Trump accidentally does a good thing.
Though I'm not sure if this will actually do anything. Sometimes I feel like his EOs are like Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy. He doesn't seem to understand what he actually has power over.
And I wonder if he knew "woke" disability activists were asking for this if he would have changed his view to spite them.
In any case, banning straws will not save the world. A tiny drop in a vast bucket of plastic waste. Fishing nets cause orders of magnitude more damage to sea life. This was mostly a PR move that some thought would be an "easy win" because they had a photo of a turtle with a straw up its nose.
Single use plastics are absolutely a huge issue. I don't like having plastic in my brain as much as the next person. But an item by item ban is a Sisyphean approach and, in this case, hurts disabled folks more than it helps turtles.
"ai is making it so everyone can make art" Everyone can make art dipshit it came free with your fucking humanity
one of the biggest things I can recommend to anyone getting a new custom chair (but especially a first custom chair) is to understand all of the parts of a wheelchair and what they do. I decided to make a guide with wheelchair parts to research and places to look for information to make this process a little bit easier. additional link suggestions are welcome.
General resources:
Permobil - The Wheelchair Handbook
Motion Composites - Preparing for Your Wheelchair Evaluation: Before the Evaluation (Part 1)
Motion Composites - Preparing for Your Wheelchair Evaluation (Part 2)
1. Frame
Motion Composites - Folding vs Rigid Wheelchair Frames: How to Choose
Permobil - Manual wheelchairs: rigid and folding frames. How do you choose?
GTK - Oh what’s in a frame? Comparing Multiple Materials
Motion Composites - Wheelchairs: Carbon Fiber Versus Aluminum
2. Front frame angle
Motion Composites - Understanding the Impact of Rigid Wheelchair Front Frame Angle
Sunrise Medical - Rigid Frame Wheelchairs – Frame Angle and Inset
4. Seat dump
Permobil - Ergonomic Seating and Manual Wheelchairs
Spinlife - Wheelchair Back & Seat Angle
5. Caster size, style, and position
Motion Composites - Front Casters for Manual Wheelchairs Practical Guide
Sunrise Medical - Front Caster Position in Manual Wheelchairs
6. Caster forks
New Mobility - Caster Wheels and Forks
Sunrise Medical - Maneuverability in Manual Wheelchairs - What Fork to use?
New Mobility - Innovations: Emerging Trends in the Wheelchair Market (information about single sided forks)
7. Footplate
Motion Composites - Footrest Options to Support Function and Mobility
When Tania Talks - Active User Wheelchair Footplate Options
8. Calf strap
Spex Seating - Lower Leg Support Considerations in Wheelchair Seating
9. Seat pan
Permobil - Solid Seat Insert for Wheelchair: Taking a Closer Look at Cushion Components
10. Seat cushion
Permobil - What to Look for in Seating & Positioning Products
Permobil - How to Choose a Cushion in Long Term Care
Permobil - Cushion Geometry: Linear and Contoured
Freedom Mobility Center - Wheelchair Seat Cushions: 5 Tips for Choosing the Right One for You
Mobility Basics - Seat Cushion Rigidizer
Motion Composites - Selecting the Right Cushion for Your Wheelchair a Clinicians Guide
Motion Composites - Covering the Basics of Wheelchair and Back Support Covers
11. Seat belts
12. Clothing guards
Sherman Oaks Medical Equipment - Wheelchair Clothes Guards / Side Guards Guide
13. Arm rests
United Spinal Association - Wheelchair Armrests What Do They Really Do?
Spinlife - Wheelchair Arm Rest Choices
Motion Composites - Armrests: Getting the Support you Need
14. Back supports
Motion Composites - Solid vs Upholstery Backs
Mobility Management - How to Choose the Right Back Height for your Client
Freedom Mobility Center - Why a Solid Back is Preferred Over a Sling Back
Mobility Basics - Back Supports
Sunrise Medical - Tips for Selecting Prefabricated Wheelchair Backs
Motion Composites - Covering the Basics of Wheelchair and Back Support Covers
15. Head supports
16. Push handles
Motion Composites - Push Handles: Pushing Around
17. Wheels
Motion Composites - Rolling Along: The Importance of Rear Wheel Selection
Sunrise Medical - Comparing Wheelchair Wheel Spoke Options
Mobility Basics - Manual Wheelchair Wheels
18. Tires
New Mobility - Everything You Need to Know About Selecting the Right Wheelchair Tires
GTK - Solid versus Pneumatic Tyres
Mobility Basics - Manual Wheelchair Wheels
Motion Composites - Tire Selection: Balancing Performance and Maintenance
19. Brakes
Motion Composites - Wheel Locks: Unlocking Safety and Function
20. Push rims/Hand rims
Motion Composites - Getting a Grasp: Understanding the Impact of Hand Rims
DME Hub - Wheelchair Hand Rom Options and Factors to Consider
21. Anti-tip wheels
22. Camber
Motion Composites - Camber - Degrees of Performance
23. Center of Gravity
Motion Composites - Rear Wheel Position 101
i know we're all sick of self-care being a marketing tactic now, but i don't think a lot of us have any other concept of self-care beyond what companies have tried to sell us, so i thought i'd share my favorite self-care hand out
brought to you by how mad i just got at a Target ad
This is that giraffe bottle i was talking about in case anyone else with complex needs wants it. It's pretty cool and I'm definitely keeping it in mind for when I eventually DO need to transition to something that doesn't need to be picked up at all.
I stand in front of a crowd and tap the microphone. "Disabled people deserve full bodily autonomy," I announce, and the crowd devolves into shouting. I am being asked about every single contingency in which bodily autonomy can possibly be taken away. I am not allowed to ask these people why they want so badly to control disabled people's lives. I am a representative, after all.
A man in the third row calls me a whore. A woman up near the front calls me a filthy god-hating anarchist. I am the villain of the story. I'm ruining their childhoods when I point out the flaws and ableist tropes in media that I never said they weren't allowed to enjoy. I'm policing their language when I ask them not to use slurs.
Someone else calls me a fascist. A Creationist with Calvinist leanings is using the same arguments against me as the literal social Darwinist. The topic of "faking disability" is brought up and everyone suddenly has a story to share and presents it to me. I am horrified by most of these stories because they feature ambulatory wheelchair users being harassed and young people with invisible disabilities being chased out of bathrooms.
I tap the microphone again and announce, louder, "Autism speaks is actually a hate organization." At this rate, I'm never going to get to my powerpoint on the social/medical model of disability and why the intersection is important. But I am a representative, and in between the name calling and accusations, they are asking me questions. And so I answer.
the worse climate disaster gets, the more you’ll see closet eugenicists start to advocate for letting people die. you need to be prepared to combat the ideology wherever you see it, because it’s only going to get worse and worse Read everything having to do with climate disaster critically. If the central argument underlying what’s being said is that the death of disabled and/or racialized people is inevitable, natural, or desirable– that’s a fascist.
they might be appear to be a garden variety republican or liberal or even a leftist at first, but know that if that argument is being made, their underlying ideology is one of supremacism, and given additional climate stress, they will become more blatant about it.
What able bodied authors think I, an amputee and a wheelchair user, would want in a scifi setting:
Tech that can regenerate my old meat legs.
Robot legs that work just like meat legs and are functionally just meat legs but robot
Literally anything that would mean I don't have to use a wheelchair.
If I do need to use a wheelchair, make it fly or able to "walk me" upstairs
What I actually want:
Prosthetic covers that can change colour because I'm too indecisive to pick one colour/pattern for the next 5+ years.
A leg that I can turn off (seriously, my above knee prosthetic has no off switch... just... why?)
A leg that won't have to get refitted every time I gain or loose weight.
A wheelchair that I can teleport to me and legs I can teleport away when I'm too tierd to keep walking. And vice versa.
In that same vein, legs I can teleport on instead of having to fiddle around with the sockets for half an hour.
Prosthetic feet that don't require me to wear shoes. F*ck shoes.
Actually accessible architecture, which means when I do want to use my wheelchair, it's not an issue.
Prosthetic legs with dragon-claw feet instead of boring human feet or just digigrade prosthetics that are just as functional as normal human-shaped ones.
A manual wheelchair with the option to lift my seat up like those scissor-lift things so I'm not eye-level with everyone's butt on public transport/so I can reach the top shelf by myself.
A prosthetic foot that lights up when it hits the ground like those children's shoes.
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