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cripplecharacters · 2 days

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Hi! So, I have a character that lost both part of her right arm and right leg in a battle. Now, she has prosthetics but doesn‘t wear them all the time (to my understanding that is pretty common for people with limb diffrences), so I‘m wondering what kind of mobility aid she could use while not wearing them and I‘m not really sure. Crutches kind of need both arms, so it would require her to still wear her arm-prosthetic. And to my understanding manual wheelchairs need to be moved with both arms (one for each wheel) or you‘ll just go in circles. But at the same time, a electric wheelchair kind of feels like it would be too much? Do you maybe have some advice for this?

Hi!

Someone with the use of one arm can use a manual wheelchair!

It could be modified to have something known as the one arm drive. That could be either a lever that's attached to the wheels, or a double hand rim on the active side. There are also some additional modifications to the latter, where it allows you to steer with the foot.

If you're looking for this kind of solution, I would recommend researching resources for wheelchair users with hemiplegia rather than a double amputation like that. It's just infinitely more common, so you will get a lot more results while having largely the same main solutions.

There are some other options - a manual wheelchair can be used without hands at all. Now, it depends on the length of her residual limb, but there are quadruple amputees who use protective covers for their stumps and push the wheelchair by pushing the wheels rather than grabbing the hand rims. If you look at athletes like Bob Lujano, you can see that their wheelchairs are slightly modified to accommodate that. So maybe that could be an option as well if her amputation isn't too high?

Lastly, I don't think a powerchair would be "too much". I would agree that a group 3 powerchair designed for people with very complex neurologic disabilities wouldn't make much sense (because it wouldn't fit her needs), but there's a ton of different wheelchairs out there. There are lightweight, low-backrest powerchairs as well that she could use. Pushing a manual wheelchair with two arms is a lot of work already, let alone with only one - I think that it would be simply easier on her (and her shoulder) to use a powerchair. I don't want to make any assumptions, but I would recommend looking into and reflecting on why a bigger mobility aid that would work for her feels like "too much"?

I hope this helps! :-)

mod Sasza

#mod sasza #mobility aids #wheelchairs #limb differences #sharenadraculea

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phleb0tomist · 8 months

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i keep seeing this idea that Real wheelchair users all have custom active chairs, and that transport/standard chairs are just an embarrassing stereotype. “no one really uses those!” “stop drawing disabled characters in standard chairs!!”

well, plenty of us are a stereotype. sorry. custom chairs require MONEY and good medical support. meanwhile active chairs are unusable for some people. i used an uncomfy transport chair (the kind with tiny wheels and no way to self propel) for a year, and a standard chair for 7yrs. until i got my powerchair i was only ever pushed by a carer. a lot of disabled people will never use an active or custom chair. don’t pretend we don’t exist just because we don’t fit some cool independent ideal.

shoutout to people who use transport chairs and adaptive strollers and other chairs that need to be pushed by a carer

shoutout to people who use standard chairs that don’t fit their body

shoutout to people who use secondhand or makeshift wheelchairs

in my teens i literally felt invalid as a disabled person because i didnt have the ‘real actual’ type of wheelchair everyone talks about online. just my garbage transport chair that my mom had to push. but people with shitty wheelchairs exist and are extremely common actually

#very specific rant here lol im sorry #it’s not that deep but still bugs me #disabled #wheelchairs #txt #negative #1000

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justsomerandomgay · 2 months

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EVERYBODY STOP WHAT YOURE DOING I HAVE THE BEST NEWS! I GOT A WHEELCHAIR!!!!!!!! I CAN LEAVE THE HOUSE ALONE AGAIN, I CAN BE SAFE AND INDEPENDENT AND HAPPY AND SEE MY FRIENDS AND HAVE A LIFE AGAIN!!!!!!

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androdragynous · 11 months

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wheelchair, cane + forearm crutches, walker 90% chance if you're hesitant to draw mobility aids you're overthinking it. start somewhere. obviously these are not detailed references.

wheelchairs and walkers should be proportioned like chairs. in most cases canes are held on the opposite side of the painful leg because you want to put weight on the cane instead of the leg (dr house lied to you) but depending on the reason for the cane this can change!

[ image id: a title image that reads "learn how to draw mobility aids very fast" followed by three simplified drawings of different mobility aids broken down into two steps each. the changes made in each step are colored red.

the second image shows a wheelchair, with the steps "1. seat with footrest", showing a simple chair shape, and "2. wheels", which adds two large wheels to the back and two small wheels to the front.

the third image shows both a cane and forearm crutches, with the steps "1. stick", showing a single line of color, and "2. add handle", which shows a hand grip and a forearm rest on two different sticks. and additional label below this step reads "handheld stick height is where the hand rests at the hip" and "forearm stick height is the forearm".

the fourth image shows a walker, with the steps "1. platform with wheels", showing a backless chair shape with a wheel on each leg, and "2. add handlebar", which shows a handle raised above the seat. end id ]

✨ edited to remove italics for screen readers + also pointing out that I missed the handle on the forearm crutches! always use real reference photos when you can, this is just a starting point to help you understand the basics if you're not familiar :3

#are they perfect renditions? no. but first attempts at drawing anything rarely are #and tbf id rather people start drawing them and draw them badly than never draw them at all #art ref #tutorials #mobility aids #wheelchairs #canes #forearm crutches #walkers #sorry if there are typos blame the blindness #patch me through to palaven command

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faesystem · 4 months

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As an ambulatory wheelchair user I have so many thoughts about how people draw/write disabled!Scar. This is sort of a guide/insight from a disabled person about writing/drawing disabled people.

Specifically in regards to wheelchair users.

Do not get me wrong, this fandom is genuinely probably the best group of people I have ever seen when it comes to drawing wheelchairs. I do not believe I have ever seen Scar fanart where he is in a completely unusable, horrible, hospital chair. It is so clear people have taken the time and energy to research into wheelchairs and I love it. I am in no way saying stop that.

I just think people could maybe put a little bit more consideration into him being disabled beyond visual appearance.

I saw a really amazing artwork of SL!Scar and he is in a sports chair. Which is really cool, in many ways, as it shows some thought being put into the setting. If I were in combat, I would in fact like to not be knocked from my chair or have my chair tipped over.

Yet, you have very limited mobility in a sports chair. It is, by design, made to prevent you from tipping over. Which means that you are incapable of going over bumps, really, let alone natural terrain.

Just in general, there really is not any wheelchair that exists in our world that would allow wheelchair users to exist in a setting like the life series.

So, I have some ideas:

- Horses. Hands down my biggest suggestion. Especially with Secret Life they fit in very well with the setting, everyone uses them, and it fits the bill perfectly for what he would need. Especially considering Scar is an archer, it makes a lot of sense for him to be on horseback. It suits him and his style of fighting so well.

- Some sort of redstone power chair. There are all sorts of ways you could design something like this. Perhaps with pistons that push down against the ground, allowing for jumps. Perhaps just a series of pistions functioning as like a bunch of little spider legs. There are a lot of things you can do with that, you can get very creative.

- For my Vex!Scar lovers, you could have magic be used as a mobility aid. Perhaps a magic wheelchair, or perhaps a magic exoskeleton.

And with all of the ideas, considering how they fit into the setting really changes everything. What are the strengths? What are the draw backs?

With horses, they are strong and fast and agile. But they are big, it is hard to fit into small spaces, and they can be killed.

With some sort of redstone chair, I feel as though it would make sense for it to be robust and strong. Depending on how it is constructed, something fast and agile or perhaps something a bit slower and more clunky. Is it loud? How would stealth work in something like that?

When it comes to any sort of magic you do not want it to fix the disability. It is a mobility aid like any other. Not perfect, not the same as not being disabled, just another tool with its own unique draw backs. Perhaps magic is draining or it takes concentration. Would he tire quicker than others? Would he require food quicker than others? Is it possible for him to lose focus on it in a stressful situation, leaving him stuck until he can calm himself down?

Other things to consider are really specifically the setting as well as what disability you are giving him.

I feel as though on Hermitcraft an option like a redstone chair just makes a lot of sense. Multiple redstone chairs, even, all constructed differently for different uses. Such as ones for building. How does long distance travel work with the chair and how you lore your setting? Is it something he can put in his inventory? Is it something he remains in when using an elytra? Does that have any draw backs, such as being slower or needing more rockets or being less coordinated in the air?

I feel as though in the life series a mix of vex magic and horses makes a lot of sense. The magic is good for small spaces and short trips and emergencies, but it is too tiring to travel across the map with and too much effort to maintain when he needs to concentrate on battles. That would be where the horse comes into play.

As for what disability, well, it truly depends. Most of my rambles here have been based upon paraplegia, because I often times see people making him an ambulatory wheelchair user just because they do not know what to do otherwise.

Not that making him an ambulatory wheelchair user is a bad thing by any means. I am one and I adore reading stories like that. It is just a bit clear that a lot of you are quite lost as to how to navigate hurdles disabled people face, so you make it so he can walk over those hurdles. Which, once again, I am not shaming you for! This post is just to show there are other options

But in the case of him being an ambulatory wheelchair user: why is he one?

Mobilities aids are disabling unless you need them. You cannot access spaces or you do not have hands free or any number of things. What to the Scar you are writing makes using mobility aids helpful instead of a hindrance? What times are they more trouble than help, and what cost is there for not using it?

A good example is if Scar can walk around short distances with minimal difficulty/drawback, but long distances are painful or physically not possible.

Look into different disabilities and consider it. A lot of people tend to default to chronic pain because that tends to be quite a common one across a lot of disabled people, but there are a lot more different reasons why.

It could also be that he is very slow because of his disabilities. I have muscle weakness sometimes because of my FND, and it is like moving through sludge whenever I try and move.

It could also be that the mobility aids are a preventative measure. He does not need to use his wheelchair, unless he has done too much walking and then his body refuses to support his weight. He does not need to use his wheelchair, but when he does not he is a lot more likely to dislocate something and then yeah he can't walk. He does not need to use his wheelchair, but he is a fall risk especially after a lot of walking or running. Him being in his wheelchair prevents him from falling! (And if he's a fall risk, maybe he's strapped in too!)

I just have so many thoughts and I wanted to share them.

I see so many of you putting in effort already and it warms my heart. It is why I feel comfortable enough to make this post, because clearly you all care a lot about representing disabled people well.

:]

If you have read this far thank you so much. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.

Edit: I made a rough redstone wheelchair design. It is one of the few reblogs that has comments, if you filter for that you should be able to find it. If not, reply to the post and I can send you the link to it. :]

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gaystims · 8 months

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If you can't stand up- Stand out (Izzy Wheels) by Ailbhe Keane

Image ID: Six GIF's of the the same wheelchair with a different cover on the sides- All designed by Izzy Wheels.

GIF one: The same person spins their wheelchair around, one wheel in pink with a cute animal pattern and the other has the same pattern but in yellow

GIF two: A person does a small dance on their wheelchair, but drops their arm to the side. Their wheelchair has a green, blue, yellow and purple leaf pattern on it

GIF three: The person tils their wheelchair which now has a blue cover on it.

GIF four: The person is dancing, their wheelchair cover is now a redish pink flower with multimple other colors behind it

GIF five: The person moves their wheelchair across the screen, a blue dog now as their wheel cover

GIF six: The person is dancing, their wheel cover now abstract rainbow art

#stim #gifs #mobility aids #wheelchairs #dancing #irl people #pink #yellow #orange #blue #red #rainbow #wheel covers

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five-thousand-loaves-of-bread · 8 months

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shout out people who need speciality wheelchair/wheelchair parts/ways propel not often talk about or even other wheelchair users not even know exist!!

manual wheelchair people who can only use one arm propel!! (upper limb difference, other hand hold white cane, etc)

manual wheelchair people who use leg propel!

powerchair people who cannot use typical hand joystick! who need alternative access!

mini joysticks! or who use parts that not hand, like head chin tongue knee legs etc! who use sip & puff, touch pads, switch trays, multi switch access, single switch access, eye gaze! whose control not proportional (only on/off & not like, more stronger press equal faster)!

& other types of chair like adaptive stroller, activity chairs, non powered chairs w tilt in space, etc!

and to all types & all users who use stuff not listed here!

#cripplepunk #cripple punk #wheelchair #wheelchairs #wheelchair user #manual wheelchair #powerchair #power wheelchair #alternative access #loaf screm

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thedisablednaturalist · 6 months

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Theres a ton of inspiring game devs (and actual game devs) on this site and this is a message for them

Please include wheelchairs in customization. Include player characters who are in wheelchairs. I'm begging you.

There are less than a handful of playable characters in wheelchairs I can think of (and most of them are ableist haha funny characters like the guy from happy wheels)

I promise you, any extra work that needs to be done to make them playable IS worth it. I don't give a fuck if its not realistic. Most people can't fling fireballs in real life either.

Like I've seen prosthetics, I've seen glasses, when I've brought up wheelchairs to devs they say the best they can do is braces and maybe crutches or a cane. Maybe a hearing aid.

I've SEEN the amazing stuff that can be made, and I'm tired of devs whining that it's too hard. It's too late to add something that complex. Well maybe you should've thought about wheelchairs in the early stages instead of adding representation as an afterthought.

The only time we are thought of is when its a horror game or for a fucking joke.

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shiftythrifting · 3 months

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#thrifting #shiftythrifting #submission #medical shit #religion #wheelchairs #dragons #monsters #shiftylisting

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chronicallycouchbound · 8 months

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As someone who uses a cane, crutches, rollator, wheechair, and powerchair— I’m here to let you know:

If using a mobility aid helps you, you’re allowed to use it!

If it doesn’t help you, or you don’t end up needing it, donate it back to the community! No harm no foul!

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capricorn-0mnikorn · 1 year

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Heard this morning (27 March, 2023) A transcript for this piece is not yet up. They're usually up in a couple of days.

~3 minute listen.

This one right-to-repair law got through in just one state, because the lawmaker who introduced it narrowed its focus down from "The right of everybody to repair anything" (too many businesses to lobby against that) to "the right of wheelchair users to repair their own wheelchairs."

On the one hand it's great. On the other hand, it's a reminder of how marginalized we are in society.

Next thing to fight for: the right of farmers to repair their own farm equipment.

One state's gotten started. Forty-nine to go...

Transcript is now up. I've put the full thing under the cut.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Somewhere on your list of life's annoyances is probably this - manufacturers who won't let customers fix products themselves. Some states are pushing back with right-to-repair laws. Andrew Kenney from Colorado Public Radio visited with one of the first people to use a new right-to-repair law for powered wheelchairs.

(SOUNDBITE OF WHEELCHAIR WHIRRING)

ANDREW KENNEY, BYLINE: Bruce Goguen, who's 68, has used his powered wheelchair for so long that it feels like an extension of himself. He has multiple sclerosis, which affects his speech.

BRUCE GOGUEN: I just think of it as legs, as being my legs.

KENNEY: And that means when he got a new chair last year, every detail had to be right, like the speed of its different modes. His wife, Robin Bolduc, says each one of those adjustments required a visit from an authorized technician. It took weeks.

ROBIN BOLDUC: We would have to call someone, make an appointment, have them come out and say, gee, I'd like to change it so we're walking just a little bit faster.

KENNEY: On one of those visits, Robin realized that the technician wasn't using some specialized device to change the settings. It was a smartphone app. She even found it on the App Store, but it was only available for authorized users.

BOLDUC: Well, I want the app. And he was like, you can't have the app. But I want the app.

KENNEY: That would've been the end of the road, except that Robin and Bruce knew that Colorado's new wheelchair right-to-repair to repair law had just gone into effect. Representative Brianna Titone is the sponsor of the new law. Back in 2021, she originally proposed a much broader bill that would've applied to computers, cellphones and more. That meant an uphill fight against lobbyists for everything from hospitals to tech giants.

BRIANNA TITONE: So I did not win that fight. I lost that fight pretty bad. So that's why the following year, we pared it back to the people who really deserve to have this right. And that were the people who were in wheelchairs.

TITONE: The narrower, wheelchair-focused law passed the legislature last year with the help of advocates like Bruce and Robin. Once it went into effect on New Year's Day, Robin called the manufacturer to demand access to their app.

BOLDUC: They were not prepared. Right. Which - understandably, we're the only state. And it was day one, right? So they were not prepared.

KENNEY: In a committee hearing last year, Tonya Hammatt of National Seating and Mobility, a wheelchair vendor, warned state lawmakers that power wheelchairs are too complex for DIY jobs.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TONYA HAMMATT: This bill will allow anyone to perform complex repairs to power wheelchairs, which may lead to negative outcomes for the end user.

KENNEY: But after Robin showed Bruce's wheelchair's maker the text of the law, they agreed, sending out two staffers to get the family set up with the internal software.

BOLDUC: They gave me the code to get into the app. We played around. We programmed.

KENNEY: The couple have been tweaking the wheelchair's different modes, searching for the perfect speed for Robin to jog alongside Bruce or the right settings for a steep walking trail.

GOGUEN: It's wonderful. It's very wonderful.

KENNEY: And their success could have broader effects. They've been told the manufacturer is working on a public-facing app for everyone else who wants to use it. The company didn't respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, right-to-repair laws are gaining momentum around the country, says Kevin O'Reilly of the advocacy group PIRG.

KEVIN O'REILLY: We think that this first bill was the crack in the dam that we needed.

KENNEY: That includes a new bill from Representative Titone that guarantees similar rights for farmers to repair their increasingly high-tech tractors and other equipment. It's poised to clear the state legislature in a matter of weeks. For NPR News, I'm Andrew Kenney.

(SOUNDBITE OF EDAPOLLO'S "BY THE RIVER")

#right to repair #wheelchairs #npr morning edition #colorado

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allthecanadianpolitics · 1 year

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Back in September, Maayan Ziv posted an emotional video, stating that Air Canada broke her wheelchair. And it wasn't the first time that an airline damaged her wheelchair. Months after the 2022 incident, the Toronto-based photographer, disability activist, and founder of AccessNow, found herself at odds with Air Canada staff over her wheelchair. In a recent TikTok post, Ziv, who travels for work, claims that during flights to and from Austin, she faced "argumentative" flight attendants who refused to store her wheelchair in the cabin.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

#cdnpoli #canadian politics #canadian news #canada #canadian #air canada #accessibility #wheelchairs #disabled #disability rights #disability #ableism #ableism tw

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phleb0tomist · 3 months

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one thing no one tells u about being a wheelchair user is that if you’re anything like me you will probably need like 3 wheelchairs. and yes that means triple the expense, triple the storage, triple the hassle. my best chair is my powerchair, and in my ideal world i’d take it everywhere but it can’t manage slopes steeper than 7 degrees, or rainy weather, or kerbs. so on rainy days or at places with sloped driveways, i have to take my manual wheelchair instead, which is annoying because someone else has to push me, but hey, at least it can tolerate rain and slopes. HOWEVER! the manual chair can’t manage nature. so if i go anywhere that has grass or dirt paths, i have to bring my outdoor manual chair, which is much tougher - but! the outdoor chair is bulky and can’t fit through a lot of doorways.

i only leave my room for a couple of hours a week and yet i still need 3 wheelchairs to cover all variables. this is wild to me. why isn’t there a chair that just works. maybe ive got my head in the clouds

other variables - you can get tougher powerchairs which can do outdoor terrain, BUT, those types of chairs are never foldable and they often weigh over 100lbs. my powerchair needs to be foldable and VERY light (under 50lbs) because it has to be possible for my carer to lift it into our car by hand bc we don’t own an accessible van - yet another variable. unless your chair is foldable and liftable, you will need a modified vehicle. you can’t have a strong chair and a normal car. it never ends bro

#Is anyone else. driven bananas by this #ALSO! i am lucky that i’ve been able to afford 3 chairs over the years. plenty of people can barely afford 1 #and that 1 chair that they can afford will probably not meet all their practical needs #even if it suits their disability there are other areas of life it may not suit #txt #ok to rb #disability #disability awareness #wheelchairs

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justsomerandomgay · 16 days

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can we talk about how dehumanising it is when a doctor tells a patient to crawl through their house when they ask to get a wheelchair.

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hell-on-sticks · 2 months

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can you explain the differences between different types of wheelchairs like im 5?

Manual Wheelchairs

(plain text: manual wheelchairs)

There's two main types of manual wheelchair. (All image descriptions are in alt text)

Standard chairs

(plain text: standard chair)

The first type is a "standard chair". It's not the same thing as a "hospital chair" - a hospital chair is a type of standard chair. These are the folding type off the shelf from a mobility shop, or borrow from a mall. Below is an example, the Karma Flex standard wheelchair.

A standard chair can be good for many. Many wheelchair users use standard chairs. They are cheaper and easier to come by, but are often heavy and have parts that make them a bit harder to use, like the high backs or chunky armrests. There are many types of standard chair, some nicer than others.

What's a hospital chair?

(plain text: what's a hospital chair?)

A hospital chair is a type of standard wheelchair. They're the cheapest and nastiest type, often made out of metal and can't be adjusted, and very heavy. Many people may use them, but they're not ideal. A normal standard is better for most people, but a hospital chair may be used as well. Below is an example, the Care Medical hospital chair.

They're cheap and can be rented or found secondhand in lots of places, but they're pretty uncomfy and can cause injuries or sores if used for too long.

Active wheelchairs

(plain text: active wheelchairs)

An "active wheelchair" is a nicer kind of wheelchair, and may be custom or non-custom. A custom wheelchair is a type of active wheelchair. Although most active wheelchairs are made custom to their first owner, not all are, and many people may own non-custom active chairs. Below is an example, the Quickie QRi.

Active chairs are set up to be comfortable, easy to use, lightweight, and supportive. They're usually the same models as custom chairs (like the one above, this can be ordered as a custom), but are not built just for their user. People might find secondhand active chairs (meaning not custom anymore) or find "floor models", active chairs that are not made custom for anyone for sellers to display. Non-custom active chairs are common for people who can't afford a brand new custom chair.

What is a custom chair?

(plain text: what is a custom chair?)

A custom active wheelchair is an active chair made just for the needs of the person using it. This includes the size of the seat, the type of frame, the type of backrest, the cushion, and really any part on the chair - all made just for the user. Below is an example, the Quickie Nitrum.

Custom active chairs are usually very expensive. Usually a person will need help from an assistance system to afford one - in Australia, the NDIS; in America, health insurance; in the UK, the NHS, and many more. Not every country has a system to help, so they can be hard or impossible to get in a lot of areas.

Powerchair types will be added in a reblog of this post.

#wheelchair #wheelchairs #wheelchair user #disability #disabled #physically disabled #cpunk #stick talk #asks #described

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thestarlightforge · 4 months

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If you could reblog this @amtrak-official, it would mean a lot. Happens almost every day here in DC, and these are only the 4 train stations I’m even subscribed to alerts for. A daily reminder that our transit is not anywhere near “the most accessible in the nation” (or if it is— Yikes), and it desperately needs to improve

#public transit #public transportation #ableism #trains #Amtrak #WMATA #disabled #wheelchair #wheelchairs #accessibility

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