| Nick's Crusade |
[Jun. 9th, 2008|02:45 pm] |
In 2003, Nick Dupree made a major impact with his campaign to change Medicaid in his home state of Alabama (U.S.), so that he and others like him could continue living in the community and out of a nursing home, dubbed "Nick's Crusade."
Though he has worked hard, Nick realizes that he needs to find a new place to live safely and independently so that he can continue to work towards his goals as an individual and an activist for change in the disability community.
Learn more about his new campaign at Nick's Crusade : Project Freedom. Your thoughts and ideas are welcomed!
(Photo credit: Kii Sato, Mobile Register)
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| I need to be like this guy |
[Feb. 22nd, 2008|04:29 pm] |
Man Uses Wheelchair To Shovel Out
You'd think this is an accessory that would be semi-available by now, but it isn't. Anyone want to help me turn into a snowplow? I'm only half joking... when it snows in any significant amount, I'm messed up for a week or more (along with plenty of other PWDs) because snow gets piled at curbs and bus stops, making it hard to get anywhere.
The article is old and the video link is dead, but he has the video on his website. Here someone else on YouTube also using a motorized chair as a plow. |
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| Travel and people with disabilities (cross-posted) |
[Nov. 20th, 2007|03:23 pm] |
It's a topic I often wonder about. And I know other people are thinking about it as well, given the number of sites, blogs, and other activity that has cropped up online around accessible travel.
Specifically (as a woman in fairly decent health who uses a motorized wheelchair and lives in the U.S.), my interest in travel was rekindled recently when I came across the website of a group called Wilderness Inquiry. Paragraphs like this one caught my eye:
Our trips are integrated, meaning that each group typically includes people who have a disability and those who do not. What brings them together is their interest in doing a wilderness adventure. We do whatever it takes to make our trips accessible, but disability is not the overt focus. We just want to get out there and enjoy the wilderness together.
Actually, if their trips really work that way, it kind of blows my mind. And they even have a financial aid program. So now I am definitely interested in exploring this as a possibility.
I have traveled a bit in the last few years, within the country for less adventurous reasons, and internationally (to the U.K.) on an exchange sponsored by a disability-oriented organization called Mobility International USA. But I don't think I've found a travel situation that seemed just the right mix of adventure and inclusion (and affordability) yet, and I'd like to try.
So I wonder about other people's travel experiences... with either of the groups mentioned, with other groups, or independently. Within your country, or internationally. Or if you haven't traveled, what you'd like to be able to experience...
I know I'm not the only one with an itch to travel. |
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| Clemyjontri Park |
[Mar. 10th, 2007|05:08 pm] |
The photographer says:
This has to be the biggest playground I've ever seen. It was hard to capture it all in one picture. This park opened today. It's very unique because the entire playground is accessible to children with physical disabilities. There is also a wheelchair-accessible carousel in the middle.
Mrs. Adele Leibowitz donated her home and the land around it for a park on the condition that part of the land be used to build an accessible playground so that children of all abilities could play together. The unique name of the park is composed of letters from the names of the four Leibowitz children.
www.clemypark.com
I don't care how old I am, the next time I'm in northern Virginia again, I need to visit this park. |
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| Quovis! |
[Mar. 20th, 2006|12:50 am] |
Oh my goodness... I think I finally want to learn to drive so I can get one of these! (English version of the site is a litle weird)
I don't know what the hell kind of name Quovis is, but I want one. My very own micro car (though far less cool than my beloved Mini Cooper), and no tricky [for me] transfers from wheelchair to seat. They say there's a North American distributor, but who knows what a hassle it would be to get one, even if I could... |
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| Oh yeah, there are no buses. |
[Dec. 21st, 2005|08:18 pm] |
I am not unsympathetic to unions and their issues. My parents' union authorized a strike in the winter of 1995, and the fight was against some significant benefit cutbacks. It wasn't a good time for lots of people, but the union prevailed.
I understand that the MTA is not sweetness and light, but in fact has a history of underhandedness. I also understand that TWU workers have much less of a raw deal than many other unions and workers in this city. My personal opinion is that Roger Touissant has done his union more harm than good, and that the MTA's "final" offer wasn't all that bad.
My feeling is that everyone's an asshole in this situation. That the lack of any significant contingency plan for people with disabilities blows chunks - and when the strike is over, getting around still won't suck any less for us.
And I wish I got more than 6 - 7 miles per charge on my wheelchair.
I'm glad I'm not in the manual chair, though if I were stronger I might get better mileage. Or fit into random cars. |
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| Transit accessibility in New York City |
[Nov. 1st, 2005|11:10 am] |
Transit accessibility for people with disabilities/wheelchair users is
very inconsistent in New York City, something which surprises many
people who aren't from the area, or who don't need accessible
services. Sure, you can ride [almost] any bus (for hours and
hours), but you can't catch a cab (okay, we do have 3 vehicles now for
the whole 5 boroughs, and they are always booked and over-priced), and
the subway can be a life-threatening proposition.
When I talk to an "able-bodied" New Yorker, or an out of towner, and
mention that actually, no, I can't easily take a taxi (compared with,
London, or San Francisco) and the subway is a no-no for most wheelchair
users (unlike, say, Washington DC), and that some sidewalks are just
insanely un-passable, and paratransit is a joke, I get a
wide-eyed, "Really?" It's true that we are leaps and bounds over
some places in the world, but this is New York City... we should be at
the top.
I've found myself having this conversation a lot lately, which is why I
felt compelled to post about it. Usually I start to go into a
vague version of the statistics as I know them, and the shock and
outrage increase. Most of the time I wish I had a copy of this
article handy, which is a couple of years old (a few related links are
broken, and the first subject of the article has since passed away) but
still relevant and does a good job of explaining the broad issues
around the lack of accessibility in NYC transit (if you're interested):
Transportation as Civil Rights for the Disabled (Gotham Gazette. April 21, 2003)
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snow
curious
touched
dorky
annoyed