A new kind of wheelchair--hands free, PURE

My first semester at the University of Illinois in 1958 I noticed the outstanding services for the disabled--buses, ramps, wheelchairs, everything accessible decades before the rest of the country moved in that direction. I can still remember the man with no arms who ate with his feet pushing the wheelchair with the strength of his lower body of the friend with no legs. That's why it's good to see the technology at U. of I.  for hands-free wheelchairs Hands-free wheelchair prototype achieves major milestone | Mechanical Science & Engineering | UIUC (illinois.edu) "Personalized Unique Rolling Experience."

"PURE, Personalized Unique Rolling Experience, [is] a hands-free wheelchair that operates similarly to a Segway where the rider leans in a desired direction. The unique aspect of PURE is that it rolls on a ball or “spherical” wheel. It is based on the concept of a dynamically stable ball-based robot (ballbot) and uses an omniwheel system to drive and control the spherical wheel. PURE automatically transitions between three driving behaviors. Steer and Spin are similar to a typical wheelchair, in which the user can steer forward, backward or spin in place. Slide is unique and allows the user to move laterally, like an office chair. To accommodate for limited torso range of motion of some users, PURE uses sensors to estimate leaning and twisting motions and amplifies these signals to control the ballbot’s direction and speed.

“The development of PURE has been guided by our immutables – that it be lightweight and maintain a small footprint. We want to ensure that the current independence of manual wheelchair users would in no way be limited by PURE. If we were to develop a hands-free device that was so heavy that it prevented users from easily transferring it into and out of their vehicle, or if it was so large that it wouldn’t maneuver around typical living spaces, we would have missed the mark. Any device that compromises current levels of independence just won’t be used during daily life,” Bleakney said."

If you’re very able, you can get a disability sticker

My friend Joan added this to her Facebook wall today.  It reminded me of the time years ago I took my librarian colleague Eleanor to get her disability sticker after getting out of rehab when she broke her leg.  It was quite a challenge, and everywhere we parked was almost inaccessible from crumbling concrete, stairs or poor marking. How would a disabled person ever do this without help from an extremely abled companion (usually a daughter).

“I proved NISA  (Nothing Is Simple Anymore) again over the last three weeks. After printing the form myself, delivering it to the doctor’s office for approval, having 4 telephone conversations with doctor’s office and three trips to doctor’s office, visit with the notary at the doctor’s office, and finally a hike to the courthouse (long waits at every stop), three weeks from start to finish, I finally have a disabilities parking permit for Mother. That’s one little job to mark off the list.”

Hitler and the disabled—the slippery slope of the left

https://www.lifenews.com/2019/09/13/before-the-nazis-killed-jews-they-euthanized-hundreds-of-thousands-of-disabled-people/

The article he refers to appeared in the NYT in 2017, and there's a pay wall, but this is a decent summary--if there can be anything decent about the Nazis. The Democrats, Antifa, BLM, Occupy movement and pink hat Trump haters and Hollywood celebs have cheapened that word and its memories. I had read about this years ago, but many people don't know that methods were tested on the disabled. Germany actually had some outstanding facilities for children and adults with challenges. Imagine the horror of the parents and siblings who came to visit or look for them! Hitler also learned from the Turks who slaughtered many thousands of Armenians. It's the power of the state--National Socialism (aka Nazi)--and it's the very thing President Trump is resisting. But Trump's enemies are clever--they know that most people don't know history, don't know the meaning of words, even, and that the big lie can be repeated and repeated until their minds are mushy. Hitler's socialist model first killed his own citizens before moving beyond the borders.

France seeks to end life of disabled man

Pro-life is advocating for your protection at the other end, too. The government of France is trying to kill a disabled man, even though his family takes care of him.

"Euthanasia is illegal in France. However, a 2005 law allows physicians to refrain from using “disproportionate” treatments “with no other effect than maintaining life artificially.”

Lambert, 42, has been a tetraplegic and severely disabled for more than 10 years, after he sustained severe head injuries in a traffic accident in 2008."

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/french-court-orders-severely-disabled-man-be-disconnected-from-food-water

Peter Schiff on the Daily Show—a trap

“Of the more than four hours of taped discussion I conducted [on the topic of minimum wage increase], the producers chose to only use about 75 seconds of my comments. Of those, my use of the words “mentally retarded” (when Samantha Bee asked who might be willing to work for $2 per hour – a figure she suggested) has come to define the entire interview. I'm now receiving hundreds of angry e-mails and am being described in the media as a hateful bigot." Peter Schiff

But they also edited out the other group he noted willingly works below minimum--interns--and some work for nothing, or pay to work.

“The Daily Show” was never interested in an honest debate about the minimum wage. Nor is it concerned with the intellectually disabled, whom they have no qualms about offending if they can get a laugh. In fact, it's “The Daily Show” that wants to tell the intellectually disabled they are worthless, as they want to make it illegal for them to have jobs. I did not notice any intellectually disabled people working at “The Daily Show.” I’m sure many would jump at the chance, particularly if they were offered minimum wage or higher. But since they choose to pay their intellectually capable interns zero, why should they be expected to pay the intellectually disabled more?

This is how Huffington Post spun it on their headline. "Rich CEO Tells 'Daily Show' The 'Mentally Retarded' Are Maaaybe Worth $2 An Hour."

http://www.schiffradio.com/b/The-Daily-Show:-The-Daily-Show:-Intellectually-Dishonest-about-the-Intellectually-Disabled/-525361918630098994.html

What Schiff is being charged with isn’t a $2/hour minimum, but not knowing the correct term is no long “mentally retarded,” rather “mentally challenged,” or “intellectually disabled.”  It’s OK for the left to promote aborting 90% of babies with Down Syndrome, but don’t you dare call the survivors of the massacre “retarded.”

Charlie Rangel calls Palin disabled.

Even for a Democrat under investigation for tax evasion, this is the lowest of low. Keep going guys, you’re only helping the McCain-Palin ticket calling supporters and undecided “disabled,” “racists,” “clingers to religion,” and other words those among the beltway do-nothings think are pejoratives. But the “differently abled” folks aren't so thrilled with this comment either, even if they mistakenly think Democrats are their champions, you liberals of both parties who think the disabled should be eliminated before birth.

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Is Terri Schiavo Dead? Eat, drink, and vegetate

Ronald Bailey at Reasononline.com believes because Terri Schiavo is severely disabled, cognitively impaired, will never return to normal or be useful to society, she should have her feeding tube removed to starve to death.

I volunteered for a number of years with a woman who had a brain aneurysm which left her completely paralyzed, blind, and unable to generate thought. Like Terri, she has only involuntary movements. She is tube fed a balanced diet like Terri. However, unlike Terri, she has had physical therapy and a lot of attention from volunteers and family who feed her, wash her hair, put on make-up, do her nails and talk to her. She enjoys TV and being read to, particularly mysteries. Although she can't generate thought, she can respond to it. She is not unhappy--although those who love her have suffered terribly for 25 years from her condition.

If you read the accounts of Terri's story, her husband won a large malpractice settlement so she could get the proper care, but she didn't get it. My friend, with whom I volunteered, is able to take food by mouth, like ice cream, mashed potatoes, Jell-O, etc., but it is done only for her enjoyment and to maintain some limited ability. Caretakers are extremely careful, because the food has to be placed in her mouth and then you have to wait for involuntary muscles to allow her to swallow. If you go too fast, the soft food can be inhaled causing choking.

The surgically inserted tube is for the convenience of the nursing home staff. It would take hours to get enough nutrition in a severely brain injured person by mouth. But Terri's husband didn't and wouldn't allow her to receive even water by mouth so she could learn.

Frankly, I'm not sure why the method of nutrition matters so much to people in determining Terri’s value as a human being, but if she were being fed by mouth and still in the same condition otherwise, would Bailey still want her starved to death? No one expects her to return to her 1990 self, but she is a sentient human being who is not without value.

The best solution in my opinion is to have Mr. Schiavo get a divorce and let her parents restore some dignity and privacy to her limited life. This would be best for her and for her husband who wants to get on with his life with his girlfriend and child. (Although if I were the girlfriend, I’d think twice before going to the altar with this guy.) The settlement money is mostly gone anyway.