.
Bulbs – most department stores but I have found the best deals at IKEA and dx.com.

Lanyards and Mobile Phones

I'm fortunate to have enough dexterity to seldom need assistance using my mobile phone. As mentioned before, I have chosen cases that have features giving me a greater ability to securely hold the device. A phone from October of 2004, that I still have and is sitting right next to me on the desk as I write this, was one of the earlier phones with a built-in modem, very minimal Internet access and texting capabilities. I had it set up on a free phone plan provided by SaskTel to any member of the Canadian Paraplegic Association. I had to purchase the phone out right, which certainly brings to light how expensive cell phones are when you don't get them at a discount rate because of a contract. Since it has served me 11 years I think I got my money's worth.

That said, this was a flip phone before any type of Internet connectivity or advanced communication was available in a mobile device for your average consumer. It is a really nice compact, streamlined unit that fits in just about any pocket. Unfortunately, because of the smooth, round lines and perfectly fitting halves, it was pretty difficult for me to reliably hold on to or flip open when receiving a call. Unless I had somewhat long fingernails I had a difficult time prying open the phone to use it. At the time of its primary use, it was simply for emergency purposes so I seldom needed to get at it in a hurry.

Adding a lanyard to the built in bar, as seen in the photo below, made it easier to keep it nearby for immediate access, as well as one additional place to hold on to the phone while prying it open for use. For my purposes I found the lanyard to remove the streamlined nature of the phone and make it more difficult to put in or remove from a pocket when it was not around my neck. Because of this the lanyard did not stay attached to the quick connector for very long. It was nice to be able to leave a quick connector attached for the times I did want the lanyard on it.

Not everyone has the benefit of the dexterity that I enjoy while others have more dexterity. New phones tend not to have a place intended for a lanyard as the flip phone pictured above does. Not so long ago I saw a brilliant improvisation on Brenda's phone (she happens to work at the CPA) and on Delynne's phone (who also works at the CPA and brought the idea for last week's post regarding the adapted makeup brush). Their adaptation was simply to feed the lanyard around their case, looped from the headphone opening to the camera's opening. Ingenious and universal for just about any smart phone out there.

If you choose the right lanyard, with a very tough but thin cord as the one used on both of these phones (it's the same lanyard, switched from one phone to the next for demonstration purposes), it won't affect the fit of the phone in the case. One of the two that I saw even fit well with the legendary Otterbox case for an iPhone. By legendary I mean that they fit incredibly precisely, better than some of the knockoff cases I have seen and used.

I love simple, inexpensive solutions to make it easier to enjoy technology everyone else is enjoying, without a complicated custom-made adaptation. This lanyard came with a terrible a.m. radio in the shape of a Saskatchewan Roughriders helmet, attached as a prize to a bottle of Wiser's Deluxe. Wouldn't want to lose my radio while listening to a Rider game and drinking my whiskey.

Source: Discount stores and eBay are the best places to find a lanyard that best meets your needs.

Lift - House Interior - Battery Hydraulic

The lift in my parents' home is the first that was installed on my behalf. It has been a reliable, safety certified, overpriced solution to allow me access to the basement. It is a very slow moving hydraulic, DC powered, mechanism that provides the lift or descent. The DC power comes from a battery that is constantly being charged by AC and is supposed to be the backup to a power outage. I've never needed to test the backup but I'm doubtful that a seventeen year old battery would have the capacity to complete a cycle, if necessary.

The door locks shut as soon as the lift is activated, but that won't happen until the tediously slow gas shock lets the door creep closed. Once you reach your destination that shock makes a very inconvenient resistance when opening the door. Add to that the significant lip the user needs to descend or climb when exiting or entering while the lift is in the basement and it's not exactly smooth to use. The lip would be non-existent if the lift descended into a recess, which would make room for the pressure-sensitive plate which prevents the crushing of anything that might be underneath. Safety first, I suppose, though I've come crashing out of there on an angle when the door caught my chair because of the safety of the gas shock. Not much hope of carrying anything on my lap with that thing. My current lift has no such safeties. We'll look at it in the near future.

You can likely determine from my tone that I'm not fond of this lift. Safety is important, but almost everything takes longer in our disabled lives. Does getting downstairs have to take the 78 seconds I've timed it at? My current lift is plenty safe and takes me 17 seconds. These times include time taken to enter the lift. My biggest complaint comes not from inconvenience, but from well being. Not a safety concern but a sanity concern. That and the difficulty of transporting anything in addition to the user.

As the thin metal panels that enclose the wall-mounted tracks and the carriage expand or contract with the temperature change in the house between every furnace or air conditioner cycle they snap, crackle and pop, loudly, right above my wife's and my head, as we try to sleep. This drives us nuts.

I do not know what other safety certified lift options are available but I recommend seeking them out. If a lift of this style is your only option have it installed in a closet or away from places you need quiet.

Source: Home adaptation and modification businesses.

Nursing Pillow

My apologies for the length of time between posts. As you can see, I've been a little busy. :)

I've always had a hesitation to hold babies. There are a few factors such as shyness, inexperience, uncertainty and fear of not holding them safely or securely. Most of those still exist for me but my experience and confidence are growing, shyness is gone because it's our child and securely holding them is greatly improved thanks to the nursing pillow pictured above.

Many nursing pillows, like the one I use to hold our baby, are U-shaped so that it wraps around my waist. A form of that shape helps it stay in place and allows me an arm or two free if I need to maneuver a bit. The biggest improvement I learned about from the ever problem solving Heather. She told me of how she modified her pillow to tie in the back so that she could feel safe about having her baby on her lap while completing the tasks necessary to keep her family running well.

I don't feel the need for those ties and am fortunate that my time with our daughter is for enjoyment. I never need to hold her and try to complete the essential tasks at the same time. Though I do find my available time to do what I need to do, and what I want to do, quite stretched thin and I don't have the work load my wife does. More quality sleep would help in getting things done more easily, and I truly don't need to be told it will get better. We know it will, but that doesn't help on the days following a bad night.

Until she's climbing all over me I will appreciate this pillow that allows me to hold our bundle closer.

Source: Most baby supply stores and some department stores.

Ramps - Switchback

Through the winding tunnels under the University of Saskatchewan, which connect the buildings that vary in age, elevation and repair, a person will encounter many ramps of multiple different characteristics. Some are steep enough that I would not feel safe climbing or descending them independently in a manual or power wheelchair. Others are properly and reasonably gradual, with many ramps falling between those two extremes.

The ramp pictured above is one of the better ramps in the tunnel system underground. The switchback halfway up gives a person an opportunity to rest, regain strength for the next climb, and can be a place to wait for a clear path to the next plateau. This ramp would be one example of one that is too narrow for multiple people at once and when the masses are moving through here it can become intrusive to be the guy in a wheelchair blocking everyone else's way.

Unfortunately, depending on the time of day and year, some of the access points in these tunnels are often closed or locked which necessitates venturing outside to find a suitable detour. Often choosing to take the tunnels is a longer distance than going outside but it can save exposing oneself to the elements. When you hit one of these dead ends, only to have to go outside to find a detour, it results in much wasted time and energy in backtracking. Far from a perfect system when time between classes is short, transportation arrival and departure times have short windows, and when accessible washrooms are less frequent than they should be.

Thoughts: If attendance at a post secondary education institution is in your future minimize those first stressful days by having a good explore to determine the best routes for yourself. Don't be afraid to mention to the appropriate counselor the problem areas that need addressing. It may not be fixed by the time you have completed your stay but, hopefully, you will be making it better for the next person who needs proper access.

Ramps - My Van

After a fairly worry free ownership of a Dodge Grand Caravan, modified to have pneumatic suspension by Van Action, it was good to upgrade to a mass produced product that is the Braun Rampvan. Because they manufacture tens of thousands of these each year, with dealership and repair support in most major centers, it gave me much greater confidence in the ability to have a problem diagnosed and fixed quickly, should one arise. When the pneumatic suspension system on my Grand Caravan developed a leak finding it was incredibly difficult and when it was thought to be found and repaired it was not long before the problem resurfaced.

It was an excessive source of anxiety for me because that van could not be driven without that pneumatic suspension. It functioned by inflating the suspension every time the van was to be used. If the compressor that inflated the suspension were to fail it would be mere minutes before the van would be unsafe to drive. I was never stranded anywhere but with the compressor cutting in every 60 seconds my concerns over it having excessive wear or overheating and failing completely were not without merit. With a Braun Rampvan the rear suspension is compressed each time the user wants to enter or exit the van. If this system were to fail the ramp may be a bit steep but the vehicle would be perfectly drivable.

The ramp on these vans can vary in steepness from a grade of 1:7 to a grade of 1:9, when parked on a flat surface. This depends on the distance the floor is dropped and the style of ramp. In the case of mine, a Toyota Sienna, the floor had to be dropped 12 inches, which resulted in a slightly more gradual incline than in my friend Paul's Honda Odessy which has a 10 inch drop floor, but a different style ramp that is steeper for the first third, then more gradual for the top two thirds. One good push will get you over the steeper bottom half of his ramp then the rest of your climb is easy. The ramp on my van has only a slightly steeper bottom half and requires just a little more than one full push to get over that hump. You cannot always count on being able to, but when the opportunity to park next to a curb or sidewalk comes, take it. Your ramp will be virtually flat.

These differences between vehicles and ramps can be difficult to determine which will work the best based on your physical ability. An authorized dealer should be able to provide you with demonstration models to try. Other technology, such as hill climber brakes, are available to assist in the process. They will be covered in the future and I hope to complete compiling a video we recorded the raw footage for to demonstrate the difficulty of climbing each ramp on each van by two quadriplegics of slightly different levels of neurological function.

If there's one thing I have learned about vehicles it is that necessity truly is the mother of invention. When I had a ramp I needed to be able to climb my determination made it possible in a short amount of time. The same could be said for difficult transfers and many other physical things I needed to be able to accomplish independently. Determination and practice go a long way.

Other adaptations to the vehicle will be covered in future posts.

Source: Authorized adapted vehicle reseller and modifiers.

Zip Ties, Split Rings, and Paracord

When it comes to dexterity few things are as challenging as zippers. Tiny little tabs designed to be pulled with a pinch between the index finger and thumb. Not quadriplegic friendly.

My simple solution for a lot of years was split rings. I think every keychain in my parents' home was scavenged for this purpose. The fact that my dad had a small collection of keychains help my inventory of split rings to grow quickly. It's remarkable how many zippers there are to benefit from a permanent ring on them. Zippers are everywhere.

The one place that I most wanted my adaptation to be less visible was on the fly of my pants. For that location I chose to use a small black zip tie, as barely visible on the pair of jeans in the photo above. Zip ties like that do wear out in time and a few did break on me, leaving me with a bit of a struggle to do up my pants until it could be replaced with a new zip tie. Thankfully that zipper does not need to be started like on a full-length jacket zipper. I have no secret method to assist in starting a zipper on a jacket. That is simply a matter of trial, error and patience.

Though I still use split rings for a lot of purposes, I have transitioned to using paracord for most of my zipper pulls. There are a myriad of colours to choose from and their flexibility can provide minor advantages over split rings in certain circumstances. I have even begun transitioning away from bungee cord and toward paracord for my pant hooks. The snaps that connect two ends of paracord together to make a pullable tab and loop, like those attached to the yellow and black paracord in the photo above, are cheap and abundant on places like eBay. However, I found the ones I chose to not hold nearly as well as they should. I made certain to make my selection based on the size of paracord I was using, prepare the ends by cutting and melting them and made certain the snap was applied properly, but often it would let go at inopportune times.

The alternative is to simply thread your length of paracord through the zipper eyelet then tie the two lengths in a half hitch, as I have done for the zipper laying immediately to the left of the pouch, the second one to the right of the pink lanyard. A more interesting alternative is to tie an interesting knot in the end and use it as a lanyard, essentially a simplified version of the lanyard I tied to be my keychain. As frequently as we are forced to compromise form for the purposes of function, this is one of those simple places that I appreciate the more decorative look of a diamond knot lanyard over a simple half hitch. I decided to get extra fancy and do a double diamond knot for the longer zipper pull on my camera bag.

Hit me in the comments with your zipper adaptations, if you have any unique methods.

Source: paracord and snaps – eBay. Split rings – dollar store or craft supply store.

Lanyard

You've already seen this lanyard in my post regarding door bumpers to assist in pressing remote buttons. These little well tied loops of rope or cord can be so helpful in so many other ways. Keeping keys attached to something easy to grab a hold of, and easy on the teeth for those times you need to hold on to them with your mouth, is a big deal because the alternative is dropping them. For many quadriplegics, or any wheelchair users for that matter, picking things off the floor can be very difficult. Especially if you already have something on your lap or are in the middle of a snow-covered parking lot.

A lanyard can be homemade, bought cheaply from any discount store, and be almost any length you need to fit your intended purpose. As attractive as the Solomon bar weave is on the upper part of this lanyard, it is the diamond knot that I am most grateful to be able to tie successfully. That knot makes for not just a loop to hold onto but a nicely sized ball of cord to incorporate into a zipper pull, making the challenge of operating a zipper a little bit easier. Here are my thoughts on zippers. While the white part of the cord is illuminated by a camera flash, the green part is because of the glow-in-the-dark material used to make this lanyard. It's a little more expensive than standard paracord but for those times I wanted to be able to find my keys in the dark I'm glad I chose it for this keychain.

The reason I like paracord so much is that when used to secure keys, as shown in the door bumpers post linked to above, is that it is quite easy to detach the keys for those times when you need to separate your vehicle keys from your house keys, such as when leaving a vehicle for service. I prefer this over the quick clasp lanyards that you can purchase in stores because often those clasps are spring-loaded and pivot which makes operating them very difficult, and a danger to a person's lip should you choose to use your teeth and have the clasp snap shut.

In the future we will take a look at other lanyards of the smaller size used to keep smooth and difficult cell phones closer to us and less likely to be dropped on the floor if they slip out of our hands. Because I did not want to be tied down by a lanyard hanging off my phone I chose a very rubbery case and the larger design of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for my current phone, which I talk about in the post regarding touch screens and styluses.

Source: Webbed lanyards - Department or DollarStores
Paracord and Premade Paracord Lanyards - EBay and Etsy

The Island

I stand by the importance of having the right tools for the job, regardless of where that might be. Utensils for cooking effectively, such as the right flipper or knives, are crucial as much as the right hacksaw or rotary tool are for the first steps of building something. In the future I will show you my workbench and carefully chosen tools, but today the focus is on the surface essential to safely cook.

The top level of the island pictured above is a standard countertop height. It still has a significant degree of functionality for me but is primarily my wife's surface for her kitchen needs. The lower surface is a mirror image of the top level of the island with the two essential aspects. Firstly, the fact that I can roll under it anywhere along the front or sides. Secondly, the lowered height of it, which was chosen based off of other surfaces that have worked well for me. Having this large surface available to me has given me almost complete freedom in the kitchen to cook as effectively as I do.

A plug-in at each end of the island allows me to use multiple electrical appliances at the same time and the front 15 cm of the upper-level, where you see the coffee grinder, salt shaker and pepper grinder, is accessible to me to help keep my work surface as free as possible. If I had to do it all over again, given the space available to us, I would have rotated the island 90° and made it another 15-30 cm wider. Too often I am left with a slightly tighter preparation area than I would like when there is a hot pan or wok beside me. I am careful, but this has caused the occasional burn. Thankfully I have not, yet, spilled a vessel of hot food on the floor.

Though height is important, the most important thing is by far the fact that I can roll right under it and be facing forward while preparing. The same goes for being able to roll under a sink, be it in the kitchen or bathroom, or my workbench downstairs. Anytime I have been forced to pull up parallel to a vanity, and twist my body to try to use the sink, it results in a back ache and shoulder pain after an extended period of time. I can get by but I really appreciate having my work surfaces fully accessible.

Source: Custom made by the cabinet company who worked with our home builder. Easily done by any cabinet maker.

Rounded Versus Square Mattresses

Being adaptable is important for instances such as traveling or simply being away from home. I certainly notice when I am away from the very suitable circumstances of our home. I am very efficient in our kitchen with my island but put me in someone else's kitchen without a suitable surface for me to roll under, with a knife that is not easy for me to hold safely, and I do not look very efficient at what I am trying to do.

At times I grow complacent with the ease of my transfers at home in relation to other places and always find them especially easy when returning home after being away. The struggle of a more difficult transfer only serves to enhance my balance and strengthen muscles through the effort required.

One of the biggest challenges is sleeping and dressing in a bed that is not our own. Especially if that bed happens to have a queen size mattress with a rounded edge like the photo above. Ironically, that is the first mattress I used post injury and it was recommended by my occupational therapist because it uses an air bladder system which supposedly provides better pressure relief. In order to get that softer mattress it needs to be deflated a bit once in bed and re-inflated to be firm enough to complete my morning routine. The air pump is as loud as a vacuum cleaner which is not what I would call the first thing I want to hear in the morning after waking up.

Unfortunately, when the mattress is fully inflated it has a concave shape to it. This causes the edge to be far less usable at night or in the morning when it is time to sit up and it causes my hips to tend to want to slide off the bed. That means to safely sleep in the bed I need to have more than half to myself, which leaves my wife with far too little space for a comfortable night's sleep. When transferring in and getting undressed at night, and then getting back into my chair in the morning, it feels as though I am always fighting the tendency to slide off the bed. For these reasons it is a passable bed for the cabin and only needs to be endured a few times per year.

Below is our current bed. It is a combination of a firm bottom foam mattress and a medium density topper. The top portion of the mattress is about one third as thick as the bottom and is still quite firm. I have yet to have any problems with pressure areas, the sharp edge gives me a good sense of security for both sitting up at night and when transferring in and out. We ordered it from a custom mattress manufacturer who essentially makes each combination of mattresses on a customer to customer basis so it did not cost us a ridiculous amount of money. Coming home to this bed after being away reminds us that it was worth every penny.

As you can see above, I still use a sheepskin to keep my feet comfortable at night and prevent any pressure areas on my heels or ankles. It was time for the red one to be retired once I found this one at Costco around the middle to end of September, which is when they seem to carry these each year.

Source: Many mattress stores will help you find what fits your needs best, but I recommend going somewhere that they specialize so you are not getting the cookie-cutter sales pitch from a general furniture salesperson.

Reaching Rod

My friend, a fellow quadriplegic, and I often jokingly express our envy of paraplegics and their functioning hands. I've heard it said that quadriplegics just want to be paraplegics, paraplegics just want the able-bodied, and able-bodied people want to be Superman. True or not, it would still be nice to have proper dexterity and even be able to use the common gripper-extension arm with a pistol style handle that can be squeezed to close the pinchers at the end to aid in picking things up off the floor. Even those are mostly unusable by us as they require us to use two hands to squeeze the trigger and typically that needs to be done directly in front of our chest using stronger arm or pectoral muscles which negates the reach advantage it is supposed to provide.

With a bit of creative designing and a few imperfect results, my dad and I came up with the above product. By slipping the T-shaped end into The Gloves I have a very helpful extension to my arm to aid in many tasks. My primary uses are reaching certain light switches in our home, assisting in opening the kitchen blinds whose pull cords are just out of reach and, most importantly, gently closing our barbecue when enjoying the pleasures of cooking with it.

The only modification made over time was the addition of a few wraps of hockey tape to increase the friction of the surfaces it comes in contact with. The rubber hose that covered the T and hook ends had deteriorated so I improvised with hockey tape. Without it the plane, smooth, painted steel would occasionally slip off of the surface I was using it on.

Regarding the photo, as previously mentioned and in the interest of full disclosure, I do very little digital manipulation of my photos. This one was one exception where the fishing line used to suspend the rod was removed digitally.

Source: Any beginner welder should be able to fabricate something like this for you and a similar device probably could be manufactured just by heating and bending a single piece of steel rod.

Velcro

Without Velcro The Gloves could not be tightened enough to provide me the dexterity that they do and many of the tasks I am able to complete successfully, would either be much more difficult, or simply impossible to complete. Getting a grip on certain exercise equipment, to help with Strengthening our functioning muscles, is made easier with Velcro. It enables the design simplicity of a Universal Cuff and Razor Cuff, an alternative to the difficulty of tying Shoelaces and so many other daily applications where a tight, but adjustable, fit is needed to be possible with limited dexterity.

By no means is this list exhaustive. In many cases Velcro can be creatively added to an existing device, article of clothing or tool to make it friendlier for us to use. Many stores now carry cinch straps made entirely out of Velcro. These are useful for places that something such as a rubber band or a bungee strap is just too difficult for us to use. If you have a great example of Velcro use let me hear from you.

Next week we will look at a Sport Cuff that enables a reasonable grip on almost anything with a handle such as a fishing rod, tennis racket or even a pool cue.

Source: Department stores, dollar stores, hardware stores and sewing stores.

Autonomic Dysreflexia and the Sweat Towel

A short time into my stay in rehab at Saskatoon City Hospital I began having a regular problem of sweating. Of course, my first instinct was to cool down because, obviously, I was too warm. Being that my stay was during the winter months it was easy to go outside and try to cool off. What was bizarre to me was that I already felt far too cold and I very seldom felt comfortably warm since my injury. However, after going outside with only a light jacket, beads of sweat freezing on my face, the only way to stop it seemed to be to get out of my borrowed wheelchair. With no answers from the physiatrists, nursing staff, occupational therapists or physiotherapists it was up to us to find the problem and solution. It's nothing new to have to be your own advocate for your healthcare, but to a newly injured quadriplegic this was a little bit frustrating to have no suggestions from the professionals who were caring for me and specialized in my circumstances.

My dad, a heavy duty mechanic with very little computer or Internet experience – this was 1996 with the Internet being still somewhat exclusive – used his access at work to search for the cause of this problem. It was a good day when he called me from work, on my cell phone, another technology still with a degree of exclusivity, and told me to, "Take off that leg strap!" Because I was in an average sized wheelchair borrowed from the hospital it was a couple inches too narrow for someone as tall and large as I was. This necessitated me to strap my legs together at the knees, which narrowed my hips, so that I could use the narrower wheelchair without wearing holes in my pants or skin from the rubbing of the wheels.

It was the pressure area being caused by the prolonged use of that strap on my legs that caused pain I could not feel which manifested itself as profuse sweating. This condition is known as autonomic dysreflexia, an autonomic nervous system response when a signal sent from an area lacking sensation reaches the spinal cord lesion, cannot make a connection to the brain, and bounces back. This results in a sharp increase in blood pressure with symptoms such as tingling in the face and head, sinus congestion, flushing of the skin, a general feeling of anxiety, slow or rapid heart rate, profuse sweating and throbbing headaches. At worst, the potential for high blood pressure related conditions such as stroke, aneurysm or heart attack are real and the reason it should always be taken seriously.

Autonomic dysreflexia typically occurs in people with a spinal cord injury above T6 but it may vary, along with the symptoms individuals may experience, and is not limited to people with a spinal cord injury. People with multiple sclerosis, or other neurological disease or disorder, may experience this and their symptoms can vary just like they do for anyone else who experiences it.

Medical professionals are better than they used to be about being aware of this condition and its potential seriousness. When I was in rehab I was warned to make certain that anyone about to perform anything that may cause pain below the level of my sensation use standard anesthesia procedures. The pain caused by being cut open without appropriate anesthesia could easily be one of those times that causes a bout of dysreflexia which could cause one of those life altering conditions mentioned above. If the pain cannot be removed something such as nitro spray may be required in an emergency circumstance to lower the blood pressure and prevent the potential consequences.

My model and good friend, Paul, pictured above, described his typical autonomic dysreflexia symptoms as the pounding headache, flushing which makes him feel flashes of heat, combined the sweating which makes the air feel like ice. He is a prime example of how much dysreflexia can vary. Paul still has much of his sensation, his motor function below his injury is fully impaired, yet he still experiences dysreflexia when he is in pain below the level of his normal sensation.

As serious as autonomic dysreflexia can be, being aware of it, the level of severity, and the areas in my head and face that I can feel the tingling and sweating, make it much easier to determine the location of the discomfort and alleviate it. Some doctors will overreact to the point that they insist blood pressure medication be taken on an everyday basis just because of the minor bouts that occur from entering the freezer section at the grocery store, feeling the urge to drain my bladder, or even pass gas. Unfortunately, that doctor lost all credibility with me by thinking I should be lightheaded and woozy all of the time from the blood pressure medication because of minor tingling in my forehead when I need to pee! For the record, there were other ways that doctor believes quads should compromise living for the sake of a longer life, which also lead to his lost credibility with me.

As unpleasant as it might be, bowel care, performed by digital stimulation, well lubricated or not, and the application of a micro enema, causes dysreflexia in many. It has to be done, isn't pleasant, but I still do not believe it warrants blood pressure medication (we take enough, already), unless it were to become life-threatening. If it were that serious I imagine there would be alternative methods to consider beyond putting a bandage-medication over something that escalated.

Knowing that when I feel tingling or perspiration at the top of my cheek, below my right eye, means that my left foot is bothering me makes a world of difference in easily managing the condition. That is one example of where I know the resulting cause of pinpoint dysreflexia. The same can be said for when I experience dysreflexia anywhere else in isolated areas in my face, head or neck. Sometimes, though, I just do not know where the source of the pain is and it is trial and error to find it and alleviate it. A good friend of mine, Heather, had problems with dysreflexia for a long time and could not seem to find and solve the problem. Finally, someone suggested that the rods in her spine may be causing her problems. An x-ray revealed that they were broken and were clearly the cause of her prolonged problem. Her story is much deeper than just what I've said and you will find enjoyment digging into her very well written posts.

Regardless of the cause, most people get the profuse sweating and have their designated sweat towel. Mine is pictured above and is employed during most bowel cares and the occasional time that I need it until the cause of my sweating is determined and resolved. At worst I have had to take a second towel as the first had become completely saturated and was dripping sweat more than I was. Thankfully that was years ago, and only very seldom since the cause of my problem was surgically resolved, just as Heather's required a surgical repair.

If you are someone with a disability who may be susceptible to autonomic dysreflexia, consider it before undergoing even a small procedure, getting that next tattoo, or any other time you will be knowingly experiencing pain below your level of sensation.

Solutions: Determining and removing the source of pain, pain killers or if it is serious enough, something as strong as nitro spray may be employed by medical professionals to reduce your blood pressure until the pain can be resolved.

Extended Blind Chain

As the winter sun climbs higher each day it also grows in intensity making the desire to open blinds greater as the heat given by the sun exceeds the cold air let in by opening the blinds. How much easier, or simply possible, it is for an individual in a wheelchair when those blinds have an extended cord or chain.

Often the chain is not so short or high up that it cannot be reached but, a longer chain makes it much easier to open the blinds by allowing each longer pull to be more productive than if a person can just barely reach it. The chain in the photo above was one in our home that I forgot to indicate to the blind installer that I wanted it to be longer. Thankfully, it was simple to buy an extension that fits seamlessly with the existing chain, except for the fact that they were out of the gray chain installed with the blinds so I had to settle for white.

Function over form often rules.

Source: Custom blind installers and many hardware stores.

Parking Meters

By now it is no secret that dexterity limitations of quadriplegics are possibly our biggest struggle, directly or indirectly. Putting coins in a parking meter is one of the ultimate tests. I have lost more than a few quality cups of coffee worth of coins to the gutter over the years. Every time I go to the University of Saskatchewan for photography, exercise or whatever other reason, I feel like I am part of a cruel experiment. Why do I feel like this when using the designated handicap parking meters at the University? Because of the way they face.

Follow along with my reasoning, if you will. As you will notice, the coin slot faces the street. If the individual with a disability is driving they cannot reach the meter from the driver's side as they will be on the street. Once they get out, the meter is too far away to reach from the street by wheelchair or walker which means they will need to get up and onto the sidewalk to deposit coins, just like a standard meter. However, the space between the meter and the edge of the curb is only between 30 and 45 cm, between 12 and 18 inches. The photo above distorts this distance because of the wide angle lens I chose to use, but believe me when I say it is less than 18 inches between the post and the curb.

This short distance between the curb requires the individual to back up to the curb to deposit coins while facing the coin slot. This introduces the risk of falling backwards off the curb, regardless of the disability in question. If you add some improperly cleared snow to the equation, creating a cone of snow around the meter's post, you make it even more difficult for the user to get close enough to deposit coins. For these reasons I avoid the designated spots whenever possible. However, with parking at the University being at a premium, often the only spots available are the designated ones.

I would greatly appreciate understanding the reasoning used by the person responsible for designing the meters this way. All of the designated meters at the University are like this so I know that it was not just a coincidence. There are no designated meters or spots around the city of Saskatoon so difficult meters are not a problem. But angle parking, with end spots blocked off by planters or other decorations, which make the use of a van with a lift or ramp impossible, are a problem.

The city of Saskatoon and the University of Saskatchewan used to have pay-by-cell phone but, for whatever reason, it is no more. Other payment methods, such as a card-based system, are enabled but this is useful to me only on a very occasional circumstance when I visit the University so I have not pursued that option.

Despite my criticism of the city of Saskatoon's lack of access, they have done one thing very well. They have implemented an annual $20 fee that provides disabled individuals with a sticker that is adhered to their parking placard which allows a free 36 hour parking limit at any standard meter in the city. Of course, you have paid your $20 annual fee, but the convenience makes it completely worth it at a very reasonable cost, in my opinion. The only thing we need now is for them to make a deal with the University, St. Paul's Hospital, Innovation Place and private lots throughout the city so that we can easily use those, as well.

Parking access varies from one city to another. It may have been costly to park in downtown Vancouver but they had a very easy to use smart phone app that allowed you to pre-enter your credit card information, enter the meter number you are parked at, and choose your length of parking. It also allowed enabling notifications to let you know when your time was running low so that you could apply more time. This was not just for accessible parking, it was for everyone and was a brilliant system that eliminated the need to carry change with you. In Seattle, any accessible parking placard approved in North America provided you with free parking at any meter. Period.

Solutions: Explore the options available in your city for accessible parking, don't be afraid to speak to your city counselor and, when traveling, examine what is available in the locations you will be staying.

UPDATE: Smart meters are finally coming to Saskatoon! This pay system was enjoyed by us during our trip to Vancouver and Seattle in 2013. The option to pay with a card, a smart phone app, and still pocket change, made quicker, easier, more precise and exactly what works well for the disabled community.

Winter

Until now I have focused on the positive. Solutions and helpful technology. The barriers exist, be they man-made or natural and unavoidable.

I used to enjoy icefishing, hockey, tobogganing and a lot of other sports that take place only in winter. But, that has all changed since my injury. I still enjoy icefishing, when the amount of snow on the ice, more likely depth of the ruts to get on the ice, is scarce enough that the minimal clearance of my lowered floor minivan can navigate without getting hung up or damaged. It has been a number of years since I have been able to get on the ice and I do really miss it.

However, that sickly photo above that encapsulates my view of winter is the utter truth. Last winter was brutal. This one is starting off in the same way, having just emerged from a bitter three-week streak of regular -30°C or lower nighttime lows with both snow and wind. The cold makes it dangerous for anybody, especially someone with reduced circulation and who cannot feel their legs freezing. But, when you can get where you are going is not such a big issue. When someone like our neighbors two blocks away don't shovel their snow all winter, and you have over 60 cm of packed snow on a public sidewalk, it makes it dangerous and almost unusable for anyone. They have refused to shovel the sidewalk again, this year. You chose to buy a corner lot. Shovel your snow!

I try to restrict my excursions to essential outings when it is that cold and I tried to arrange to have someone with me, just in case. If I get stuck it would not take long for my hands, protected only by the gloves, to begin to freeze before someone came along to give me a push. The cold is hard enough on all vehicles but the adaptations to my van are already something to respect as fragile. The kneeling of my van and the ramp have performed flawlessly even in the coldest weather but, when possible, I turn off the kneeling and park side a curb or accept the push to reduce the moving parts and hopefully save something breaking.

Finally, if I have to choose winter weather, I will choose no snow and colder than -15°C. Why? Because ice melt substances do not work below -15°C. When they do melt it clings to my tires and push rims, making them wet, slippery and gritty, not to mention the mess they cause me to track in. I am also aware of the potential toxicity to pets some of them have. When it is nice and cold everything is as solid as concrete and much easier to traverse by wheelchair if the snow is hard packed or properly cleared. Living in Saskatoon has taught me not to hope for the later.

I have considered starting up a site to shame cities for their disgraceful inaccessibility but I fear that it would be focusing too much of my energy on the negative, instead of the positive. As well, peers of mine who have lobbied for years spent much of their energy and put much of their heart into what resulted as miniscule improvements and the civic government of the time patting themselves on the back like they had moved mountains.

Solutions: Choose outdoor activity for less cold days, when possible. Plan activities, hobbies or projects for the worst of the winter months. And, unfortunately, complain when neighbours, cities and businesses do not make reasonable attempts at their legal and moral duty to clear snow.