A few weeks ago I found myself in the Occupational Therapy Kitchen of my local rehabilitation hospital. My physiatrist was filming me demonstrating how I undertake various cooking tasks as a person with hemiplegia (to be shown to her medical students). Cooking for me is both time consuming and laborious. It can take me nearly … Continue reading The Cost of Unnessecarily Medicalizing Acts of Daily Life
Tag: adaptive technology
How Secret Limitations on Grants for Disabled Students Hurt Us
Being a student with disabilities can be a complicated and expensive endeavor. While university is a financial strain for most students, disabled students often have additional costs associated with either services or equipment that we require to succeed academically. The government does recognize this additional financial burden and has grants in place to offset them. … Continue reading How Secret Limitations on Grants for Disabled Students Hurt Us
A Media Guide for Nondisabled People Talking About Innovations for Disabled People
Recently, I have written two articles on problematic media coverage of innovations designed for disabled people. The first was on the viral support among predominantly able-bodied people for a stair climbing wheelchair and a standing scooter. The second about Nike's supposed shoes for disabled people which are actually only available in men's sizes. In both … Continue reading A Media Guide for Nondisabled People Talking About Innovations for Disabled People
When You Hate the Marketing for an Assistive Device that Might Actually Be Useful, a Sort of Review
If you watch ads for electronic walking aids like the Bioness L300 or the Walkaide, you will come away with two distinct impressions. First that being disabled is the worst thing to ever happen to anyone and must be negated regardless of the cost. Secondly that the advertised product is a magic bullet that will … Continue reading When You Hate the Marketing for an Assistive Device that Might Actually Be Useful, a Sort of Review
When Celebrating Accessible Technology is Just Reinforcing Ableism
So this video has been popping up on my Facebook news feed a lot lately. It's a video demonstrating a wheelchair invented by Swiss students and it's a wheelchair that can climb stairs. Now I know that stairs are a major physical barrier to wheelchair users and I have no issue with any technology that … Continue reading When Celebrating Accessible Technology is Just Reinforcing Ableism
The Bureaucracy of Disability Accommodation in University
So I will be starting my PhD in Critical Disability Studies this Autumn. In preparation for this I have been applying for housing. I learned my lesson about campus housing during my Masters. I need physical accommodations for housing. I like many other disabled people have been taught to shun accommodation wherever possible. I grew … Continue reading The Bureaucracy of Disability Accommodation in University
My Love/Hate Relationship with Dragon NaturallySpeaking
So I type one handed and I'm an academic so a lot of typing is required, this poses a couple of issues. First I can't type very fast and second I regularly feel like I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome. I've been tested for the condition twice and in both cases the results were negative. While … Continue reading My Love/Hate Relationship with Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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