The Future Isn’t Quite Now

 Disability, Tech  No Responses »
Apr 302013
 

The Times looks at the commercial promise of neural interfaces and concludes that the crude devices available on the market today will seem archaic in just a couple years. I’ve read enough of pieces like this over the years to realize that tech journalists lack a functioning hype filter. As much as I’d like to believe otherwise, the sixth- or seventh-gen iPad probably isn’t going to include a neural connection. We have yet to understand how to accurately decode brain signals using noninvasive hardware, much less figure out how to cheaply produce that hardware. I have no doubt we’ll eventually see such tech emerge, but it’s probably not as imminent as this article would have you believe.

Please Remain Seated

 Disability  2 Responses »
Apr 222013
 

I’m hoping to travel to San Francisco sometime this year to visit my brother. And while I’m looking forward to seeing him and exploring the Bay Area again, I don’t look forward to flying again. For us gimps, flying can be an uncomfortable hassle that forces us to abandon our wheelchairs and sit in seats that are not designed to accommodate our unique anatomies. Then there’s the added stress of wondering whether our wheelchairs will arrive intact once we reach our destination. It’s enough to make someone start a petition to require airlines to allow wheelchairs in the passenger sections of airplanes. On-line petitions probably don’t carry much weight, but I signed it anyway because I’d someday like to fly without choreographing the whole endeavor.

Up-And-Comer

 Disability  No Responses »
Apr 082013
 

Even though I may lose my last few remaining readers as a result, I invite you to check out Shane Burcaw’s blog entitled Laughing at My Nightmare. Shane is an engaging writer who brings a sense of humor to his stories about living with spinal muscular atrophy. He’s also younger and better looking than me, although I’m trying to not let that color my assessment of his talent. Shane also answered questions about his disability on a Reddit Ask Me Anything thread. Reddit alternately fascinates and frightens me, so Shane is also much braver than me. In short, I don’t know why you’re still here when you could be reading Shane’s blog.

A Few Thoughts On Disability Benefits

 Disability, Wonkery  2 Responses »
Mar 292013
 

NPR is receiving significant flak for its recent series of reports entitled “Unfit for Work”, which looks at the increasing enrollment in the federal Social Security disability program. Disability advocates accuse NPR of generalizing about beneficiaries based on anecdotal stories of individuals who happen to live in economically depressed areas and have little education. They also point out that disability programs provide vital support to millions of people who would otherwise be forced to live in abject poverty.

These are fair criticisms, but both NPR and advocates fail to address some key points about disability benefits:

  • The Health Care Angle: Disability benefits provide cash assistance, but they also provide much-needed access to Medicare and Medicaid. For people struggling with physical and mental health issues and no access to health insurance, this is a lifeline. They can receive treatment for their conditions and, in many cases, their health stabilizes or even improves. While Obamacare will improve access to health insurance, it does not require private plans to cover many of the specialized services that people with disabilities need. And those medical benefits disappear if disability benefits end. Which brings me to my next point…
  • It’s A Trap!: Disability benefits are not designed to end. If an individual earns more than a few hundred dollars per month, they lose eligibility for both cash and health care benefits. This leaves beneficiaries in quandary. They can abstain from working and receive sufficient benefits to address their basic needs. Or they can attempt to work and risk losing the supports that have provided some semblance of stability in their lives. For most people, it’s not much of a choice
  • Some Things Never Change: Disability and employment are still viewed as mutually exclusive concepts by policymakers, bureaucrats, and ordinary people. Rather than regarding disability as a continuum where individuals might require varying levels of support, our laws treat disability in binary terms. Either you are disabled and you can look forward to a lifetime of subsidized poverty. Or you aren’t disabled and you’re on your own when it comes to finding health care and any other supports you might need. Advocates become understandably defensive when disability benefits are questioned, but we shouldn’t be hesitant to question the assumptions and prejudices that inform our policies. The world is changing. Disability benefits were designed at a time when we were still an industrial nation, but that isn’t true anymore. We can still provide economic security for people with disabilities while giving them the opportunity to explore the possibilities of work.

 

What I Really Mean Is…

 Disability  No Responses »
Mar 282013
 

Writers for The Onion understand the bullshit that we gimps have to put up with at times. For example: Amputee Inspires Others Not To Lose Limbs.

Choice quote:

“Bret has taught me that I enjoy walking quite a bit and that I would like to continue doing so in the future,” said family friend Leo Harris, 43, remarking upon how hard it would be to perform simple tasks such as getting into a car or putting on pants without the use of both legs. “I look at him and appreciate how much I don’t ever want to be an amputee or a paraplegic or bedridden or anything like that. It’s a lesson I really owe to Bret.”

I’ve often been told I’m an inspiration. And while I understand that it’s meant as a compliment, it often carries the subtext of “I’m glad I’m not you, you poor bastard.” The whole “inspiration” spiel is just the candy coating on a primal fear that most people are too polite to express, which is totally fine. I’m just glad to see The Onion call it out for what it is.

Making Accessibility Standard

 Disability, Tech  No Responses »
Mar 122013
 

On the heels of news that the latest Samsung phone will feature eye-tracking technology, the Times profiles uMoove, an Israeli startup developing its own eye-tracking software that can be used on a variety of mobile devices. Standardizing this technology would be good news for consumers. As much as I like my iPad and iPhone, I may eventually want to use an Android product or something else that isn’t even on the market yet. A standard eye-tracking interface would allow me to use whatever device I liked without losing any functionality. An open source solution would be even better, but that seems unlikely.

Batteries Included

 Disability, Tech  No Responses »
Mar 052013
 

Researchers have developed a rechargeable brain implant that can wirelessly transmit signals. If they can get this to work with something like Google Glass, I could finally realize my dream of watching, er, educational content in complete privacy. Because it’s important to have dreams.

I still worry about how upgradeable these devices will be. I don’t want to go through the fuss of getting something implanted in my skull only to discover that the next version has a built-in pleasure center stimulator. Perhaps firmware updates will be available.

The Cyborg Cometh

 Disability, Tech  No Responses »
Feb 192013
 

Keeping up with the latest developments in human machine interfaces may require a blog of its own before long. Over the past week, news came of a bionic eye receiving F.D.A. approval and clinical trials beginning for a prosthetic arm capable of delivering sensation to its user. I understand that years of research and development precede these announcements, but this tech seems to be advancing at a quickening pace. Five years from now, re-reading this post may be akin to reminiscing about the emergence of dial-up modems today.

Critic At Large: The Sessions

 Disability, Movies  No Responses »
Feb 182013
 

I finally got around to watching this movie about disability, sex, and love over the weekend. It recounts the true experience of Mark O’Brien, a Berkeley writer and poet with polio who yearns to experience sex and decides to hire a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt). John Hawkes is magnificent as the deeply insecure yet charming O’Brien. Of course, I would have preferred that an actor with a disability play the lead, but Hawkes plays the role with assurance. And Hunt really deserves to star in more films; few actors have the talent to handle a part that requires both intimacy and guardedness.

The movie itself is a bit disjointed. Scenes transition abruptly and the script sometimes relies too heavily on flashbacks. But several moments in the movie will have viewers with disabilities (or me, at least) nodding in recognition: the  bumbling confession of love to a caregiver, the painful realization that those feelings aren’t reciprocated, the persistent doubts that the loneliness will ever end. My own romantic and sexual misadventures differ in some respects from O’Brien’s, but I caught myself wincing and smiling a few times as the movie summoned memories of my own awkward efforts to find love, or at least a willing partner.

Dressed For Success

 Disability  No Responses »
Feb 112013
 

The Daily Beast introduces us to Jillian Mercado, a fashion blogger who also has a physical disability. Mercado discusses her experiences as an intern with Allure magazine and the accessibility challenges of covering Fashion Week. Her sense of style is also on display on her personal blog, which has some great photos of Mercado hobnobbing with the haute couture set at various fashion shows. As someone who owns a ridiculous number of beige and khaki pants, I admire anyone who can coordinate more than two colors at once. I look forward to hearing more from Mercado as she navigates a world where image is everything.

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