Tracy Odell

What voice commands? I just know about assistive touch.

I have an irrational fear of spiders, so bee, definitely. At least I can blow on it to make it go away. (I guess my breath doesn’t smell like honey.)

Every inch can make a difference in being able to reach your stuff and have the leverage to drive your wheelchair.

If it’s a small difference, you could try letting a bit of air out of your tires to see if you can sit lower without compromising the wheels or the smoothness of your ride.

or…

Raise your desk and tables with blocks of wood.…[Read more]

I submitted a post, and I’m told it is “awaiting moderation”. Please let me know if you get my response to your question, Breanna.

Do you know why it would be sent for moderation? Sometimes I include links, which seems to be a problem, but there were no leaks included my longish answer to your question.

Please let me know if/when you receive it.

Thanks.

I love these podcasts:

Every Little Thing – it is short, humorous, and always interesting – it originates in the US.

Quirks and Quarks – this is a science show with interviews with various scientists studying anything and everything in the natural world from bugs to animals to plants, the environment and space. There are normally six thing…[Read more]

If I am advertising online, I provide a fair amount of detail so people can self select out. It saves time. I will include the specific hours available, the starting rate, and general range of duties like housekeeping, personal care. I add that I will train them, which I do because I have them working alongside one of my other attendants from one…[Read more]

In Ontario, people who hire their own attendants have a government grant to do so. Those who wish can share their emails with the group, so we can email one another when we are looking for people. This works out quite well because our attendants are working part-time so often a spot that one person needs to be filled is a vacancy in another p…[Read more]

I have also used Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It works best with Microsoft products, so use Outlook for email, not Chrome. It adapts to your unique way of speaking. I use the Snowball microphone. It stands on the table, so I don’t have to get help putting it on and off. If you buy it, get the physical copy, so you can always prove your purchase and…[Read more]

When we moved into our house, my husband and I made a formal agreement to keep the thermostat set to 24.5 C (that’s 76.1 F in the US). Yet, I still wear a woven cape most of the time!

I use creatine powder – micro fibre – suspended in about 4 ounces of orange juice. Creatine helps athletes do repetitive muscle action longer without the muscle giving out, and so is recommended to me by my neurologist. I can use the mouse longer when I take it and I don’t have any other symptoms like being shaky. I really notice a difference if…[Read more]

I’m reading “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir (Author of “The Martian”). It’s another great science fiction story!

When I need someone to get faster at doing something, like help me go to the washroom, I will leave the last 15 minutes of my time with them to get it done. They will want to get out on time, so we will accomplish the task in 15-20 minutes. A couple of days later I will only leave 10 minutes of my time with them to go to the bathroom. Again, they…[Read more]

Ignored, definitely!

Realize you’re immersed in an ableist culture which will skew how you compare yourself to others…

Adapted from https://www.thechelseapsychologyclinic.com/uncategorised/i-hate-my-body-so-much-how-to-improve-body-image-and-when-to-seek-help/

1. Call out what you see

We’re swamped with images these days, most of which have been heavily p…[Read more]

I agree with Dennis andI would add: If you decide to wear a mask for an added safety shield, use an N-95 one.

In my city (Toronto) more than 50% have had their first shot and a small number of people have received their second shot. I’m wearing an N-95 mask If I must go out, just in case.

Leap tall buildings! It would increase my advocacy leverage.

Slow, so I wouldn’t feel intimidated.

Thanks so much for that Brianna. I fought very fiercely for independence since I grew up in the hospital for kids with physical disabilities. Although I need help with most of my activities of daily living, I was independent if I had choice and control over who was helping me and how they were helping me. That manifested itself in the new, at the…[Read more]