New Year's Resolutions

Every year there is always some goal that people make for themselves. Sometimes the goals are physical, emotional and some are just fun.

Here are some questions to think about when you don't have anything better to do or need a break form the everyday routine. Why do people make resolutions? What makes them decide on one over the other? Think about it.....why do people enjoy finding fault with some aspect of their lives?

I'm no better at this believe me.

I have several resolutions of my own.

First I am going to try to lose weight. I am happy with my body the way it is but I know I can look better. I know I can do this one because all I have to do is make sure I don't eat much and certainly not a bunch of junk food.

My next resolution is to try and be in a few horse shows this season. I have not been able to ride horses very much this year due to personal issues. I hope I can overcome these issues and have some fun back at the barn. My teachers all miss me and I miss the horses.

Last I am going to try and find a date. I know I am not very good at this one, but its worth a shot again. I know I am not happy about the prospect of being alone most of my life. But I also realize that for some love doesn't just happen overnight. Knowing what you want and what qualities a mate needs to possess is an important next step.

So there you have it. Happy 2011 early!

Christmas Time Is Here

 OK time for a redo post. The last tine I was posting my head was in a fog with a cold. It sucks being sick and during the holidays. I still am dealing with congestion but well see what this week holds. Our family had their annual Christmas party and my nephew was the life of the party....the little charmer he is. He did really well at his first extended family function. Santa was a hit with him as well.

And yes what is Christmas without cookies and hot buttered rum? We went down to my sisters for cookie baking weekend. We made so many cookies it would take me to long to list them all. Since mom is home for two weeks from work I am hoping she can help me make buckeyes since my sister really like them.

Last night we had some fabulous chinese food from an unexpurgated new restaurant my sister would go to when she lived here. I must say it beats the buffet style places. Chow main doesn't have to be watery. The generals chicken was pretty tasty also. I never liked it much because it was always so spicy.

We also went to see the lights at the race track. My nephew thankfully woke up in time to see it. That made my sister happy. I felt bad for my brother though he was pretty sick too. Their new car is pretty cool though, Lots of little bells and whistles. I forgot what it was like to wear an actual seat belt. But then I don't much care for my wheelchairs seat belt either.

So I think I'll quit blogging while I'm ahead. Enjoy this holiday season because you will never get it back the same way again. LET IT SNOW!!

What Would You Want?

Have you ever wondered what it is like for someone else to go about their life? I’m sure at some point in all of our lives someone has said, “Try to think what it’s like in my shoes.”   People today are caught up in their own lives, problems, and health concerns. It appears to me as if they think they’re the only ones who should be accommodated.  Whether you are disabled or just suffering from old age, everyone should have equal access to shops and stores, even if it’s a little more “leg work” for the owner.

 I can’t walk on my own. Some of my muscles are always tight and no matter what I do they will always be that way. I have a hard time doing some simple daily tasks. Many places are accessible to my wheelchair, but some are not. How do you tell a restaurant manager that you would like to have dinner there but you can’t get past the front door? It is always difficult because they may think that they have made accessible improvements but a small step here or a low table there ruins all their efforts. That is were education is so important. Persons with disabilities must patiently help others how to make things accessible and what the benefits to them are.

Accessibility isn’t always in everyone’s mind when they are thinking about starting a business. Why is that? I don’t think people are trying to exclude those in wheelchairs, or   the elderly. But there is always the dreaded rational called “not enough money.” I am not implying people should not make their business what they envisioned it to be but   a the owner can lose business if people who use mobility devices can’t use all of the facility.

That is where the education piece comes into play. Owners need to understand that if their business is designed well for people with disabilities then it will work for anyone, while the opposite is not true. Increased accessibility means an increased customer base.   American’s are living longer and many have mobility problems, but they don’t want to stay home alone. The more accessible the community is, the more these people will use and buy the services offered. 

Accessibility, a Short Definition

Since the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act, commercial establishments have been trying to comply with the laws with varying success. As for what is accessible and what is not, a simple rule to follow is that if some arrangement is accessible for the less ambulatory, it will be accessible for anyone. Lowering a light switch to a height that can be used by a person in a wheelchair does not make it difficult for an ambulatory person. And in fact, it might be easier to turn on light switches that are belt level than one that is 5 feet up the wall! The ADA actually makes the world easier to operate for all people. (Sometime watch how many ambulatory people use the ramps at a ball park as opposed to those using the stairs.)

                                          Hotels, Motels and Bed and Breakfasts
What may seem accessible to the ambulatory traveler isn’t always a good fit to the disabled, but the opposite is not true. If I can use a hotel room successfully, anyone can. I have been to a lot of hotels that advertise accessible rooms which have turned out to be designed and built by people who have never been related to, or known someone who has a handicap. This is ironic because owners spend money to provide accessibility but it is sometimes wasted because they build the wrong things.
The door to a room in a hotel is the first challenge I face. Most of the time these days you must stick a card into the door to unlock it. Then you wait for the light to flash green, and then pull down the handle. But what happens when the handles and door locks on the door are to high and to heavy? The ADA states that doors need to be less then 5lbs force to open. Most doors are heavier than this and if you use a manual chair, trying to open them and push yourself in, it can wear a person out. Changing the doors weight to 5lbs of force to open it, wouldn’t make it any harder for the ambulatory. In fact it might even help them.
The purpose of having a peep hole on the door is so you may see who it is at your door. Most peep holes I have seen are designed for tall people who can stand, and for me that just doesn’t work. There should be one high and low so I can also see who is at my door. It’s a safety concern.

If the room has a balcony it presents a problem for me. Usually the door to the outside is placed in a corner of the room. This is OK but not when you place a table and couch in the same corner. If the door doesn’t open past the table or come from the other side of the wall, it is impossible to get out. This is easily fixed by putting the furniture opposite the opening part of the door.
Furniture in these rooms isn’t always designed well. When placing furniture you must remember that some wheelchairs require more space than others. A table should look good in a room, but should also be functional. Most wood tables do not allow wheelchairs to comfortably fit under them and use the phone, (a speakerphone is best) or even a laptop. There are a few options such as taller tables, or adjustable tables that would make things easier on the user. The best tables and counters are ones that have legs on the corners so that the chair can fit between without hitting them.

Similarly beds, refrigerators, TV and their accessories need to be lowered as well. It is hard for people in wheelchairs to reach above their shoulders. Also it should not be hard to open, get into or turn on. Nightstands should have at least two feet between them and the bed. TV’s do not need to be in a wood cabinet. If it must be that way then put the VCR under the TV’s shelf on it’s own shelf.
Mirrors, sinks and soap dispensers also need to be lower and easy to operate. Some people in wheelchairs do not have full use of their hands and having to turn the water on and off can be difficult. Long level handles are much better then twist handles. Sinks should not have a deep well where the water goes and soap should be in some sort of dispenser that only requires the strength of one hand to push.
A good bathroom and shower is imperative in an accessible room. I’ve been in many hotel bathrooms in my life and this seems to be the hardest place to make accessible. You end up with a wonderful toileting area or the shower as the main focus. A good toileting situation for me would be that the toilet is low to the floor and had a bar on at least one side of it. You want to transfer down to other areas, like to a toilet seat from your chair. The flusher would need to be easy to push or an automatic flusher could be used to accommodate this.

Similarly a good shower has a portable shower head and maybe a bench seat. The problem with the shower is that no one has yet to figure out the seating placement in relationship to the on/off switch and to wheelchair placement. No one is going to want to sit in their wet wheelchair the rest of the day. The term “drive-in shower”, means that you can take your wheelchair close enough to the seating so that you can transfer to the bench with out walking to it. It doesn’t mean you take a shower in your wheelchair. It means that you can get out of your chair and sit on a bench or shower chair. This shouldn’t be a problem for the ambulatory. Lots of people disabled or otherwise, probably would enjoy having a place to sit and shower if they so choose.
Elevators are an important addition to any building to make it accessible. The type of elevator is something to consider when installing one. It would be hard to install an elevator that required you to open the door by hand and call it accessible. They should all be automatic and the buttons should be low and big enough to insure anyone can use them For people with disabilities it’s their only way to access where they need to go and if the equipment doesn’t work, chances are they won’t be repeat consumers.
All counters in hotel lobbies should have a spot that is lowered to wheelchair level. So many times I have not been able to see over the counter to conduct business. I end up having to ask people to help me. Being independent is a goal for people with disabilities and to me it is almost discriminating and more disabling to not even be able to talk to someone face to face.

I enjoy traveling and I enjoy being able to do things on my own. I would be willing to evaluate the hotels I stay in. I don’t think many people are aware of these problems. We need a better solution to the “false idea” of what is accessible. To see an accessible bathroom, visit McDonalds or a local hospital, (see the “public” restrooms), or Chevron gas/markets. These places and many others have got it right

Getting a Job

Trying to get a job while being disabled is more challenging than one might imagine. I was lucky to get an on-call job that gave me something to be proud of. I am thankful for the opportunity. Now, I am looking for a second job to fill the time I am not using for my other job, and am finding it to be difficult, not because of the economic times we are in, but because “hiring the handicapped” is no longer something that employers think is important.

There are a lot of programs out there that try to help people with disabilities find jobs. With the economic situation there is a lot of uncertainty in these job agencies and it is hard to have hope. The hardest part is when these places make you go through all the paper work and testing, only to find out that they can’t help you? Sometimes grant funding depends on how many people pass through their doors and not on how many actually get some kind of supported work opportunity. I have been through a few of these systems. Not one of them have actually helped me find the second job. And why? There is not enough money, resources and people to serve the need. I know the neediest ones should receive services first but what defines “need?”

I am frustrated because even though I am a good, hard working person, I am not good at taking tests. Clerical work requires that you to type at a certin speed and be absolutely accurate, one-hundred percent of the time. There are few exceptions to this requirement, but the time it takes to make a finished copy varies. Many employers expect accuracy and speed in this kind of work.

Something needs to be done to resolve the fear of hiring someone who may have a disability and may need accommodations. Lots of employers are not very willing to make accommodations for the disabled worker because it is not efficient for them. There are plenty of disabled citizens who would like to be productive members of society, but can’t because no one is willing to give them the opportunity.

I was very lucky to get my on-call job. I go to a therapeutic riding institute and need “side walkers” in order to stay on the horse. It turned out that one of them had an “in-home” business and decided to hire me to do computer work. At the time this was a perfect fit for me because I liked working from home and using my computer for various things.

Now that I am older I am finding that I would like to have a job outside the house for the socialization it can mean. I do not have a support system like the one I had when graduating from high school. Since both my parents still work, I am living at home still. This means a caregiver has to come into the home and help me through out the day. Due to my physical limitations, my caregiver would have to accompany me to any sort of job available.

No where on an application does it ask about whether or not you have a disability? This is probably because it might lead to discrimination by employers. Some people would argue that it isn’t important. But shouldn’t an employer be made aware of potential disabilities, not to deny the person a job, but to be prepared for the accommodations that may need to be made to successfully employ the person with a disability?

If given the chance, even people with disabilities can become productive citizens. In fact, there are many studies showing that persons with disabilities are highly reliable and motivated, given the chance to work and receiving necessary accommodations. But the unemployment rate for disabled workers is around the 90% level. What is even more ironic is that the people on staff that actually work alongside and with disabled workers, enjoy the experience. It gives them a sense of helping others while not being in competition with them