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Can't believe this needs to be said but if you're a "radqueer" or "radpara" whatever the hell new term you people keep making every year using to justify making public fucking posts about wanting to fuck children, you go as far as possible from me. Preferably to hell btw. ✌️

#.log #the WAY the 'politics' on social media has backslid so fucking much the past few years lmfao #we got people being like 'not all men have male privilege...because some of them are gay or disabled or brown!!!' #as if Nobody had ever thought about this before and as if Nobody has ever written (extensively) about this before #the tags are unrelated to the OP I am simply so fed up with so many of you #you're all splashing around in a puddle on the sidewalk thinking it's deep shit. 😭 Read a goddamn book and get out of my face #pedophilia .

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I've seen adaptive fencing, adaptive sailing, sit volleyball, and adaptive dog agility. :) Here's a site with a list:

https://moveunitedsport.org/sports/adaptive-sports/

Adaptive / Para sports that aren't wheelchair basketball!

Wheelchair rugby: very physical, wheelchairs look like battel bots, very rough and very cool I don't know much about the rules of regular rugby either. Tried it once was not for me but very epic to watch

Adaptive curling: played with a stick that attaches to the curling rock so you can play from a seated or standing position, good for those who can't bend over or who require mobility aids

Wheelchair tenis: played just like normal tennis in a sports wheelchair rackets have shorter handles to be easier to push while holding, difference to the rules being that the ball can bounce twice

Adaptive archery: so many different adaptions from shooting in a wheelchair, using prosthetics, mouth release triggers for those without use or with lim differences in arms

Adaptive skiing/snowboarding: good for those with lower lim differences and mobility issues. Adaptions include using one leg with outriggers to balance and stear (both ski and snowboard) sit ski, where your entire lower body is basically in a ski boot, can be used for blind people as well or those with upper body limitations with an assistant controlling the sit ski. Independent sit ski use outriggers for stearing (think like ski poles with little skis on them)

Adaptive rowing: good for all ability levels as well as blind and visually impaired. So many different adaptions for loading into boats, seating supports, adaptive paddles and auditory cues

Adaptive swiming: this has so many different options, swimming is amazing for you it let's you use you body in different ways then weight bearing and there are a lot of options, different flotation devices that can attach to legs or arms, having someone move your lims for you, having a tap signal when you get close to the edge of the pool, visual cues for time, pool lifts just so many different options for everyone

Biking: standing bikes, two seated bikes so people with vision problems can have someone stearing, electric bikes, electric assist with pedaling, strap in pedals, anti tips, tricycles, hand cycles, different levels of seating support, walking bikes, you can ride behind someone in a bike, lots of university's will have indoor bike tracks so that you can ride on flat low resistance ground

Para hockey: this is my sport, I play competitively so I know a lot more about it. Para hockey (also know as sledge hockey) is played sitting down in something called a sledge. You have two sticks with spikes on the ends in order to propel yourself on the ice. There are a bunch of modifications possible for sleds with high back support with straps for those without core control, for those with upper body limitations there are pushers who attach a push handle to the back of your sled in order to move you around the ice, if you have no grip strength you can tape or otherwise secure you sticks to your arms/prosthetic. Rules for para hockey are the same as for stand up hockey with the exceptions being, periodes are 15 minutes and there is an additional type of penalty called Teeing for purposful front of sled contact to another persons sled without angling. Rules wise in grassroots (basic introductory sledge) anyone can play no matter their ability so abled family and friends can join you. Above the intermediate competitive level however, all players must have an impairment that affects their lower body in a way that means they do not have the capacity to play stand up hockey even at a lower level.

Blind hockey: Blind hockey is played pretty much the same as regular hockey, all players have a severe visual impairment/blindness and it is played with a large hollow puck that jingles so players know where it is

Anyone feel free to add more! There are so many different ways to have fun and be active as a disabled person the first step is just learning that they exist!

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I'm convinced most sites who publish those "best countries for disabled people" "most accessible countries/cities" type articles have never actually spoken to a disabled person or been to the places they're saying are so great.

So much of the time they'll prattle off a place that is NOT accessible at all, like saying Japan is soooo accessible and one of the Best countries for disabled people because their trains have wheelchair ramps and designated wheelchair spots on the train. But you look at travel posts by wheelchair users and they're like "the trains are the only accessible part of Japan btw most restaurants are on the 2nd or 3rd floor, no elevator, and you have to leave your wheelchair Outside The Building. Everything has steps and the stone paths are inaccessible." Article listed Italy as one of the top 20 disability friendly countries in the world, citing their work to make places accessible, yet I JUST watched an Italian wheelchair user say that Italy is largely inaccessible and he can't live independently there as of 2023.

Like? What is going on. 😭 How exactly are we determining the "accessibility" of such places? Are we just believing the travel brochures or something?

#wheelchair user #cripple punk #.log #I was trying to see what countries give the most disability benefits and are the most accessible just out of curiosity #like if Somewhere in the world there are disabled people living relatively comfortably without having rich parents #or having to fight tooth and nail for everything they have #like...just the basics of your own place w/o being Required to have roommates. Healthcare. You can go places without planning extensively

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Like I just don't think the way towards effective disability solidarity is doubling down on how all disabilities are basically the same. I think what we need to do to get anywhere is take a step back and listen when someone who is disabled in a different way than we are has different experiences and needs. Because while ALL disabilities are real, valid and serious, there are differences in lived experiences worth acknowledging and exploring between, let's say, being a wheelchair user and being autistic and being psychotic. There are even differences worth noting between being a low support needs autistic person and a high support needs autistic person. We're not all the same. And our solidarity should not depend on claiming that we are

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MRIs scheduled. 4 separate appts. 🙃 But hopefully we can finally figure out what's going on with my neck and spine.

MRI place finally is available for scheduling and they've decided they want to split my scans into 4 separate appts. It's 4h round trip because they're the closest one that has flex/ext MRIs. :|

The claim is that insurance will only cover one scan at a time except I have definitely had multiple MRI scans done in one visit before. So. I guess I have to decide whether that's worth bothering the front desk scheduler to talk to the insurance person about.

#yay it's only been like 6 months since the mri order was initially made 🥰

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If it's okay to ask, is there a type of brake that you'd recommend for active manual wheelchairs?

I'm not the best person to ask about this. I've only ever had the standard push to lock brakes and I've only ever Tried someone else's scissor brakes once. And I tried their brakes from next to them and not in their chair which makes a huge difference. I'm not big on change either so there would need to be a reason why I change from push to locks, if I do. All I can say is your dexterity, hand function, and arm length can come into play when choosing brakes.

@urbancripple might be better to ask? I'll put this in tags as well for others to answer.

#wheelchair user #wheelchair #cripplepunk #mobility aid #ask #anonymous

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If you would like an actual answer that isn't just...opinions. I've been diagnosed and in DID spaces for a bit over a decade so I've had a frontrow seat to all this.

"Endogenics" were previously called "natural multiples" (as in, natural MPD). Natural multiples back then had a DID diagnosis, and their argument was essentially on the MAD Pride level of saying that they weren't disordered for surviving. It morphed into saying that they just had alters from birth instead of being traumatized into forming alters, as a way of saying that their experiences aren't disordered and a way of distancing themselves from the concept of trauma. You can find a bunch of WordPress blogs about this by searching for natural multiple/natural multiplicity/natural MPD.

The problems began to arise when people who identified as naturally multiple began to outright state that DID doesn't exist, and that people who were diagnosed with DID don't have disorders and are actually all just like that from birth. It shifted from personally not identifying with a diagnostic label to trying to tell strangers how their brains work.

With the "born this way" rhetoric, people who did not have a DID diagnosis began to identify as naturally multiple. People began to appear in DID spaces who did not have DID, who mostly had a ton of misinformation to say because...well...they don't have DID. The massive problem with this was that they often weren't just talking about themselves, they were trying to give advice, and giving it primarily in DID spaces. Such as coming up to strangers online and telling them they have alters and that it's Completely Natural without remotely suggesting that they rule out physical/neurological conditions or DID (which was more dangerous than it is now since there really weren't many people who Knew about DID back then and there were Not any easy to access resources at all), saying things like if you dislike your alter just murder them, telling people who did have DID that they actually did not have trauma at all, telling people that spiritual entities are the cause of their systems when those people had religious trauma, etc etc. There were also issues with grooming (where people would say that they have x age alter and therefore can date a minor because "they're the same age" etc) and harassment in general. These were really widespread issues and were constant in DID spaces, particularly because DID communities were MUCH smaller back then. Endogenic as a term came because people with DID were emphasizing that this is a traumagenic disorder that is being treated this way.

A lot of people, particularly ones that have been around a while, have a lot of Very Bad experiences and history with endogenics as a result. The vast majority of people in the community back then simply wanted endogenics to stop talking in DID spaces and stop equating their experiences with DID due to the fact that applying things like "murder your alters" or "I can actually see everything going on in your mind because I'm also a system" to DID is actively harmful. There were also quite a few people, both with DID and without, who began lashing out at endogenics. Naturally as with all discourse it's gotten kind of...warped so you'll have people who are vehemently of one opinion or another just because they feel like they have to pick a side, but that's the Gist of it.

As a traumagenic system, why do other traumagenic systems dislike endogenic systems? So many post about systems I see are tagged "endos dni" and "fuck endos", why are we so aggressive to them? Aren't they just stuck with a similar condition to ours but from a difference source? Can someone explain to me why we're being so mean??

#sycourse #< for tw #the bad advice was a MUCH bigger deal also because there were not many resources back then like I said #googling it didn't bring up books or anything. You had to dig. It's why I became good at reading research papers

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If I ever get an off-road wheelchair btw it will be Over. You will never see me again on here. I'm In The Woods.

#.log

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MRI place finally is available for scheduling and they've decided they want to split my scans into 4 separate appts. It's 4h round trip because they're the closest one that has flex/ext MRIs. :|

The claim is that insurance will only cover one scan at a time except I have definitely had multiple MRI scans done in one visit before. So. I guess I have to decide whether that's worth bothering the front desk scheduler to talk to the insurance person about.

#16-18h total for all 4 visits depending on traffic #Plus having to take out all my jewelry and putting the annoying acrylic ones in 4 different times #.log

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There will always be people who have it worse than you. There is not a point in time where you are going to look at your experiences and think it is the worst anyone's ever gone through.

If you are stuck in the mindset that disability and trauma spaces are competitions and people who have it worse than you are your competitors, you have Got to take a break from said spaces until you figure out how to stop comparing. It's not fair to people to have you project your insecurities onto them just for existing, and it isn't healthy For You to be in that mindset or to have social circles that encourage you to think like this. If you are actively saying that you feel pressured to be more disabled or more traumatized, you NEED to stop and get out of those spaces. It's not about belonging or not belonging in those spaces: Staying will affect you badly, and will affect the people you're around badly.

#cripple punk #cripplepunk #dissociative identity disorder #actuallydissociative #.log #I've seen multiple posts talking about this to an extent and it's just. You can Leave!

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We need to make sure that we’re someone our loved ones can come to if we’ve hurt them accidentally or overstepped a boundary. We need to work at being a safe person for this.

If we spiral, or go on about how awful we are, that person is less likely to feel safe coming to us in the future because of the emotional labour involved in having to turn around and comfort us instead. And this can cause long-term issues that end up destroying our relationship.

It’s okay to feel guilty. It’s okay to feel bad. And it’s okay to express that if you need to make sure they know you care about it. But it should be expressed like “I’m really sorry. I feel bad about that because you’re important to me and I’m going to do better in the future. Thank you for letting me know.”

If you express it like “I’m such a terrible friend. Why are you friends with me? I don’t deserve forgiveness. I don’t deserve anything” then, whether intentional or not, this comes off as manipulative and can lead to the other person feeling they need to comfort you and hide their feelings.

It’s hard because a lot of us were treated similarly. We learned our behaviour from being treated the same when we tried to communicate our feelings. But it wasn’t okay that was done to us, and it isn’t okay if we do it to others. It’s not too late to learn and do better.

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Wheelchair vendor approved me seeing my complex case guy instead of my PCP for the expired chart notes. So had both therapy and Dr appt today, and then picking up stuff from apartment front desk that was supposed to be delivered to my door because of the whole I Am Physically Disabled thing.

#Feel like when an electronic device isn't greased up right and starts making slower and slower and louder and louder whirring noises #.log #But Tomorrow I should be able to send the dr note off to the vendor and VR #And possibly schedule the MRI appt since my dr sent it to them for a third time now #I updated him on the old scoliosis dxs too #That dr is so funny he spent like a solid 10 minutes complaining about insurance's approach to wheelchairs

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WIP - Airlines and wheelchairs

Air Carrier Access Act (§382.67)

Seat strapping

US DOT Bill of Rights

SmartDrive Airline Certificate

Smoov Airline Certificate (seems to expire yearly)

Wheelchair max dimensions per aircraft type (for cargo, not in cabin or closet)

Gate checking & Wording

Common airlines, brief overviews of policies and contacts

Wheelchair Travel Guide

Other:

Although you are allowed to store your wheelchair in the closet, if a rigid or power chair it may not fit as the minimum dimensions of closet are 13"x36"x42". And if they have a closet, regardless of it doesn't fit, they are no longer legally required to provide seat strapping. You would have to rely on the staff not knowing this or being nice and letting you do it anyway.

Call ahead to confirm whether closet or seat strapping, to request SSR code added to your ticket, and to inform of exact equipment. Ask about refund/replacement policy and their policies on lost/damaged equipment. Request confirmation in writing to your email.

In addition to broader laws, airlines have different policies.

Do NOT leave airport if chair is damaged until report filed with both CRO at airline and with DOT.

If air cushion (RoHo etc), deflate a little so doesn't pop.

Disconnect battery for power chairs.

Bring tools for disassembly and quick repair.

Remove all detachable parts (cushion, side guards, etc) and put in a bag--medical equipment is a free bag.

Lock wheels if leaving wheels on.

Instructions, contact information, model, serial #, dimensions tag attached to chair in visible area. Sign on top saying not to stack items on top. Some people recommend GPS tracking tags on all parts of chair.

Zipties, tie downs/straps, tape, bubble wrap/foam for keeping the chair together and chair parts somewhat protected, particularly moveable bits like joysticks.

Take pictures and videos at the airport of your chair pre flight to confirm it's current condition in case it is damaged.

Have ATP phone number/contact info on hand. Locate nearest repair company at your destination.

On flight, before landing, remind attendant about retrieval of chair on jetway.

Ideas to explore:

Bicycle wheel bag for wheels

Hard shell case made for drums, strollers, or large specialized equipment for frame ($$)

Custom sized hard shell case ($$$)

#airline #wheelchair #.log #got irritated that so much advice was wrong/inaccurate or scattered across like 15 different places #note to self: 2018 US Access Board study

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My April Fool's was that my hearing aid charger stopped working on one side the other day. Cleaned the contact point and it's fine now. Audiology appointment averted.

#.log #it's still a little...bouncier on one side instead of clicking into place but it's working

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Making a small note here since I STILL have yet to get that spinal MRI done that was ordered ( 🙃 ) to mention to my Dr that I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a kid twice after some car wrecks and then later told by another dr after seeing a chiro (court paid for my treatment after the car wrecks and my mom had me go to a chiro lol) that I Did Not have scoliosis. Since my Dr thinks that I have a CCI and/or herniated discs it might be relevant. Idk how spines work lol but if my spinal issue is stuff slipping and sliding maybe that would???? Explain??? Why I got diagnosed and then undiagnosed???? Then again the undiagnosis was done by a primary Dr and I don't remember what kind of Drs diagnosed me with scoliosis (like if PCP or specialist or ER).

I was just so surprised when he ordered the spine and cervical MRI and thought my back and neck were not good that I completely forgot to mention past spine related diagnoses.

#I mean I was also diagnosed with kyphosis so. There are spine issues of Some Kind #.log #I'm starting to actually get mildly concerned because it seems like the spine stuff is getting worse #I was meh on it for a while but I've increasingly had more and more spinal pain the past few months #And I've gotten to the point where my back cracks if I shrug my shoulders normally which is. Probably not supposed to happen #But again idk shit about spines so who knows

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Did I ever mention that my VR case manager fucked up so badly that there ended up being two different ATPs from two different companies at my wheelchair seating eval, one of which drove 4 hours in traffic to be there. My OT said he'd never seen this happen in his entire career.

#.log #this is why people need to learn to listen to me #avg interaction of me saying don't do something and someone not listening. Disaster occurs. Surprises them for some reason #wheelchair journey

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Right I forgot to update this.

The "snafu" is that it has now been so long since I started this process that the prescription for new wheelchair expired. 🙃 And VR case manager didn't know if they meant I needed another scrip from the doctor or if I needed to redo the entire wheelchair fitting so there was a back and forth there. Thankfully it's only the original Rx and not having to redo the fitting itself. But my primary's earliest appt is in mid July, so I'm waiting to see if they'll let me get the Rx from either my complex case guy or my neurologist since both have said in the past that they'd be happy to write me an Rx for a new wheelchair.

We are now also 3 months and a week past when this specific step was supposed to be complete. I was Supposed to get the new wheelchair sometime between Jan-April and now it's going to be probably June-Aug delivery assuming no further hiccups and they also let me see someone that isn't my PCP.

Got a voicemail during my therapy session that there's been a "snafu" with the wheelchair order with no other details except to contact them back. Which probably means it is a problem that will make me homicidal.

#wheelchair journey #It's REALLY annoying that I have to be on these guys asses all the time #Previous VR case manager and previous ATP and previous wheelchair tech where art thou :( These mfs pissing me off :((( love you miss you etc #I hate riding people about their jobs SO much like please just do it. Please please please. I do not wanna hound you