It’s blogging against disablism day and my topic this year was going to be entitled life enhancing gadgets and techno wizardry. However, thinking about it - gadgets haven’t enhanced my life - they have GIVEN me life.

I might post a few entries today - and do pop onto facebook if you have a disability gadget question - I might know something that could help!!


I am a gadget nut - I read about new gadgets more than once a day and I’m counting down the days until an iPhone finds its way into my hand.

So what have amazing feats of technology done for me. Well, if you know me it;s pretty easy to spot that I have little strength in my limbs (think floppy rag doll). I have MD and it’s a progressive type of impairment - so each day I’m a bit worse than the last. Thankfully - technology has kept up with my needs.

Here’s some examples

Gaining an education

Taking exams in the 90’s. Laptops were like telephone directories in weight and cost an absolute fortune. However, I couldn’t take notes in class and my dictation skills were useless (and disturbed other people to be honest). It also meant they had to pay a nursery nurse (yes that;s what they called educational personal assistants) to take notes. So, education would have been a nightmare - had it not been that laptops were just about in existence and my local education authority sent a geek in glasses and a beard to deliver one to my school. So I became fluent in touch typing, got rid of the nurse and kept up with lessons alongside everyone else. I was starting to become gadget kid to the envy of everyone. Within a year, apple computers were installed at my school - about 15 of the old apple II series cubed, black and white, small screens. I spent many hours in the free to enter room drawing and typing - and my love for all things Apple introduced a range of inclusive software.


Going to Uni was different - the laptop was confiscated and I was told to go and raise funds if I wanted one. It wasn’t a case of wanting one, I NEEDED one. Disabled people had no legal right to one like they do now under civil law. A few calls to a local newspaper about this injustice got them to cough up - so I gained my first degree.

Mobile phones

Whilst at Uni - the invention of the mobile phone meant that I could trundle around in my elecy wheelchair - safe in the knowledge that my brick would just about have enough power to call for assistance should I get stuck or need general assistance. It was a life line and eventually I hooked it up to my wheelchair battery to ensure maximum power. Nowadays, micro life-line pendants, pagers, telecare and similar support millions of people to make life saving connections with carers, assistants and others.

Later, I was unable to use my arms and lift a phone to my ear - and low and behold they got lighter and easier to hold - so I dumped the Erikson brick for a small Nokia - and life continued.

Then I couldn’t hold anything up to my ear - so hands free and bluetooth became the way to go.

Now I can’t press buttons so well - so my iPhone will be fantastic because with just a tap I can get texting again. An when I can’t tap - well brain wave power is coming on line for controlling things - so thought controlled apps - here I come.

With the right technology I’m not disabled - I can keep in touch with people and even control my home environment and get around as much as anyone.

What I’d like to see bring us into the 21st century

1) Better electric wheelchair design - they have had 4 wheels and a clunky, bulky, inaccessible design for many years. Although we have seen a few more functions (raise, tilt in space, stair climbing and use of gyroscopes) the overall functionality has not really improved with the technology available.

If you could see what the NHS offered me you would think we were in the year 1908 - it was only an electronic step up from a basket.

Tags:disabled | independent living | gadgets

It’s blogging against disablism day and here is my round up of top gadgets and innovative products that, in my opinion, are not to be missed.

Just the other day I was Oooo-ing at an iPhone that a BSL interpreter had on one of my courses. Now there’s a phone that I can’t wait to get my hands on. But wait, I hear your cry. What about blind people - how are they going to manage in a world that is going touch screen? To which I replied, well actually... did you know that people with visual impairments CAN access a whole range of apple products with some interesting innovations and built in design

It’s true, technology can be life enhancing and access features for disabled people are at risk of being left out of the top ten things to include in new devices.

Being a total tech head I’m always on the lookout for the next gizmo and gadget that I can’t possibly live without - and many of them are offering life enhancing capabilities and good accessibility.

Innovation:

1) Lip-reading computers developed at the Unversity of East Anglia. Many disabled people lose their voices but retain lip movement so this would be perfect. Think of the business applications - especially when it can read several different languages. More about lip-reading computers

2) Phones. Other useful tech includes the ability to translate sign language to audio for mobile phones. If you have no vision then this concept case for the iPhone is interesting.

Moving on - you can now control your light switches from your iPhone! I have so many remotes for switching plugs and lights that to have one cool gadget as a universal control - now that’s progress.

So, my next one is home automation (environmental controls).

3) Home automation is now affordable outside of ‘special disabled equipment’ from the NHS. In my dream world, one command would open the curtains, bring the lights up from dim, set the radio going with soothing sounds whilst my coffee and breakfast was being made for me in the kitchen by yet more fab gadgetry. Oh wait, actually I suppose I do have this in the form of a PA... hmmm.

4) Brain waves for blogging and tweeting. Yes if you can’t move a muscle then use your noggin to keep up with your bloggin (I always knew I was a poet???) and use of Twitter (if you don’t mind wearing a mad cap full of electrodes - hey I’d try it).

5) Brain waves for controlling wheelchairs. Yes working prototypes are available. You programme your chair to move left or right according to thinking about a particular object. What happens when you’re weaving about the newsagents thinking Left Left Left and your distracted by a top shelf magazine I don’t know - perhaps you start spinning round or something!

6) Gadget web-sites - I’ve found many a useful invention on these sites.

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com

is my favourite one but there are lots on the web - go and see if you can find something that could change your life!

Tags:disabled | independent living | gadgets

Yesterday was the national day for blogging about disability.
Reading blogs by disabled people is a great way to discover the issues that disabled people are talking about, campaigning about or want you to hear about - they may be things that you can help change.
A little late - a recent story.
I am studying on a Post Graduate course around equality and consultancy in the field of disability and applied for a Disabled Student Grant. Students who require assistance or equipment for example can have a substantial amount of funding to enable them to access their course on an equal basis.
I have had three such grants - without which I would not have entered higher education as I need substantial help.
However, it's good to see that money is being put to good use (I'm being sarcastic here) by:
1) Making it really difficult to access
2) Being half way through your course with no funds or specialist equipment.
3) I know what I needed - but I still had to have an assessment from someone who thought they knew me better. As a result, I got a lot of things I have no use for and they went home with a nice pay packet.
4) The cost of the assessment is deducted from your Grant!
5) The cost of someone opening a box and plugging in my new laptop was £60 - which came out of my grant. Apparently I have an MA and help at home - yet still I am deemed incapable of opening a box and attaching a power supply!
Disabled people have the right to an education yet at the same time vital money is being wasted by government assessment processes. Other people on my course have also experienced similar issues - will this 'we know what's best for you' approach ever stop?

Tags:education | access

I am currently about a month into a post graduate course as a disability practitioner/consultant and trainer. Disabled students can apply for a grant/allowance that covers disability related costs which can pose a financial barrier to education.

To get the grant you have to have an assessment and confirmation that you have an impairment e.g. GP letter etc. My consultant once again confirmed that no miracle had occurred since the last two times I had this grant to study and all that remained was the assessment.

I spent quite a few hours with an understanding person trying to make sure I was applying for all the right personal assistance and equipment I would need to complete the course on an equal footing with a none disabled person. Much emphasis was placed on how I use electronic formats e.g. e-mail and web forums for communication, notes from a laptop I also hope to get, I read journals on-line and can't write much more than a few words.

Now, due to difficulties in holding books and papers (and looking down to read the things which effects my neck) I have documents I can read on a computer screen - nothing special, just word or pdf documents sent via e-mail.

My assessor wrote all this down and what happened next.....

he sent a several page report on my access needs - in print copy only.

This is typical - and the fee for this person to write that report is deducted from my grant!!

Tags:alternative formats | disabled | education | access