I got an Alinker and joined a study on it and it’s amazing. It’s a walking bike, a different type of mobility aid. It’s like a walker but you’re supported on a seat the whole time. You’re essentially walking like you used to. If you go to my A Splendid Mess page on Facebook, you …
I’m still learning how to navigate life with a disability. I haven’t taught CPR or first aid in years and I used to love it. Turns out I was really good at it, too. I loved seeing things click for students in class and watching them leave confident that if they witnessed an emergency, they …
I was following someone on social media for their art. They also have autism and do a lot of advocacy, which I think is great. I unfollowed after a discussion about accessible spaces because it enraged me. I didn’t announce it, I just left. That’s what grownups do. Medical and mental health professionals have suggested …
The nice thing about hiking this trail in Canmore (Alberta) is the options. AllTrails marked this trail as easy, which is true but you have a couple of options that make it moderately challenging with disability. I did it with a cane and a great deal of the trail is accessible to ‘wheelies.’ I have …
This dicer chopper thing is the greatest thing ever. Once again, a splendid Amazon find: https://a.co/d/8FemQCd Did you know that most infomercial gadgets are for disabled folks? True story. So if you ever thought, “Come on asssssss iffffff we need a doohickey to do that. How stupid are some people?…” Not stupid, physically limited. I …
I resisted having a mandolin in my kitchen because I’ve seen some terrible injuries caused by them. Granted, they’re caused when someone isn’t paying attention or is using the mandolin unsafely but the potential for slicing off a chunk of finger is definitely there. But there are days where I need to be able to …
In today’s instalment of So You Woke Up Disabled, something to help you work safer in the kitchen. I call it the Wolverine or the Veggie Stabber. I guess it’s real name is food slice assistant. TL;WR: Something that helps cut and slice things safely if you have hand weakness or poor motor control. Also …
I’ve joked for the last few years that a handbook called So You Woke Up Disabled would be really handy to help one learn to navigate their new, shitty normal and offer some workarounds.. Haven’t found one, so I guess I should do it. Today, let’s talk about the game-changing dolly I got from Amazon. …
For three years, I’ve felt a certain way whenever I had to leave my house and I recently realized it was shame. I felt a lot of shame about being disabled and needing a cane. Partly, it’s how society treats disabled people as less than, inconvenient, or somehow deficient as human beings. Partly, it was …
I start immunosuppression next week. Do I love the idea of suppressing my immune system during a pandemic? Nope. (And we are still in a pandemic, just to be clear.) I also don’t love the idea of my overzealous immune system snacking on my brain and spinal cord. Like I told someone the other day, …
