Long day with MRI #2 completed, have Another appt tomorrow, BUT I got to go to a local bookstore where they have a custom bookstore stamp to stamp the inside of your new book (if you so wish) and I got so visibly excited over this that the cashier gave me four (4) stickers, a postcard, and a bookmark for free.

As of December this bill is being amended to clarify what is being covered and by who.

Prior to 2016, titanium chairs were covered by insurance, upon which insurance found out they were paying for "unnecessary" upgrades and decided to refuse to cover the chairs outright--meaning you had to pay 100% out of pocket, bill insurance after and Hopefully get partially reimbursed.

This bill would mean Medicare beneficiaries would only have to pay the 20% copay and the difference between aluminum and titanium or carbon fiber frames. And since American insurances model their policies after Medicare policy, other insurances would follow suit.

There is now a bill (HR 5371: Choices for Increased Mobility Act) seeking to expand the type of wheelchair material that insurance will cover. Insurances right now cover aluminium frames, and do not cover titanium wheelchairs. Titanium is a LOT more durable resulting in less cost/replacements and absorbs more shock on bumps which can be a very important thing for people with spine or hip issues.

Please contact your representatives if at all possible! There are scripts in this link:

List of things they got wrong for posterity's sake:

Seat depth (If I was a proportionate person with 19" to my knee I would be over 6' tall)

Rear wheels model

Footplate taper (listed as none when I explicitly asked for More taper than exists on my current chair)

Caster forks

Backrest height

And I was right to hound them. 🙃 Finally got the wheelchair place to send me a copy of the order form and they did shit incorrectly.

They listed my seat depth as 19", as in 19" from ass to knee. I am NOT tall. My current chair, which I had with me for the appt, is 17" depth and still digs into my knees a little. How the fuck the order form says 19" is beyond me.

And I was right to hound them. 🙃 Finally got the wheelchair place to send me a copy of the order form and they did shit incorrectly.

They listed my seat depth as 19", as in 19" from ass to knee. I am NOT tall. My current chair, which I had with me for the appt, is 17" depth and still digs into my knees a little. How the fuck the order form says 19" is beyond me.

Why must I be up everyone's ass all the time. Why can't we just do what we're supposed to do and then I can leave you the hell alone.

Also, today I did baby's first independent tire change on my current chair. Usually I just have someone else do it. I got talked into solid tires on my next chair for less maintenance and because there's a LOT of constant construction in my area (lot of nails and glass), but I do really dislike that you can't change solids yourself without a bench vice. That doesn't matter though if I can't change a pneumatic tire myself so I wanted to see. So: Turns out I can change it independently, though it does hurt my hands a bit.

I really hope that tomorrow's cervical MRI doesn't indicate any neck conditions that require me not moving my head much as part of treatment/a result of treatment because I've been really looking forward to getting back into archery once I get my new wheelchair. :|

Could I ask what your gender identity is within nonbinary? Is it like systemfluid?

To white people I am strictly an amorphous and sexless set of particles akin to a fine and imperceptible mist. If you see me no you don't.

I really wonder whether in a few years we'll see something similar to post-encephalitic parkinsonism because of COVID. Where years and decades after the actual epidemic, survivors of the virus began having Parkinson's-like symptoms due to the damage done to their brains as described in Sacks' book Awakenings.

The longcovid research being done showing this is a whole systems issue with effects on the nervous system, autoimmune system, etc. And with people not taking it seriously at all, not getting tested, CDC not tracking tests, etc it would be difficult to tie symptoms that show up years and years later to contracting COVID.

New zine that's free for anyone to print and distribute! Read the whole thing at newlevant.com/COVIDzine or in the rest of this post.

free him

He now has all the tools he needs to Free Himself from the shackles of man. 😌💕

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. ✌️

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!

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?

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

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.

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.