I’m preparing for a weekend with my brother, which will likely include a certain comic book movie and perhaps a little collaborative gaming. I leave you with a video of adorable tykes with disabilities riding around in miniature powered wheelchairs. Oh, and May the Fourth be with you.
The Atlantic Monthly Technology blog has a great post on how people who are blind have embraced the iPhone after initially dismissing it as an inaccessible slab of glass when it was first introduced. What changed? Apple made great strides in improving the accessibility of iOS and clever app designers exploited the hardware capabilities of each successive iPhone model. But some advocates worry that the blind are now becoming overly dependent on the technology:
Yet for all that technology has helped achieve, many in the blind community fear it might result in illiteracy in the generations to come. “I think the technology that’s coming out right now is wonderful,” says Chalkias,”but I also think it’s dumbing us down because it’s making everything so easy. I have a lot of teens who have speech technology and they don’t know how to spell, and it’s horrifying to see that.
I’m hopeful that mobile computing will eventually be embraced by those of us with severe mobility impairments, but that day may not arrive for at least a few more years.
Stephen Colbert reports on the latest diet fad for brides-to-be: stuffing a feeding tube down the nose and feeding oneself a liquid protein substance for several days.
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As someone with more than a passing familiarity with nasal feeding tubes, I can confidently opine that anyone willing to resort to such measures just to lose a few pounds before her wedding day is destined to wake up one day to the realization that her marriage is a loveless sham and that her children despise her. When my doctors informed me that they would be cutting a permanent hole in my stomach for a feeding tube, I was actually relieved because I would finally be rid of that uncomfortable piece of plastic jammed up my nostril that constantly tickled the back of my throat.
A few months ago, I wrote about the plight of Charles Van Heuveln, a man with a physical disability who had worked for many years as a school aide. He was being forced into retirement and poverty because Minnesota’s Medicaid buy-in program (Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities) was not available to anyone over age 65. His story earned a lot of local media attention and it served as a catalyst for legislative efforts to change the law. Yesterday, Governor Dayton signed a human services bill that includes provisions allowing workers with disabilities to remain on the buy-in past age 65 if they choose to keep working. Another provision allows workers with disabilities to keep their retirement savings once they do stop working.
Congratulations to all the advocates–including Van Heuveln–and legislators who worked together to pass this legislation. Little by little, workers with disabilities are beginning to enjoy the same benefits of working as their able-bodied counterparts. I look forward to the day when I can retire without worrying about losing my nest egg.
This post is part of Blogging against Disablism Day.
The Times reports on the ongoing political standoff surrounding Minnesota’s efforts to implement a health insurance exchange. Governor Dayton remains strongly committed to establishing an online Exchange where individuals and businesses can purchase insurance, while state Republicans remain adamant in their refusal to collaborate on anything related to Obamacare. Dayton administration officials continue efforts to develop an Exchange in the hopes that a Supreme Court decision and/or the November elections will eventually resolve the standoff.
For those like me who are working to implement health care reform in Minnesota, the stalemate is a complicating factor in our work. Implementing a fully functional Exchange that will be ready to accept applications in less than 18 months is a monumental task in itself and these never-ending political disputes only distract from those efforts. It’s unfortunate that such efforts can’t be bipartisan, but bipartisanship can’t be used as an excuse for Minnesota to do nothing and risk a federally imposed solution that is not designed to best serve the needs of our residents.
For your weekend entertainment, I give you a comparison of the ruling classes of the U.S. and Westeros. It’s probably the most trenchant political commentary you’re likely to see in this election year. The person who came up with this idea deserves some kind of geek achievement award. Or at least a congratulatory note from George R.R. Martin.
I have to run, but here’s a video montage of 56 Star Trek episodes playing simultaneously. It has an interesting kaleidoscopic effect that probably makes a profound statement about the power of visual narratives, but I don’t have time to contemplate it right now.
I’ll be starting a new position in a couple weeks that focuses m0re exclusively on health care reform. While the future of the Affordable Care Act may be uncertain, I’m reasonably certain that Minnesota will continue on the path to reform and I’m looking forward to being involved in those efforts. Of course, this means that you can look forward to even more frequent wonkish commentary on this blog. But don’t worry; all things geek and fishnetted will still be featured prominently. I’m not one to forget my roots.
I’m not much of a winter sports enthusiast, but plenty of wheelchair users enjoy getting out and playing in the snow. Unfortunately, wheelchair tires don’t navigate the stuff very well. But a clever Swedish inventor has developed a simple ski attachment for wheelchairs. They aren’t for sale yet, but I look forward to the inevitable YouTube videos of wheelchair users wiping out on the slopes.
Over at BoingBoing, Xeni Jardin is justifiably outraged that some kids have to resort to selling lemonade to help raise money for a parent’s cancer treatment. And she shares my deep disdain for the cloying treatment these stories receive in the media. Rather than questioning why our health care system forces families to the brink of financial ruin, the reporters who cover these stories for the local yammer on about the family’s can-do attitude and the generosity of friends and family. But generosity has its limits. The boy’s efforts have raised about $10,000 thus far, enough to cover one or two chemotherapy treatments. I hope the kid raises lots more, but I also hope that we aren’t too far from the day when families will no longer have to go begging for the money to keep Dad alive.
But that may depend on the actions of five Supreme Court justices.