Universal Play

 Disability  No Responses »
Aug 282013
 

NPR has a great story about accessible playgrounds where kids with and without disabilities can have fun together. Nothing like this existed when I was a kid and I wish it had; the playground near my childhood home was decidedly inaccessible. The article points out that accessible playgrounds are expensive to build and that parents often have to raise the necessary funds themselves. As the economy slowly improves, perhaps more municipalities will see such playgrounds as a worthy investment.

NPR is also creating a database of accessible playgrounds that is open for public contribution.

Space Shortage

 Disability, Personal  No Responses »
Jul 302013
 

I’m getting a new bed to replace the 20-year-old model. But this presents certain logistical problems. The equipment vendor won’t take away the old bed and I don’t have room to store it. I can probably give it away via Craigslist or donate it, but I don’t want to have a hospital bed taking up space in my living room for several days. It’s times like this when I wish I had a garage.

Segregation In The Sunshine State

 Disability, Fucked Up, Law  No Responses »
Jul 262013
 

The Department of Justice has filed suit against the State of Florida for warehousing kids with disabilities in nursing homes and keeping them isolated from their families and communities. The DOJ alleges that the heavy institutional bias of Florida’s Medicaid program violates the rights of these kids under the Americans with Disabilities Act, as articulated in the Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead ruling. The children in question have complex medical conditions and some rely on ventilators or feeding tubes.

The lawsuit shouldn’t come as a surprise to Florida officials. The DOJ has been warning the state for the past couple years that its segregation of kids with disabilities was a serious problem that could result in legal action. But Governor Rick Scott and his Tea Party allies in the legislature instead chose to refuse federal funds that would have helped these kids remain at home because they wanted to make a political statement about the Affordable Care Act. Florida also has not increased its reimbursement rates for home care services since 1987.

For people with disabilities, Florida and Minnesota might as well be different countries. It shouldn’t be this way, but our fragmented Medicaid system perpetuates these gross inequities. Perhaps this lawsuit and others like it will persuade state policymakers to reassess their priorities and work in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that both kids and adults with disabilities can live and thrive in their communities.

Sticker Shock

 Disability, Health Care  1 Response »
Jul 222013
 

I’m on vacation most of the week, so blogging may be light for a few days. My new wheelchair arrived late last week and I’m still trying to work out some of the kinks. The total pricetag came to $14,000. The tilt function alone is listed at $5,000. The joystick and LCD screen: another $1,500. My insurance covered the total cost, but the massively inflated prices are yet another symptom of our dysfunctional health care system. There’s no good reason a simple joystick and display should cost more than my iPhone.

Paying For It

 Disability  No Responses »
Jul 082013
 

The Times looks at efforts by people with disabilities in France to legalize sexual surrogacy services. France allows prostitution to a certain extent, but sexual surrogacy (the kind of sex-as-therapy service depicted in the movie The Sessions) is not allowed and the French government doesn’t seem inclined to join other European countries, like Germany and Switzerland, that have legalized the practice.

Until technology finally produces a functional and affordable sexbot, the issue of how people with disabilities can express their sexuality is going to remain fraught with emotion and controversy. It’s a subject that forces people to confront some conflicting notions about the nature of sex and love in a modern society. We want to believe that everyone can enjoy sex in the context of a relationship that is free of any commercial taint. But we also recognize that none of us is promised such a relationship. And for people with disabilities, opportunities to even seek a relationship can be rare. So, should those people with disabilities who can’t find a romantic partner be allowed access to sex workers (another marginalized population)? And if commercial sex is an acceptable option for people with disabilities, shouldn’t it be acceptable for everyone else?

As another gimp who has experienced his share of sexual frustration, I get where these activists are coming from. But I’m not sure I agree with their attempts to frame the debate in quasi-medical terms. Sex work is sex work and we do ourselves and sex workers a disservice by trying to behind the kind of medicalized language that, in other settings, provokes a lot of outrage from the disability community. We can’t duck behind the medical model when it might help us get laid. If someone wants to pay for sex, fine. I’m not sure the government should subsidize the activity for anyone, but that’s the extent of my qualms. I’m sure plenty of sex workers would be happy to see clients with disabilities without having to receive any additional training or certification.

But good on the French for having the debate. We Americans can’t seem to discuss gimp sex without a lot of nervous giggling and awkward silence.

Alternate Input Device

 Disability, Tech  No Responses »
Jun 282013
 

9to5Mac uncovers a new accessibility option in the forthcoming iOS7 that allows users to control an iPhone or iPad using head movement. A video at the link offers a demonstration of the head gesture system. I probably don’t have enough head movement to make this work for me, but I’m sure others will be able to make good use of the feature. What intrigues me more about this function is that it appears to support other kinds of switches to mimic touch gestures. Will this be the key to me finally being able to turn pages independently? Stay tuned.

Smile!

 Disability  No Responses »
Jun 212013
 

We’ll close the week with a story about a boy in a wheelchair and a class picture. 7-year-old Miles earned some attention on the Internet when his 2nd-grade class photo showed him posed in his wheelchair and at a noticeable distance from the rest of his class:

The first version of the photo of the second-graders at Herbert Spencer Elementary in New Westminster, British Columbia.

There probably wasn’t any ill intent here; just a clueless photographer and a teacher who could have been a better advocate for her student. Eventually, the school arranged for the photo to be re-taken:

 

Miles Ambridge sits with his class — and without his wheelchair — in a new class photo. The original version, which upset his parents and elicited sympathy from around the world, had Miles at the edge of the frame in his wheelchair. In this one he’s in the first row, at far right.

Sometimes, integration requires a little shove from the Internet.

Thanks to Rose for the tip.

The Future Goes Local

 Disability, Tech  No Responses »
Jun 052013
 

It’s no giant robot with laser cannons, but researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a brain-computer interface that can control a toy helicopter. They emphasize that the interface only requires a sensor cap; no implants are necessary. Here’s a video of the team demonstrating the technology:

So, how long before I can sign up with the Air Force for fighter pilot training? Or perhaps I could be a drone operator for some intelligence agency. I could even work from home!

Gimp Semiotics

 Disability  No Responses »
May 282013
 

Some academic types have come up with a replacement for the international disability symbol. The new symbol is meant to be less passive and more “progressive”.

The disability community has plenty of barriers confronting us. Public signage isn’t one of them. A new icon isn’t going to prevent some jerk from parking in that one disability spot that has room for my ramp.

And does this mean we have to abandon all other versions of the symbol? Because I’m quite fond of this one:

Bad Medicine

 Disability, Health Care  1 Response »
May 272013
 

The Times examines the reasons why people with disabilities continue to receive substandard medical care. Most outpatient clinics are ill-equipped to serve patients with disabilities, particularly those of us who have limited or zero mobility. The staff have little training on how to safely transfer people with disabilities and the exam rooms lack accessible equipment. As a result, people with disabilities may only receive partial exams that may overlook potential problems.

I experienced this firsthand a couple months ago when I went to see my doctor with what turned out to be a urinary tract infection. The exam room lacked a table that would allow me to lie prone, which made it difficult for the doctor to examine me. She nearly sent me home to collect a urine sample, which would have only delayed my diagnosis and treatment. It might have made more sense for me to simply go to the emergency room, but I shouldn’t be forced to visit the ER to receive adequate care for a relatively minor issue.

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