Going Where You Can’t Go

Years ago, shortly after my injury, I saw an episode of NYPD Blue where the police were questioning a former drug dealer who was confined to a wheelchair as the result of a drive-by shooting. They were threatening to put him in jail and he told the officers you can lock up my body but you can’t imprison my mind. I realized the relevancy of that statement to my situation. If we choose to accept that premise, then we empower ourselves to use the freedom that exists in our minds. I was involved in the martial arts for a number of years prior to my injury. The Grandmaster of the association used to say Karate was 90% mental and only 10% physical. There was a great deal of emphasis on the mind-body connection. It seems for some reason Western Civilization separates the mental and physical aspects of an individual. Eastern Cultures seem much more aware of the total being and much more inclined to deal with a person in a holistic way.

More professionals in this country are beginning to utilize Eastern techniques such as meditation, acupuncture and yoga in a holistic approach to better heath. Many Olympic caliber athletes are including imaging, also know as visualization, as part of their training. Thomas W. Morris, a motivational coach and president of Washington, D.C. based Morris Associates (www.morrisdc.com) writes in FOCUS “Visualize success. Want to achieve a certain goal? Take time to visualize yourself reaching that goal.” Why would we believe only athletes can benefit from these techniques?

Brian Mac is a Level 4 Performance Coach and Coach Tutor/Assessor with UK Athletics, the United Kingdom’s National Governing body for Track and Field Athletics. Brian writes on his website “They (the participants) should see themselves enjoying the activity and feeling satisfied with their performance. They should attempt to enter fully into the image with all their senses. Sight, hear, feel, touch, smell and perform, as they would like to perform in real life.” www.brianmac.co.uk/

You can use your mind to help you enjoy yourself. Oden Black’s latest steamy Blog on ThisAbled.com is a perfect example of this idea. If there are activities that you once enjoyed that you are unable to participate in now, try revisiting them again with mental imaging. While this may seem a little offbeat in the beginning, remember practice makes perfect. You can use your mind to free yourself of the constraints placed on you by your disability. To change a very common phrase just a little bit, “Your mind will set you free”. One imaging activity I enjoy is to put on my poncho and sit outside in the rain with my eyes closed. The sound of the raindrops on the nylon almost immediately takes me back to my wilderness trips when the rain would confine me to my tent or to waking in the middle of the night to the sound of the rain on my tent. Nestled in a warm sleeping bag, or in this case my poncho, listening to the rain brings on a feeling of serenity and that all is right in the world. I am treated to a “memory flood” of some of the best times of my life.

Letting the rain take me away

A rainy day on Grass Pond in 1989

“Nothing Burns Like A Quad”

I looked at my nurse and asked her if she just heard what I heard? She said she did. It usually takes me anywhere from 2 to 2 1/2 hours from the time my nurse arrives until I’m in my wheelchair ready for the day. We often have the television on and watch Good Morning America, Dr. Oz and then The Doctors. Besides being quite entertaining the programs are also rather informative. The quote I had just heard was from a commercial for a local business which sells wood burning stoves, fireplace inserts, spas and pools. The statement was included in their advertisement for a line of stoves with the brand name Quadra-Fire.  Having quadriplegia myself, I am well aware that “a quad” is often used to refer to those of us with this disability.  At first I made some jokes but, as the day wore on, the statement really started to bother me. How could anyone be so insensitive? The more I thought about it, I began to realize that many people are oblivious to the special needs community. Rather than call the store and complain, it seemed to me, that it is much more important to EDUCATE society.

When I go out in public I consider myself a “Special Needs Ambassador”. I try to act that way all the time. Each of us is a role model for “our members” whether we want to be or not. The entire time we spend among the public we are being evaluated by others whether we want to be or not. If my premise is correct, then we must constantly project what we would like others to perceive about all our brothers and sisters. I believe my actions and behaviors should reflect the problems and frustrations that are part of living with a disability, as well as, how to cope with such challenges. I have no desire to be felt sorry for or pitied I just want people to see and understand the reality of having a disability.

Last week my wife and I went out to lunch. The restaurant was quite crowded and probably it would have been easier to go somewhere else, but then why should we.  I navigated through the narrow aisles which required some people to move a little and rolled up to an empty table. I am a big man and have yet to find a restaurant where my knees will fit under a table. I have a tray which fastens to my chair but causes me to stick out into the aisle a little more. My wife brings my own utensils, drinking cup and shirt protector (aka bib). When my meal came she had to help me get the burger in my hand. As I eat I will inevitably begin to lose control of a sandwich and some of it will fall on my chest.  The last portion must be eaten out of my hand because I cannot let go of it. Likewise, when my leg bag needs to be emptied we do it discreetly but do not isolate ourselves from others. Hopefully, some people will begin to realize the implications for a person with a disability.

Applying a few of the 10 Simple Principles found on ThisAbled website to this idea

Believe that you as a person with a disability are equal in value to the people around you.
• Believe that you have something society can benefit from.

• Understand that your disability makes you unique not different.

Do not let others define your goals or measure your success.
• Educate the young

I would like to modify the last principle above to include   EDUCATE the rest of society through our actions and behavior. When I was in the rehabilitation hospital I heard people referring to non disabled individuals as TABS (Temporarily Abled Bodied). We can help TABS understand that life is not as safe as many believe but involves risk and at best is unpredictable. Hopefully, able bodied individuals will begin to realize that they or someone they know could join our group at any time.

Talking to a 6th grade class

Raised Garden Boxes

Plans For A Raised Garden Box

Would you like to raise some flowers and/or grow some vegetables for your own consumption? Raised bed garden boxes will let you do that and it is great exercise. Each spring the soil must be worked up and planted. During the growing season the vegetables must be weeded and

thinned. If the weather is not cooperating the plants must be watered. The wilted flower heads must be picked off the plants (called deadheading) which is great exercise for fingers. A box does not take up much room if space is an issue. Prior to placing a box, the area under it must be prepared. This is not necessary if it will be placed on cement or any other solid surface. If placed on the ground you must assure good drainage.

The height of the box opening should be a few inches taller than the armrests of the wheelchair. The width of the growing area should be several inches less than twice the gardener’s arm length which will allow the covering of the entire planting area. Built from pressure treated lumber, the box is open on two sides so one can drive a wheelchair underneath it and work straight on. 

The first year my boxes presented some unique problems because of the construction.  The 2” by 8” which made up the planting area did not allow for the soil to be deep enough for vegetables so most of the vegetables planted did not grow very well.  The following year, as you can see from the picture, we added about 3 inches to the height of the planting area.  This allowed adding another 250 pounds of soil to the bed.  Also, in an effort to cut down on moisture evaporation we added Hydro-Sorb to the soil. Hydro-Sorb retains water and releases it a little at a time.  These two changes made the boxes much more successful. We did not find it necessary to increase the depth of the flower boxes.               

I have 6 boxes, four I plant with vegetables and the other two with annual flowers. I enjoy working these boxes very much. I use adaptive garden tools which can be purchased online. The vegetable boxes can grow salt potatoes, broccoli, onions, baby carrots, beets and garlic. Gardening is good for many different reasons. Check out the video   Raised Bed Gardening

Raised Fower Box In Bloom

Working A Raised Garden Box

Button Board

Surf The Web Using Your Mouse

This morning when I open my e-mail I found the most interesting letter.  Dominic Valentino  wrote me about a website he constructed called Button Board buttonboard.com , which allows an individual to surf the web using just the mouse. He built the website for his own personal use but was wondering if it would be helpful to other people who have limited range of motion or other problems. I tried the website and it works great. It amazes me the technological skills that some people have.

There are two other commercially available products which may make your computer more user friendly. The first is the UBS Haspel 4 Port Web Hub which connects to a UBS port in the back of your computer. A 3 foot long cord on a reel allows you to place the plug in device anywhere you want it. There are four UBS ports located around a  4” circular hub. If your dexterity is limited when you go to connect something like a scan disk at least one port is usually facing the right way. The cost at Radio Shack is less than $10. The second, also available at Radio Shack, is a Logitech Trackman Marble (Computer Mouse) The mouse ball is on the top as opposed to the bottom. The entire device stays in one place and you just manipulate the ball. It can be setup for right or left-handed people. You can choose what function you want the easily accessible button to perform. Also it enables you to control the speed of the cursor. I encourage you to try the Button Board website and forward it on to anybody you believe would find it useful. Please if you have created something like Dominic which would be useful to others contact us.

Two User Friendly Products