Assistive Technology on Your Due Date

by Christina Mills, CFILC's Deputy Director

I’ve been questioning whether it was premature of me to write my first AT Blog post about my daughter’s accessible crib. After I wrote that posting I sat back and developed a list of other AT baby-related topics that I wanted to cover, and when I did I realized that maybe I should have talked about the Assistive Technology I wish I had had for the delivery and my four-day hospital stay.

Those who know me know that I’m usually well organized and big on planning ahead. I actually do like some surprises, but some people might question that. I wrote up a detailed birthing plan and shared it with all of my doctors well in advance, but what I didn’t think about was all the inaccessible hospital equipment that would make it difficult and nearly impossible for me to fully relax and enjoy the first few days with my daughter.

For all of you soon-to-be or hopeful parents with disabilities—take a tour of the delivery room, nursery and overnight patient rooms before your due date. During your tour think about the height of the baby bathing area in the nursery, will you be able to participate in giving your baby his/her first bath? Will you be able to reach your baby when she’s lying in her bed in the nursery? When the baby is brought into your room will you be able to get her in and out of the bassinet? I had difficulty with all of these things and since my husband is also a person with a disability (short stature) it wasn’t easy for him either.

We bring our own AT (foot stool) to our daughter's doctor appointments

We were thankful that we had a private room to stay in, but I wish I would have known that the restroom in that room wasn’t wheelchair accessible. Needless to say, if I did it again I would give more attention to my physical access and assistive technology needs. I would have asked for a room with an accessible restroom, brought in my own lowered bassinet and I would have asked the hospital for a portable bathtub on a lowered table to bath my daughter. California law requires that all babies be put through a car seat test before discharging from the hospital. In order to pass the car seat test a baby must be able to sit up and be strapped down correctly for a specified amount of time. When a baby doesn’t pass the car seat test they are required to go home in a car bed. Some hospitals have car beds that they can lend out, but in my experience the hospital was out of car beds and didn’t know where to go to get one. We called around town for one, but with no success. Fortunately we were able to recline our car seat and use it, but it would be helpful to have car beds available through the Device Lending Libraries. Especially in communities where there are no specialty hospitals for children.

In my experience as a new parent I haven’t had a great deal of time to reflect on things I would do differently, but contributing to the AT Network Blog has given me this time. It’s interesting; I work in disability rights and I have done lots of advocacy around accessible healthcare but, until now, I never thought much about it as a parent with a disability. I was so used to talking about the lack of accessible scales, examining tables, mammogram machines, large print, etc. I never gave any thought to the needs of parents with disabilities and the lack of access or AT that they could be encountering. And, of course, it isn’t just about the delivery or a hospital stay. It’s also about all those post birth and “wellness” checkups and possible emergency visits or stays in the hospital after your baby is born.

We’ve become accustomed to bringing our own AT to the wellness checkups because the scales for babies are bolted to tables that are well above my head and also out of my husband’s reach. Therefore we bring a folding lightweight stool to all of our daughter’s medical appointments. In fact, we usually just leave that handy stool in the trunk of our car. Some might be asking why we don’t ask the doctor or nurse to transfer our daughter on and off the scale. If we requested that accommodation they would probably do it, but given our daughter's disability we would rather do it ourselves. Besides, we’re her parents and these are the types of choices we’ve made as empowered parents with disabilities.

AT Network Members Quarterly Regional In-Person Meetings

Sample of CTAP phones

Regional In-Person Meetings are held quarterly and are now open to all AT Network members and others interested in joining the network and/or assistive technology topics and presentations.  The purpose of the meetings is to bring AT professionals, advocates, and enthusiasts together to build professional relationships, problem-solve, share resources and collaborate. It is a great opportunity to learn and network in your region.

The next quarterly in-person meeting is Tuesday, September 18, 2012 in Berkeley, CA at The Ed Roberts Campus from 10:00AM - 3:00PM. In the morning there will be a demonstration from the California Telephone Access Program (CTAP). CTAP provides free assistive telecommunications equipment to residents of California with disabilities. 

Shelley Haven, ATP, RET

For the afternoon session, we are thrilled to have guest presenter, Shelley Haven, ATP, RET, who will present on notetaking and knowledge management. Shelley is an independent assistive technology consultant who specializes in tools for people with learning disabilities and executive function issues.  She serves individuals, families, educators, schools, and other professionals throughout the Bay Area.  For more information on Shelley and her variety of services, visit www.TechPotential.net.

Notetaking and "Knowledge Management": Technology to Capture and Organize What You Learn

Whether taking notes in class, gathering web research, or creating a textbook study guide, student success relies on the ability to effectively capture and organize information from a variety of sources. This overview will demonstrate tools that aid the “knowledge management” process, including: digital notebooks, smartpens, and PDF annotation; everyday tech such as digital cameras and smartphone apps; and notetaking strategies that leverage graphic organizer and literacy software.

Are you attending?  Did you register?  If you are interested in attending, go to http://www.atnet.org/news-events/registration.php to register today!

The AT Network Quarterly Southern Regional In-Person Meeting was convened at Ranchos Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center last Thursday, September 6, 2012.  It was hosted by Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology (CART).

The AT Network invited the Los Angeles Assistive Technology Collaboration and hosted a panel discussion (members from Lanterman Regional Center, California Children's Services, Burbank Unified School District, and Assistive Technology Exchange Center) to talk about their shared experiences in a collaborative perspective.  The LA AT Collaborative assist the local community in understanding and accessing the supports and services of various agencies to obtain assistive technology for individuals with disabilities to increase independence across their lifespan.

Do you have an important topic that you would like to see at an AT Network Meeting? Please comment below and let us know what AT you are most interested in learning more about. Keep connected with the AT Network's training calendar: http://www.atnet.org/news-events/calendar.php

An Introductory Set of Accessible Mobile Applications

Are you looking for a quick and easy-to-navigate list of accessible apps? 

Searching through the reviews and descriptions of the hundreds of thousands of apps in existence can be an exhausting and daunting task, but thanks to Yahoo! Accessibility and Ted Drake, there is a list of notable apps that stand out for their accessibility options.

This introductory list of applications was chosen for a demonstration to Yahoo! engineers at Independence 2011. They were chosen for their substantial impact (Proloquo2Go), the ability to change a person’s interaction with the environment (Color ID), a focus on solving a particular problem (MoneyReader), or the content provided within the application (Tiramisu).

Click on the following link (below) to see the full list with concise descriptions.

An Introductory Set of Accessible Mobile Applications

Enjoy!  Do you know about other apps that you think deserve a mention? Have you used any of these apps?  Please use the comment box below and let us know what app(s) have made your world brighter. 

Accessible Pools

 by Shannon Coe, Program Coordinator for the AT Network

Summer is almost over and there are only a few weeks left to take a dip into a swimming pool.  For several reasons I have not been able to go swimming this year.    

One of the reasons I cannot swim this summer is because of my experience at the City of Davis public swimming pool.  

When I arrived at the pool, I asked the life guard if they had an accessible chair lift to help me get into the pool due to my physical disability. The lifeguard looked perplexed and said she had to check the storage room. She walked back to the storage room and found the accessible pool lift covered with dirt and dust.  It was obvious that the heavy hand-cranked chair lift had not been used for months.
 
The chair lift was big and bulky; it took many lifeguards to move it poolside.  In the process of moving the lift at a sloped angle, the lifeguards lost control of it and it landed on muddy grass at the bottom of a hill.  To unlodge the lift from the mud, it took several more lifeguards and bystanders.  As I watched them struggle with the chair lift, I was thinking this would not be an issue if the lift had been permanently installed by the pool.   

Furthermore, taking up more time, the lifeguards then had to figure out how to operate the chair lift.  It took over thirty minutes  for me to even get into the pool.  This was the last time I went swimming there. 
   
For many people with disabilities, trying to find an accessible pool is a challenge.  Disability rights activists are working on enforcing public and private entities to provide accessible swimming pools with permanent chair lifts.  Organizations such as ADAPT and AAPD are working hard to get hotels to install permanent pool lifts that would enable people with disabilities to have the freedom and independence to get in and out of the pool whenever they want.  In September 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice released new a legislation requiring swimming pools, wading pools, and spas to have mechanical lifts or sloped pool entries such as a ramp into the pool. Pool owners must comply with the new regulation by Jan. 31, 2013.  Next summer, I will try swimming at the City of Davis public pool again.

Photo courtesy of: phttp://www.swimming-pool-information.com/tion

You can learn more what ADAPT and AAPD are doing to push for accessible swimming pools by visiting: 

http://www.adapt.org/main/adaattack

http://www.aapd.com/take-action/speak-out/

Other resources about accessible swimming pools:

http://www.access-board.gov/recreation/guides/pools.htm

http://101mobility.com/blog/ada-regulations-deadline-march-15-2012-101-mobility

Video: Part 1 of the New ADA Swimming Pool Accessibility Requirements

What barriers have you encountered with inaccessible swimming pools? Have you found accessible pools in your community?  Please comment below this post and let us know about your experiences with accessible pools.

Creating An Accessible Crib For Parents With Disabilities

by Christina Mills, CFILC's Deputy Director

People with disabilities, especially those of us with genetic disabilities, are not often thought about as sexual beings, let alone parents. Over a year ago I was given the most exciting news in my life…I was pregnant! As a short stature wheelchair user with a genetic disability, I had thought long and hard about becoming a parent with a disability. My partner also has a genetic disability and finding a physician who would support us in expanding our family was no easy task. It took three long tries with lots of insurance hoops to go through until we finally found an open-minded, honest, forward thinking doctor who was willing to accept me as her patient.

My husband and I played it safe and waited to get pregnant until we had secured a doctor. We were able to develop a relationship with our new Family Practitioner before we became pregnant, which really helped us understand each others' perspectives on disability and quality of life. We were able to educate our doctor on our own individual disabilities, our positive perspective on potentially having a baby with one or both of our disabilities and connected her with specialists out of the area who she could consult with (if needed) during our pregnancy journey. Our story includes much more, but this blog is about Assistive Technology and I was asked to write about the AT my husband and I use as parents with disabilities. Our daughter is also disabled, which has impacted our AT decision-making.

We spent a significant amount of time researching nursery and transport items that were both safe and lightweight. After much Internet surfing and trips to various baby stores, during the third trimester of our pregnancy we finally began making our necessary purchases and equipment modifications.

Crib frames are made much differently than they were back in the '70s when I was kid. Not only are they larger and much more attractive, they are solid. They no longer come with that handy drop-down side gate feature. Even if the drop-down feature still existed, it would not likely work for us because the drop down would not be low enough. We had to come up with an alternative way to get our baby in and out of the crib. My husband doesn’t use a wheelchair, but is also short stature and lifting our daughter over the side gate would become challenging over time.

We found an accessible crib online that included a door, but it wasn’t within our budget. We asked our friends with disabilities what they were using and most people said they had regular store-bought cribs, but that they weren’t wheelchair user friendly. It was at that point that my husband and I began thinking of ways to modify a store-bought crib to meet our needs. Neither of us is very handy, but thankfully we have family members who are. After much thought and discussion, we developed a modification plan and recruited a handyman to turn our plan into reality. 

We purchased a regular 3-in-1 store bought crib which allows us to use it for a longer period of time because it converts into a toddler and full-size bed frame. We specifically went for this model because the base of it included an additional stabilizing frame along the bottom that we could bolt the locking system to. The hardware we purchased included a set of piano hinges, some sliding locks and screws to put it all together.
 
Fortunately, we had a saw and power drill, which made putting it together much easier. We sawed the front gate of the crib into two equal pieces then attached each piece to the two side gates (head and foot section of the crib) using piano hinges. The critical part of attaching each sawed piece to the side gates was to make sure that it lines up in the middle where it was cut so that there was no gap and our baby can’t get her hands or feet stuck in it. Once the frame was bolted and intact, we added two locks to the front gate which allowed us to open the crib like French doors and access our daughter directly from the crib mattress without lifting her over anything.

It’s a beautiful piece of AT that has worked well for us. Several of our average size non-disabled friends and family members have said how useful the French door gate opening is for them. They’ve said that it doesn’t strain their back and makes it easier to pick our daughter up without the frame of the crib being in the way. 

 

I’ve included a couple of modification pictures. This is what the crib looks like at the end. If you want to see the crib I found online that has a door on it you can go to Parents with Disabilities Online.

Stay tuned for our next Parents with Disabilities AT Blog post in mid-late September 2012!