patrick-lenihan
Forum Replies Created
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DeAnn & Katie, straw bale gardening is a great affordable alternative to raised beds for wheelchair users. You can pull the chair right up to or parallel to the bales and harvest your garden. There is no weeding and after one or two seasons of gardening you can compost the bales. I have grown lettuce, tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, zucchini, herbs, chard and flowers in straw bales. Google straw bale gardening if you want more information. I tried to include photos of one of my past gardens in my first reply but it did not work so I deleted the original reply and resubmitted it sans the the attempted attachments.
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You can easily clip a mini electric guitar amp like the Danelectro Honeytone N-10 to your chair and plug the mic into that. If the plug for your mic doesn’t fit into the amp there are adapters that you can buy that will help.
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Kevin what you are describing is similar to Cohousing. Couhousing is an intentional community that emphasizes and values interdependence and diversity of community. While Cohousing communities are not exclusively targeted to those with disabilities, they welcome a diverse range of abilities, ages, cultures etc… . Â Check out the Cohousing Association of the United States webpage. Also check out the webpages for the National Council on Independent Living and the Disability Community Resource Center.
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I recommend the Down Under Bag from the Advantage Bag Company.
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I moved from the east coast to the west coast. Before moving, you should contact the Health and Human Services agency and the Aging and Disability Services agency of the locale you are interested in moving to and ask if services you need are available and how to apply. I don’t want to offend anybody’s political sensibilities but the facts are that more liberal states tend to have more comprehensive services for the disabled. If you don’t have a private source for financing in home care, make sure the state and community you are moving to offers the level care you need. The New York Times has an excellent article and film by Jason DaSilva called The Disability Trap that I strongly recommend to any disabled person who is planning to move from their current state. Finding accessible housing is difficult. Finding affordable accessible housing is more difficult. I suggest searching the craigslist and the local rental agencies and the contacting the local housing authority of the community you wish to move to. If you are moving away from your support system I advise that you move to the largest city and neighborhood with the best walk score that you can afford. Large cities tend to have better public transit, better medical facilities, more caregivers, and more social and professional networking opportunities. Living in a neighborhood with a high walk score gives you more independence because you can walk/wheel to restaurants, pubs, libraries, stores etc.. by yourself when public transit shuts down for the night or you can’t get a ride.
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I don’t recall ever posting anything on Facebook about SMA. I have on occasion shared articles about disability rights that I found interesting. Most of my posts are photos of my life that I share with my family and friends back east, recipes that I like, and jokes and observations that I write.
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I have flown a lot. While I would be more comfortable flying in my own chair it isn’t a deal breaker for me. The most difficult part of flying for me is dehydrating myself before the flight so I won’t have to use the bathroom while in the air. I would love it if the bathroom was at least aisle chair accessible. I did have an airline lose my chair once. They left it in the jet way at Newark when I was on my way to Seattle. They found it and got it back to me the next day but I had to use their crappy loaner that night.