Wheelchair Accessibility

Easy Wheelchair Access Indoors

• Remove loose carpets or rugs to facilitate movement.
• Change doorknobs to lever-type handles.
• Replace narrow doors with pocket doors or even curtains so you have no trouble getting from room to room or even entering the house while you are on your wheelchair.
• Move furniture to allow at least a 32-inch path and a 5-foot turning radius. There is nothing more annoying than not being able to move freely within your own home.
• Add a 36-inch string to each door handle. A wheelchair user can use this to pull the door closed when moving through the doorway.
• Add furniture coasters or decorated, small blocks of wood to raise tables and desks above knee level.
• Tack or glue down small, wedge-shaped pieces of wood or metal to serve as mini ramps over high door thresholds.
• Use drop leaf, roll-away carts for kitchen work areas.
• Change bathroom vanity-style sink fixtures to pedestal types.
• Change the toilet to a taller, narrower handicapped toilet to permit access by commode wheelchair.
• Install grab bars as necessary in the bathroom.
• Install a nonslip floor in the bathroom.
• Install a hose/nozzle system in the shower.
• Put in a water-powered ascending/descending tub seat.
• Install lever handles on kitchen and bathroom sinks.
• Consider changing appliances to front-control, front-access types.
• Plan an emergency exit for the wheelchair user.

Easy Wheelchair Access Outdoors

• Install a ramp for at least one entrance/exit of the dwelling. The ramp should be built at no more than a 1-to-12 gradient.
• Convert gravel walks to concrete for all-weather access.
• Construct ramp access to the garage or carport to allow sheltered entrance into and exit from a vehicle.
• Move the mailbox to an accessible point.

Making some of these changes to your home might seem tiresome and you might even get put off by the costs of these wheelchair accessibility changes. However, you must understand that if you are confined to your wheelchair for the long term, it is important that you maximise wheelchair accessibility for your home. Therefore, even though it might be expensive in the beginning, it is a capital investment that will prove to be very useful and helpful in the long run.

Respecting individual needs and appreciating personal experiences will help us all see beyond the disability and help create a stronger, more supportive and welcoming community.

Communicate Better With Disabled People

Following are some tips that you should keep in mind when communicating with disabled people.

• Treat people with a disability with the same respect and consideration you have for everyone else.
• Don’t assume what a person can or can’t do.
• Speak to people with a disability directly, not through their carer, assistant or interpreter.
• Ask before you help – don’t just jump in.
• Can’t understand what’s being said? Don’t pretend – ask again.
• Take some time – people with some kinds of disability may take a little longer to understand and respond.
• Some disabilities are invisible. Get to know people.
• Guide dogs are working dogs. Never pat or speak to a guide dog while it’s wearing a harness.

Other Useful Communication Tips

• When talking with a person with a disability, speak directly to that person rather than through a companion or sign language interpreter who may be present.
• When introduced to a person with a disability, it is appropriate to offer to shake hands. People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. (Shaking hands with the left hand is an acceptable greeting.)
• When meeting a person with a visual impairment, always identify yourself and others who may be with you. When conversing in a group, remember to identify the person to whom you are speaking.
• If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen to or ask for instructions.
• Treat adults as adults. Address people who have disabilities by their first names only when extending the same familiarity to all others. (Never patronize people who use wheelchairs by patting them on the head or shoulders.)
• Leaning or hanging on a person’s wheelchair is similar to leaning or hanging on a person and is generally considered annoying. The chair is part of the person’s body space.
• Listen attentively when you’re talking with a person who has difficulty speaking. Be patient and wait for the person to finish rather than correcting or speaking for the person. If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod or a shake of the head. Never pretend to understand if you are having difficulty doing so. Instead, repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond. The response will clue in and guide your understanding.
• When speaking with a person in a wheelchair or a person who uses crutches, place yourself at eye level in front of the person to facilitate the conversation.
• To get the attention of a person who is hearing-impaired, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand. Look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly, and expressively to establish if the person can read your lips. Not all people with a hearing impairment
  can lip-read. For those who do not lip-read, be sensitive to their needs by placing yourself facing the light source and keeping hands, cigarettes, and food away from your mouth when speaking.
• Relax. Don’t be embarrassed if you happen to use accepted, common expressions such as “See you later,” or “Did you hear about this,” that seem to relate to the person’s disability.

Yoga Helps All Disabilities

The gentle stretching of yoga and its centered-breathing discipline can benefit people who may have arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, or osteoporosis as well as those who have had a stroke. The “asanas,” or poses that make up a yoga practice can also help with balance and strength while helping you find a calming emotional space that helps not only with healing, but also with the day-to-day challenges of life.

In addition, notes the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD), yoga aids your:

• Digestive system, as the bending and stretching poses stimulate the digestive system
• Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems (also known as your heart and lungs!), as the more active poses increase heart rate and lung capacity through aerobic activity.
• Lymphatic system (essentially, the primary component of your immune system), which needs strong muscles and active interaction among the lungs, diaphragm, and thorax to stay strong.
• Skeletal and muscular systems, which benefit from yoga’s focus on proper alignment, flexibility, and muscle-strengthening

Yoga Improves Activities of Daily Living

Besides leaving students with improved virtues such as confidence and patience, yoga has practical applications for everyday living. In his book, Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence (Rodale, 2008), Matthew Sanford mentions one of his students who has cerebral palsy, which caused the man to have frequent falls and resulting injuries. After becoming a regular student in Sanford’s yoga classes, the man fell in the shower one day but was able to use his improved body control to land in a way that spared him from injury.

Sanford said that in his own life, yoga has given him the strength to easily transfer in and out of different wheelchairs, as well as produced noticeable improvements in balance and flexibility.

Learning More About Yoga for People with Disabilities

One of the best free sources of information regarding yoga and its benefits is the NCPAD’s website section, “Yoga for Individuals with Disabilities.”

Included among its overviews, articles, videos, and online demonstrations are information about yoga’s benefits, yoga equipment, what to expect in a yoga session, demonstrations of specific exercises, a resource list, a directory of yoga organizations (definitely needs updating/expanding), and a relatively current (2005 is most recent publication date) list of books and articles about yoga for various conditions.

What Is Medicaid Health Insurance?

Medicaid is a program funded by states and the federal government to provide various insurance coverages for low income citizens including families, children, elderly and the disabled.

What Is Medicare Health Insurance?

Medicare insurance is the nations largest health insurance program. Medicare coverages include people age 65 and over, disabled persons under 65 and persons with permanent kidney failure.

Other Medicaid Disability Insurance Details

• Individuals must have a certain basic income to qualify for Medicaid. While Medicaid is techniclaly administered by the federal government, states are allowed to set their own qualification rules. As a result, qualification requirements for Medicaid might vary from state to state.
• Disabled people covered by Medicaid are covered for hospital services, x ray services, home health care services and dental insurance for children as well.

Other Medicare Disabled Insurance Details

• The coverage for Medicare is divided into two parts. Part A is the Hospital Insurance and Part B is the Medical Insurance.
• Part A is usually designed for those over the age of 65.  If you have this type of Medicare, you do not have to pay an insurance premium as you have probably paid for it via taxes while you were working. However, if you have never worked or have not paid Medicare taxes then you might have to pay a certain amoutn of premium to be insured with Medicare Part A disability insurance. Part A Medicare insurance covers hospital care, nursing care and hospices.
• Part B Medicare insurance covers a variety of health services including but not limited to physicians, outpatient vists and all therapists that are considered absolutely essential for medical purposes.

These are the basic differences between Medicaid and Medicare.

Blind Person’s Kitchen: Getting Organized

• Develop a system so you know where your utensils, spices and ingredients are stored. And make sure that other family members are aware so that they return things to their proper places.
• Labeling with large print or braille as well as tactile markings can help distinguish similar types of containers or the right setting on an oven or microwave. Wrap a rubber band around the juice container, for example, to tell it apart from the milk.
• Use all your senses. Touch and hearing can help you identify ingredients and operate appliances. Do you know how to tell a can of cream soup from noodle soup? Listen and feel as you shake the cans – the noodle soup will splash and feel looser. Some stove dials click as you turn the knob to various temperature settings. You can smell toast getting brown to know it’s done or burning. Meat is brown when it’s rough to the touch.
• Know your lighting needs. Install under-the-counter lighting and/or use gooseneck, adjustable arm lamps to position light directly onto your work area. Seat yourself so windows are behind you or to your side.

Getting Started With Your Disability Kitchen

• Keep cabinet doors fully closed or fully open. Contrasting tape on the insides or backs of cabinet doors can make it easier to tell if one is open. Install contrasting knobs or handles.
• Use a cutting board that contrasts in color with the items that you’re cutting. Long armed oven mitts, dish towels and utensils that contrast with countertops can make them easier to find.
• Use a timer when heating foods. You’ll not only know when the food is done, but get a reminder to turn off the appliance.
• Divided measuring cups are more accurate and easier to use than a standard measuring cup for both dry and liquid ingredients. It can be difficult to detect the lines for each measure on a standard measuring cup and divided measuring cups are available in a variety of colors, so you can utilize color contrast techniques.

Disabled Kitchens :Using Appliances

• Many appliance manufacturers offer large-print or braille dials, overlays, contrasting color features and marking kits, so ask before you buy.
• A popular addition to many kitchens, the George Foreman Grill allows you to cook food on both sides simultaneously, without setting any dials or needing to flip or turn the food.
• Easy-to-set bread machines, crock pots and rotisseries can simplify the cooking process.
• Install counter-level outlets for easy access, or use battery-operated appliances. Some people feel more in control when using manual appliances.
• Small countertop appliances – including toaster ovens, coffeemakers and microwaves – may be safer and easier to use for heating food than the oven or stove.

Cooking Tips For The Blind

• Record your recipes for easy access. There are cookbooks available in large print and braille as well as on audiocassette. If you’re online, you can access recipes from Web sites and print them in an accessible format.
• Pay attention to the sounds of food cooking. When asked how long a pan of enchiladas needs to be baked, one man said, “When they’re talking loudly, not whispering, but fairly shouting, they’re done!” Listen for the rolling, bubbling noise that becomes louder and more forceful as liquids boil. Wait to hear the popping of frying food to know it’s browning. When the sounds die down, food usually is ready to be turned.
• As food cooks, odors change. Often you can smell when something is done, for example, when cookies are baked.
• Smell spices before you sprinkle. There’s nothing like mistaking pepper for cinnamon.

Disability Kitchens : Setting Your Table

• Use contrasting plates, tablecloths, placemats, and napkins. Use light or dark colored plates, glasses, or cups to contrast with food and beverages.
• Plates that are pattern-free make locating food much easier.
• Use tinted rather than clear glasses for greater visibility.
• Push chairs under tables.
• Use a tablecloth to cut the glare from shiny or polished surfaces such as Formica tabletops.
• Eat in a well-lit area. Sunshine streaming into a room can cause glare. Consider adjustable window curtains or shades.

Albert Einstein
The Mathematician/Physicist who had a learning disability and did not speak until age 3. He had a very difficult time doing maths in school. It was also very hard for him to express himself through writing.

Alexander Graham Bell
Had a learning disability

Cher
Has dyslexia

Christopher Reeve
Never has a person with a disability commanded so much media attention in recent history. Christopher Reeve, crippled after a horse-riding injury, wants to be up on his feet & wants to help others stand confident too. His life is now dedicated to harnessing the power of medical research to get up & ride again.

David Blunkett
The Rt Hon David Blunkett MP is without doubt Britain’s most famous guide dog owner. Often photographed with his guide dogs – Ted, Offa and Lucy – David Blunkett also holds the powerful political post of Home Secretary. Joining the Labour party aged 16, he was elected to Sheffield City Council aged 22. He was the council leader from 1980 to 1987 until he was elected MP for Sheffield Brightside. Seen as the archetypal municipal Socialist, he is in many senses a traditional Labour man – beard-wearing and blunt-talking. Arguably, he is a role model for disabled people who just want to get on with their lives.

Edison
Edison had a learning disability. He couldn’t read until he was twelve years old and had a very difficult time writing even when he was older.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt had Polio, was governor of New York State then elected President of the United States for 4 terms.

George Washington
Had a learning disability. He could barely write and had very poor grammar skills.

Goya
Spanish painter (1746-1828): At age 46, an illness left him deaf. He went on to create the most famous Spanish art of the 19th century.

Helen Keller
(Devoted Life to Persons with Disabilities) She was Blind, Deaf, and Mute

Ian Dury
movement/walking disability, resulting from polio. Hits from 1978 (“Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”) into 1980’s. Recorded “Spasticus Autisticus” which was banned from radio, not surprising, as lyrics could be mis-construed as disabled-ist

John Milton
English Author/poet (1608-1674): He became blind at age 43. He went on to create his most famous epic, Paradise Lost.

Lord Byron
“Mad, bad and dangerous to know”, Britain’s great romantic was also born with talipes, a club foot. It is said that he “walked with difficulty but wandered at will”. He toured Europe extensively and captured the popular imagination through his poetry and his personality. From gloomy egoism through to satiric realism he was renowned for his writings, his sexual ambivalences and his championing of Greek independence from the Turks. Disability activist Tom Shakespeare summed him up in the following way: “Most of his poetry hasn’t stood the test of time, but he was a blockbuster in his day, and like very few other heroes, his name is still used as an adjective – ‘Byronic’, meaning dashing.”

Lord Nelson
Viscount Horatio Nelson is certainly Britain’s greatest naval hero. His skill as a naval commander is, of course, well-documented. He won crucial victories at Trafalgar in 1805 and the Battle of the Nile in 1798, during the wars with revolutionary and Napoleonic France. What is less often remarked upon is that a great part of his naval career and his major victories were won as a disabled person. Going ashore in Corsica following the fall of Toulon, a French shot flung debris into his face leaving him without sight in his right eye. Later, an assault on Tenerife resulted in a shattered right elbow – back on his flagship the arm was amputated. He carried on as a disabled seaman for nearly ten years, securing his most important naval victories at the Battle of the Nile and the infamous Battle of Trafalgar – where he died on October 21, 1805. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t say “I see no ships”. Instead he said, during the Battle of Copenhagen, “… I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes” and, raising his telescope to his blind eye, “I really do not see the signal”.

Ludwig van Beethoven
(Famous Musician) – known to be deaf

Marla Runyan
One of the women representing the Unites States in the 1500 metre track event at hte 2000 Olympics was Marla Runyan. The American runner finished seventh in her preliminary heat and rose to sixth in the semi finals to qualify for the finals. During the final race, Marla lost track of the major competitors. She finished in eighth position, 3.20 seconds behind the gold medal winner. In 1996, Marla set several track and field records at the Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Following that success, Marla wanted to compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney — even though she is legally blind. The 31-year-old runner has been diagnosed with Stargardt disease. This is a condition that leaves her with a limited ability to see what is in front of her. In Sydney, Marla became the first legally blind athlete to compete in an Olympics.

Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin is a stand-up comedian and an actress. Some of her films include A Dead Silence, My Party,A Hear No Evil, A Bridge to Silence, A Walker, and A Children of A Lesser God. In 1987, she captivated the world by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in the film A Children of a Lesser God. Marlee Matlin became deaf in infancy due to Roseola infantum. However, deafness has not disabled her or her career.

Michael Bolton
(famous Singer): Deaf in one ear

Robin Williams
(famous Hollywood Star) was diagnosed to be suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) as a child. He never refuses a role related to medicine e.g Awakenings, Patch Adams.

Sarah Bernhardt
French actress (1844-1923) Disabled by a knee injury, her leg amputated in 1914, she continued starring on stage until just before her death. She is regarded as France’s greatest actress — “The Divine Sarah”.

Stephen Hawkings
Physicist/mathematician has Lou Gehrigs Disease and is in a wheelchair. He needs a computer to speak.

Sudha Chandran
(Indian actress and classical dancer) This brave lady dances with a Jaipur foot. She has acted in a movie on classical dance called “Nache Mayuri” & today acts in a variety of TV serials.

Tanni Grey-Thompson
Tanni Carys Davina Grey-Thompson OBE – to give her full name and title – is the disabled athlete that most people instantly recognise. Formerly Tanni Grey – the Thompson was added following her marriage in 1999 – she has competed in Paralympic Games since 1988, representing Britain at distances ranging from 100m to 800m. She has won fourteen paralympic medals including nine golds, and has broken over twenty world records. As a wheelchair athlete she was also the winner of five London marathons – in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2001. In recent years, she has established herself as a TV presenter – including BBC TWO’s From the Edge disability magazine programme.

Tom Cruise
(Hollywood Star): is severely dyslexic

Walt Disney
Had a learning disability

Woodrow Wilson
U.S. President from 1913-1921. Had a learning disability – he was severely dyslexic

Exercise is often a problem for people with CFS because physical activity can worsen their symptoms. Medical opinion has been divided on whether people with CFS should attempt regular exercise or not – some believe that gentle exercise is helpful, while others caution against any form of aerobic activity.

Research has found that patient education on CFS and a graded exercise program can improve symptoms in many cases and, on average, is not likely to worsen outcomes.

Tips For CFS Exercise

• Exercise may not be possible for everyone

Some people with CFS, especially in the weeks or months following onset, are unable to perform the most basic activities such as showering or walking from one room to another. In such cases of extreme exhaustion and pain, the person may be confined to their bed.

As time passes, the person may feel a little better and attempt regular exercise. However, aerobic activity can cause a relapse of symptoms. The added problem for people with CFS is that a sedentary lifestyle causes a range of other health problems including muscle wastage, loss of bone mass, and increased risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

• Potassium

Medical problems that cause low levels of the electrolyte potassium often include chronic fatigue as a symptom. The bulk of the body’s potassium supply is found in muscle tissue, with the rest in the brain, blood and internal organs. A 2004 study by researchers at Adelaide University found that people with CFS have less total body potassium (TBP) than healthy people of similar age and weight.

Exercise Suggestions For Chronic Fatigue

A person with CFS needs a gentle approach to physical activity and should only make tiny increases in the frequency, duration and intensity of their exercise program.

Be guided by your doctor or physiotherapist, but general suggestions include:

• Aim for no more than three exercise sessions per week.
• Experiment to find the type of exercise that works best for you. Choose from a range of gentle activities such as stretching, yoga, Tai Chi, walking and light weight training.
• Stretching seems to be well tolerated by people with CFS. You may prefer to perform your stretching program while lying down in bed.
• Aerobic exercise seems to cause relapses for many people with CFS. If this is true for you, try non-aerobic forms of exercise like weight training with light weights.
• Keep an activity diary so you have a long-term picture of your performance levels and factors that might impact on fatigue.
• Learn from past relapses. For example, if walking for 20 minutes worsened your symptoms, try walking for five minutes and see how that goes. Use your activity diary to keep track of what works for you and what doesn’t.
• Stop the physical activity well before you feel tired. Pacing yourself is very important.
• Remember that your exercise tolerance will differ from one day to the next.
• If possible, monitor your heart rate during exercise with a heart rate monitor or by manually taking your pulse.
• Listen to your body – if you don’t feel up to exercising on a particular day, don’t.
• Slowly increase the intensity, time spent or frequency of exercise, but only when you know you can cope with it. For example, if you can exercise for five minutes without suffering a relapse, try for six minutes.

Basketball In Wheelchairs

Wheelchair basketball is played by thousands of disabled people across the world. This disabled sport is governed by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as a disability sport.

The IWBF has 82 National Organizations for Wheelchair Basketball, each participating in wheelchair basketball actively all around the year. As per the IWBF’s statistics, over 100,000 people across the world enjoy this popular disabled sport. Some of these players simply enjoy it for recreational purposes while others play professionally and even represent their country at international levels. Whether you are a man or a woman or even a child, you can play wheelchair basket ball too.

It must however be noted that wheelchair basketball is not just a casual sport and is in fact a very cometitive disabled sport and as a result, it is not surprising that it is one of the mot popular disability sports at the quadr-annual Paralympic Games.  Participants from several countries participate in the Paralympic Games, some of the most common including USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, The Netherlands and Japan. The winning country receives the Gold Cup for Wheelchair Basketball.

Basketball In Wheelchairs: Other Details

Wheelchair basketball first started being played in the 1940s through a rehabilitation program at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire, England. It has since developed and grown into an internationall well known disability sport. While it was initially known as Wheelchair Netball, it finally developed into what is today known as Wheerlchair Basketball.

In addition to the Paralympics, players of wheelchair basketball also compete in several other events. One of the most important competitions for his disabled sport is the Wheelchair Basketball World Championship (WBWC).  It started in 1973 and was first played in Bruges, Belgium and the championships wre won by the team from Great Britain.  The next WBWC is due to be held in 2010 and will be hosted by Birmingham, England.

Military troops who served in Vietnam and the Gulf Wars; rescue workers involved in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing; survivors of accidents, rape, physical and sexual abuse, as well as other crimes; immigrants fleeing violence in their home countries; survivors of the 1994 California earthquake, the 1997 South Dakota floods, and hurricanes Hugo and Andrew; and people who witness traumatic events are among the people who may develop PTSD. Families of victims can also develop the disorder.

Who Is Most Likely to Develop PTSD?

People who have been abused as children or who have had other previous traumatic experiences are more likely to develop the disorder. Research is continuing to pinpoint other factors that may lead to PTSD.

Symptoms of PTSD?

• Many people with PTSD repeatedly re-experience the ordeal in the form of flashback episodes, memories, nightmares, or frightening thoughts, especially when they are exposed to events or objects reminiscent of the trauma.
• Anniversaries of the event can also trigger symptoms.
• People with PTSD also experience emotional numbness and sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, and irritability or outbursts of anger. Feelings of intense guilt are also common.
• Most people with PTSD try to avoid any reminders or thoughts of the ordeal.

PTSD is diagnosed when symptoms last more than one month.

Co-occurring depression, alcohol or other substance abuse, or another anxiety disorder are not uncommon. The likelihood of treatment success is increased when these other conditions are appropriately diagnosed and treated as well.

Headaches, gastrointestinal complaints, immune system problems, dizziness, chest pain, or discomfort in other parts of the body are common. Often, doctors treat the symptoms without being aware that they stem from PTSD. NIMH, through its education program, is encouraging primary care providers to ask patients about experiences with violence, recent losses, and traumatic events, especially if symptoms keep recurring. When PTSD is diagnosed, referral to a mental health professional who has had experience treating people with the disorder is recommended.

Post Traumatic Stress Details

At least 3.6% of U.S. adults (5.2 million Americans) have PTSD during the course of a year. About 30 percent of the men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD. One million war veterans developed PTSD after serving in Vietnam. PTSD has also been detected among veterans of the Persian Gulf War, with some estimates running as high as 8 percent.

PTSD can develop at any age, including in childhood. Symptoms typically begin within 3 months of a traumatic event, although occasionally they do not begin until years later. Once PTSD occurs, the severity and duration of the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, while others suffer much longer.

PTSD Treatments

Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and exposure therapy, in which the patient repeatedly relives the frightening experience under controlled conditions to help him or her work through the trauma, as well as medications that help ease the symptoms of depression and anxiety and help promote sleep. Scientists are attempting to determine which treatments work best for which type of trauma.

Showering, bathing, shaving, brushing your hair, brushing your teeth. Though these are activities that many take for granted, people with limb differences can find them very difficult to do alone. Your daily grooming routine is made up of movements that require hand and wrist dexterity and flexibility, arm extension and rotation, balance, strength and coordination. When these movements are difficult or painful, grooming can be a frustrating or even risky experience without the aid of assistive devices.

Unfortunately, because assistive devices for independent living are produced by only a small number of manufacturers and there is only a small market for them, they can be expensive. Moreover, Medicare does not cover the cost of bathing equipment, including bath seats, hand-held shower heads or grab bars.

With a little thought and ingenuity, however, you can find ways to do these activities with homemade or easily available and inexpensive aids. You shouldn’t neglect safety for convenience, however.

Disability Safety: Dental & Hair Care

Prosthetic hands and hooks often do not grip small or thin items as well as the human hand does. As a result, these items might be difficult to control or might slip out of your prosthesis. A simple and inexpensive solution for this problem is to add thicker, less slippery handles to such items as your toothbrush, comb, hair brush, bath brush and flossing device.

If you can’t find these items with readymade built-up handles, you can make their handles larger and easier to grip by wrapping them with a short section of foam rubber tubing. Or you can simply insert some of the items into a bicycle handle grip. Also, if your prosthetic device has a limited range of motion and you can’t quite get to those hard-to-reach spots with your bath brush, try attaching it to a wooden dowel or a flexible wire.

An easy technique for brushing your teeth without arms is to use a battery-powered toothbrush. If you can get toothpaste on it, turn it on, and get it in your mouth, you can use your mouth to move it around inside, letting the vibrating toothbrush do the rest.

Flossing with the traditional string-style floss would clearly be difficult for a onehanded person. Today, however, a onehanded person can take advantage of the newer “tuning fork” flossing tools, which do not require two hands.

If you have no hands and normally dry your hair with a hair dryer, you can mount it on the wall and simply move your head around in front of it until your hair is dry. The bracket that holds the dryer should allow movement, however, so that the dryer can be tilted in various directions.

When it comes to shaving, an electric rotary razor is much kinder and gentler than a blade. Flexible-headed razors require less hand movement to reach awkward places, and are often bulky enough to be used with a prosthesis.

If you use a wheelchair at the sink, any exposed pipes underneath should be wrapped to avoid burning your legs. Whether you’re seated or on your knees in a locked wheelchair, a folded towel or a thin pillow on the front edge of the counter will make long periods at the sink much more bearable.

Finally, you’ll probably like to look at yourself in the mirror to make sure you don’t leave toothpaste on your chin or unknowingly leave the house with “bad hair.” Two simple ways to make sure that you have access to a mirror where you need it is to install a full-length mirror or to mount a magnifying mirror in a convenient location, preferably next to an electrical outlet.

Safety Tips For Disabled: Grab Bars

Grab bars help support you while you are getting in and out of the bathtub, reducing your risk of a fall. They can be installed on the walls or on the side of the tub. Wall-mounted grab bars, installed properly into walls that are in good condition, are considered more stable than tub-mounted bars. Tub-mounted bars don’t require structural support from a wall and have the added advantage of easy removal, but they must be used with caution because they can easily (and suddenly) detach if fastened incorrectly. Test them carefully in advance by applying force in several directions before relying on them for support.

Although they come in different shapes and sizes, grab bars have common safety characteristics and requirements. Flanges on the ends of the bar should have sturdy screws for installation, preferably into wall studs. There should be enough room between the bar and the wall for you to get a good grip. They should be made of plastic or rust-resistant metal, with a rough surface to prevent slipping.

Keep Things Handy

Bathing is easier if everything you need is close at hand. If you bathe in a tub rather than showering, you can buy or make a shelf to sit firmly on the edges of the tub to hold soap, brushes or a magazine.

A more flexible option is a wire-frame shower caddy with suction cups that can be attached wherever you wish. You can also find a variety of rings and hooks to add more items to the caddy; the classic “soap-on-a-rope” is always handy, and some squeeze bottles of soap and shampoo are designed to hang on a hook as well. Other soaps and shampoos are available in pump dispensers.

Slippery When Wet

One of the most common problems that amputees encounter is maintaining balance while bathing and climbing in and out of the bathtub. Most tubs don’t have adequate slip-resistant finishes. To reduce the chance of a slip injury, your bathtub floor should have either a rubber mat anchored with suction cups or nonslip adhesive strips. Bath strips should be placed close to each other so that very little of the bathtub floor comes in contact with your foot.

Various floor materials respond differently to being wet. Some new ceramic tiles and rubber-based linoleum have better slip-resistance. Keep the floor clear of rugs or small objects on which you could slip or trip, and use cleaning products that don’t leave a slippery film.

Showering Tips For Disabled Safety

Scalding is another hazard of showering. Always check the water temperature before you get into the shower. This is particularly important for people with diabetes. Diabetic nerve damage can leave your feet numb and unable to feel heat, cold or even pain. And if you can’t feel pain, you might not notice any blisters until you have an infection.

You might want to try one of the many hand-held shower heads on the market, particularly if you shower in a seated position. Handheld units also allow getting into the tub without stepping directly into a stream of water, reducing the chance of slipping. Some models are made of rubber to fit over the tub tap, while some require installation but allow more freedom of movement. Make sure you can reach the mounting bracket from your seat and that the hose is long enough for you to spray all parts of your body. The handle should be easy to grip, and any knobs or controls should be easy to use (even when wet).

For more ideas, consult an occupational therapist or independent living specialist in your area. These professionals are trained to work with people of all ages and levels of ability to identify and recommend assistive devices or methods to help them cope with daily living activities