CHRONIC TONIC posts on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST, it is a place to share stories, advice, and information and to connect with others with chronic health conditions and those who care for them. Our diarists will report on research, alternative treatments, clinical trials, and health insurance issues through personal stories. You are invited to share in comments (and note if you'd like to be a future diarist).
Tonight's diary is by Chauconne
Hello Friends,
Imagine yourself as someone with your disabilities in the 1950s ... How many of the assistive technologies that you depend upon were in existence then?
As someone with hearing loss, my world would have been dramatically smaller and much more difficult without many of the technologies I use every single day. The first most obvious technology I use is that in my hearing aids. I have digital aids, which are pretty advanced. They not only boost the sound around me, but also have a T-coil which allows me to theoretically use the power of my aids while talking on the phone. (The T-coil is helpful, but I find I still have a problem with the clarity of the sound, so it is still VERY difficult for me to understand someone on the phone). The aids also work with an FM system, which I have, which is a little unit that I can point at someone who is, for example, teaching a class so their speech goes directly into my aids. I can also have the person wear the unit around their neck.
The second technology that I depend upon is that in my rocker alarm. I'm a very heavy sleeper and I sleep through most alarms, because, of course, I take my aids out when I sleep. My rocker alarm goes under the mattress, so when it goes off it shakes the bed. which does wake me up. Living alone, this is essential to maintaining my ability to keep morning commitments.
Captioning is the next technology which really adds to my life, because it makes watching movies and TV accessible, as well as, naturally, the videos posted here at our beloved Daily Kos and in other online communities. The difference of having captions or a transcript is huge, and sometimes I think goes unrecognized; it is the difference between being able to be part of the common culture and being able to actively participate in a discussion on a current culture topic, and feeling and being left behind.
Instant Messaging has changed my life in so many ways for the better. Now it is possible to have a real time conversation with one or several other people from many different parts of the country or world, and I know exactly what everyone has said. Group conversations, especially over the phone, are almost impossible for me, so this is an immense gift in my life, and I would venture to say the lives of most people with hearing disabilities. Email has the same virtues, especially if the conversation is long and technical, and if there are commitments to actions made during the conversation.
Where would we all be without our computers, especially laptops? They make a difference in the lives of every person with a disability blessed to have one. I think regardless of your disability having a computer makes it possible to research and receive and send information without using the phone if you have difficulty hearing, without having to travel to a physical location if you have trouble with mobility, or without speaking to a person if you have emotional or mental challenges.
A new set of technologies, with regard to my hearing, has come into my life very recently, the cell phone. Now I had never had a cell phone until last week, because their technology makes the sound less clear. But last week I got one so I can text with friends and family :) It is wonderful :) As part of my package my provider turns my voice mail messages into text, so I don't have to guess who the person who left the message is, and what they said.
Having a hearing disability is embarassing, because most people don't remember, or don't understand what they need to do so you can understand what they are saying, so you do a lot of guessing, a lot of agreeing with what everyone is saying, whether you understood them or not, because sometimes speaking up is just too draining; these technologies give back at least some of the independence those with hearing disabilities have lost. I am so grateful to those who have worked to created all of these technologies, and to those who have made them a reality in the lives of everyday people.
The second set of technologies that have a made a huge impact in my life are those designed to assist those with mobility problems. I have osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, so walking is painful most days, although necessary, and my balance isn't great. I don't use a wheelchair or a scooter, yet; I use a large shopping cart most days when I am out to keep steady. However, my husband, Dan, used a wheelchair for the last four years of his life, and a scooter for part of that time. The wheelchair was a manual chair, so it was Heather-powered, but the scooter was electric and having it gave Dan and me the ability to go out to a movie or to go shopping together, or any other errand, without the problem of my running out of steam or having an arthritis flare-up. It really gave Dan back his life. Having several friends who use power-chairs, I know how immensely helpful they are; how they give people at least some of their independence back.
Then there are the technologies used by communities to make their cities and town more accessible to those with disabilities. The first thing that many communities have done, which seems like a small thing, but is in reality huge, is to do sidewalk cuts in all of their sidewalks. Many communities have not done cuts in all of their sidewalks, but do them in each sidewalk as it is replaced or repaired, but each cut makes the world of those using wheelchairs or scooters in their community a little bit bigger. Many communities have also put audible traffic signals on their crosswalks, for those with visual disabilties, or are replacing them bit by bit.
Vancouver is blessed with an excellent and fully accessible transit system, with wheelchair lifts on all of its buses, kneeling buses for those with walkers or carts or canes or crutches, audible notification of all stops on its light rail system and other small and large items which make it clear that passengers with disabilites are welcome and encouraged.
So, those are the technologies that have changed my life, and my husband's life, non-medically. What's your favourite new technology? Is there a technology you need that exists but you don't have access to? What technology would you like to see invented?
Let's talk :)
Love and Hugs,
Heather
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