Wheelistically @ Claire.NU

The Bit Where I Adapted [Part II]…

Claire — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:27:17 +0000

Wheelchair

This wheelchair was provided to me, via permanent loan, by my local NHS Wheelchair Service in 2009 and as this is an NHS chair, routine maintenance, repairs and replacement parts are also provided by the NHS. I currently drive the Quickie Argon Ti Manual Wheelchair, a titanium rigid-frame wheelchair with the following specification/customisations:

Folding, Angle-adjustable Backrest Frame
Tension-Adjustable, Vented Apolstery*
Height-adjustable push handles*
Padded Quickie-Style Armrests*
Titanium Straight Side-guards*
Tool bag under seat sling*
Fixed Hangers/Front-Frame
Platform Footrest (angle and depth adjustable)*
Argon Ti Castor Forks* with Aluminium Rim “Soft Roll” Castors*
Cross Spoke Wheels with Solid Tyres*
Compact Wheel Locks*
Aluminium Silver Anodized Handrims
Quickie-Style Anti-tip Tubes*
Custom Assymmetric Cushion with Unilateral Sculpting (to compensate for weight distribution/posture issues)*
Terry-Toweling Cushion Cover*
Metallic, Two-Tone paint in “Flip-Flop”*

* Denotes non-standard feature

Wheelchair Accessories

FreeWheel™

The FreeWheel™ attachment fixes to the footplate of my wheelchair and lifts the front castors from the floor thus, turning my chair into a “trike”. By doing so, I am able to negotiate rough, uneven or wet terrain. The FreeWheel changes the way I am able to use my chair and gives me so much more freedom — I’d be lost without it.

My FreeWheel was purchased as the result of my FreeWheel Appeal.

Off-Road Wheels

Purchased from the good folks at Spokz, I now team my FreeWheel with 22″ rear wheels with Schwalbe Landcruiser tyres. Ideal for my escapades in the new Disabled extreme wheelchair sport: Greyhound Walks, these new “shoes” allow me to negotiate wet and muddy terrain with slightly more finesse than my usual 24″ street wheels with their solid, low-profile tyres.

Cup Holder

Fed up of tipping hot tea in my lap every time I wanted to carry my cup from the kitchen to the living room, I went on the search for some form of cup holder. During my search, I learnt a few things: cup-holding devices made specifically for wheelchairs are typically overpriced; the vast majority are hideous in both their design and implementation; very few are designed to hold drinking vessels that possess handles.

After much searching, I realised that cup holders designed for prams/buggies/strollers not only did what I wanted, but were both more reasonably priced and more visually appealing. I currently sport the Leopard Print version of the Sip n Stroll cup holder, by Happy Mummy. It is light and fabric based, so it can stay attached to my wheelchair full-time and will not get crushed or broken when my chair is folded/dismantled to fit in a car; it is also insulated so it is sturdy enough to hold heavy/hot drinks and will keep them warm. The holder attaches using velcro that wraps around the frame of my chair: I have positioned it on a section of horizontal tubing that extends from the front of my seat (before descending vertically to meet my footplate).

I Am Not A Paper Cup

I use I Am Not A Paper Cup (and later, derivative mugs based on the same principle by other manufacturers) in conjunction with my cup holder attachment. The lack of handle means that the cup fits comfortably in the holder, whilst the lid ensures that the tea stays in the mug, even whilst I’m pushing my chair. It’s also worth noting that the double-walled design not only keeps my tea warm for longer, but also prevents the cup from becoming too hot to touch (essential, given the lack of handle).

On-Board Storage

The Crumpler frame hugger is a small bag originally designed to fit onto the crossbar of a bicycle. Fortunately, the size of the titanium tubing that makes up the frame of my wheelchair is comparably similar to that of a conventional bike.

Most wheelchair bags are large and designed to fit either on the back of the chair or underneath the seat. This poses several problems: they add significant weight to the chair, they alter the chair’s centre of gravity and they are difficult to comfortably reach in order to get things out of them.

The “frame huggers” are small enough not to add any discernable weight (thereby not impacting my push or balance) and can be fitted anywhere on the chair, making them easier to reach. I currently own two: One is attached on the front of my chair, on the opposite side to my cup holder and the other is on the crossbar behind my back.

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The Bit Where There’d Been 7 Years…

Claire — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:00:41 +0000

We met again the other day; every now and then, you come to me: the scent of peppermint and tobacco; the salt and pepper mustache on a smiling top lip; a nonsensical phrase. They are not you, for there could never be another you, but they are echoes of you — triggers that fire my memories — reminding us all that although you are not here, so much of you still remains here with us.

He was a local man, as you were, describing a lifetime growing where he’d been planted. Some people lay down roots elsewhere as time passes, but not him; not you. There was a kindness, a gentle humour, a rhythm and timbre to his words that were so reminiscient of you, I wanted to stay and hear his stories all day. Listening to this gentleman, the same age as you would have been had you lived to see this day; his small aged dog; his tales of driving the length and breadth of the country for a living; the way he enjoyed doing little bits of woodwork in his shed to pass the time, I heard you. I still do.

I often imagine the sorts of things you’d say, if you could see the the world today and I play them in my head. It’s my own private way of living and reliving your stories. You’re no longer here but evermore, I realise your stories live on all around me. That said, I miss them and you. Still.

The Bit With The Elephant…

Claire — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:20:10 +0000

It’s been a year. A year since I’ve gone quiet, quieter than ever before and eventually, I shall have to go totally silent — at least for a couple of weeks. A year has passed since I daren’t write. There’s an elephant in this room and every time I click “Add New Post”, it taps me on the shoulder, its septic trunk dripping with pus.

That’s the problem when written words are your catharsis; you can’t pick up a pen for fear that the nib with tear open and expose wounds in the surface of the paper and bleed its ink for all to see. Every time I write, it’s on the tip of my tongue, at the tip of my fingers: this poisonous elephant of mine.

In the interest of self-preservation, this site will go into hibernation for the duration of April. With any luck, the elephant will be shot with a dart by May.

The Bit Where They Assume…

Claire — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:06:53 +0000

Observations this week, whilst trying to book a hotel room (for when we go to see Alanis Morissette on her UK tour):

Wheelchair-accessible rooms with adapted bathrooms are still as rare as Rocking Horses’ droppings — even when it comes to the big nationwide chains.

What was rarer still, you ask? Wheelchair-accessible/adapted double (or even twin) suites.

After all, those with mobility impairments seldom travel with a companion, do they? And let’s face it, they certainly would never have a partner/spouse/sex life… Oh, wait–

The Bit WIth The 2011 Mayfly…

Claire — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:57:18 +0000

Following on from The Mayfly Project that I took part in last year and the year before:

2011

Graduated; developed a taste for teaching. May: filled with nightmares. Offbeat wedding planner extraordinaire and Auntie to little J. Stronger; braver; even more determined.

The Bit Where I Adapted [Part I]…

Claire — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:08:26 +0000

Accessibility at The Little Downstairs House

The Little Downstairs House is in fact, a bungalow; a dwelling where all the living-space is on the ground-floor. There are no stairs and no first-floor, their is no “upstairs” to speak of, only a “downstairs” — hence my home’s nickname. Living in a bungalow when you need wheelchair access is a major plus point, obviously.

In addition to its lack of stairs, The Little Downstairs House also boasts:

Level access thresholds ¹
Low level electrical switchboard ²
Low level thermostatic heating and boiler controls ²
Low level light switches ¹
High level power outlets ¹
Level patio area and reasonably flat lawns both in the front and rear gardens

Adaptions

Wet Room

When we moved into The Little Downstairs House a little over two years ago, there were no accessible bathing facilities. The bathroom was small and made all the more pokey by the over-sized ceramic bath suite (circa 1970s) that inhabited it. It took twelve months, a Disabled Facilities Grant and a Bathing Assessment conducted by Adult Social Care, but eventually with the assistance of my Landlord and sub-contractors, the bathroom was gutted and rennovated. In its place is now a wet room with level access shower.

Manual Window Openers

For the mostpart, standard windows are designed to be opened and closed by people who are of average height and able to stand; I am neither of those things. Consequently, I couldn’t reach to open or close any of the windows inside my home. Following an assessment by an Occupational Therapist, my landlord agreed to fund and install manual window openers throughout; I can now open and close the windows using a crank handle located in each room.

Aids

Water Wheels

One of my most vital aids: without them, I could not use the shower in my wet room. “Water Wheels” refers to the manual wheelchair that I use in the shower: a Manual Shower Wheelchair by Chiltern. This piece of equipment is on permanent loan to me from my County Council’s Equipment Services; when it falls into disrepair, the Equipment Services are also responsible for any repair/replacement, upon recommendation from an Occupational Therapist.

Remote-Controlled Power Outlets

Although the power outlets are at an easier-to-reach height, pesky things like furniture tend to have a nasty habit of obscuring access to them, especially when your home is “cosy” like mine and you are not spoilt for choice as to which wall the sofa runs across; in my case it’s the only wall across which it fits, of course — regardless of the fact a double-oulet is smack in the middle of said wall. The solution? Remote control plugs. These plugs act like a middle-man between the appliance and the power socket and allow you to switch the power to the appliance on and off via a little, handy remote control. Isn’t technology marvelous? I have numerous sets of these throughout The Little Downstairs House and relish the ability to switch of a lamp at the opposite end of the room without even needing to get out of bed.

Grabby Sticks

Grabber, graspers, reachers, helping hands, litter pickers, “Grabby Sticks”; whatever you call them, their uses are numerous, if not always obvious. From hanging clothes on a rail to drawing curtains and retrieving objects fallen out of either reach or sight, these little blighters have become indespensible and I now have several stationed strategically about the place.

Gardening

To make taking care of the garden a possibility for me, my family helped build a series of raised flower beds from wooden sleepers (a grant given by the Gardening for the Disabled Trust paid for the materials). To tend the beds, I use a variety of “accessible” gardening tools (also paid for by the Trust), which are designed for gardeners with reduced hand/arm control and “seated stature”. Both the NRG range by Radius and the EasiGrip range by PETA UK are ideal.

Coming in Part II: Wheelchairs, attachments and accessories…

These were existing adaptions in place, prior to us moving in. [back]
These adaptions were made by our landlord, at our request, once we had moved in. [back]

Featured Photo: Birthdays & Bowties…

Claire — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:43:54 +0000

Today, our handsome boy celebrates his fourth birthday.

Ziggy,

This past year, you’ve been brave: You’ve gained a new playmate and companion in possibly the most mischievous Whippet that ever lived. Although Hector’s arrival has spawned quite a few more grey hairs (both yours and mine), you have gradually welcomed him into the ranks.

There were times where we thought we’d made a mistake; that you couldn’t cope with another dog. Your anxieties and lack of social skills saw you revert to “kennel behaviour”, for a while you became confused and was unsure of your place in the pack: whether to challenge us for the top, or sink to Omega with your tail between your legs and your belly in the air.

Over time and with our help, you now recognise your place with us. Where once you growled and bolted in fear, when having your space invaded, you now will let Hector curl up next to you, pressed against your body for warmth and (so long as he doesn’t fidget too much) you will share your bed without flinching. You greet Hector with a wag and he stands patiently as you slink alongside him, your nose probing beneath him to identify his scent. Satisfied then, that this is your companion, you will then merrily trot along, scent-marking over the top of Hector’s “offerings” (and sometimes, even over the top of Hector!) and, with enough persistence on Hector’s part, will be goaded into a game of chase.

I will never tire of watching you run. Nothing is more exhilarating to me than the thunder of your paws pounding the ground beneath us as you belt passed. The double-suspension gallop, characteristic of your breed, creates the illusion that you’re swimming across the earth; with each millisecond you are suspended momentarily in mid-air: all four paws leaving the ground not just once, but twice with each stride.

No matter where we take you, be it a piece of fenced-off farmer’s land or an enclosed playing field, whenever someone catches a glimpse of you run, they stop in their tracks and do a double-take. At full-speed, you are a formidable force and in close quarters, an impressive (and sometimes intimidating) sight.

You are never as happy as when you are off-lead and running at full tilt. Your back is arched, your thick neck outstretched and narrow, pointy head kept low, hulking your muscular shoulders round as they propel you forward. Your lips, bearing the brunt of the air resistance peel back under the sheer force to show your teeth to their full extent; it’s this that gives people the (ultimately misappropriated) impression that your kind is snarling, aggressive or ferocious in nature.

Whereas, people who know Greyhounds? All we see is you smiling. Grinning that big houndy grin of yours as you do exactly what you were bred to do: Run, run like you just can’t get there quick enough; Running for the sheer joy of running.

Ziggy: The Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday, “Big Zig” — may your day be full of treats, big runs, gentle walks and good sniffs.
Love,
Your Doggy-Mummies and your little “brother”, Hector.

Photo Friday: Little

Claire — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:43:36 +0000

This week’s Photo Friday challenge is: Little.

Little Piggies

If the post ends here, then the rest of this post is “partially private”. Please see this post in order to read the rest.

If you’re already logged in, just ignore this notice and carry on reading…

Photo Friday: My Baby

Claire — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:51:00 +0000

To ease me back into this blogging lark, I’ve taken up Photo Friday, once again.

This week’s Photo Friday challenge is: My Baby.

Twelve months since he arrived at The Little Downstairs House, Hector — with his characteristic wonky ears, cheesy paws and a big, wet, sniffy nose — is still very much my baby.

There’s so many sides to Hector, the variation and colourings of his markings, not to mention, all of his individual personality quirks: from his bravery as he boldly explores unfamiliar territory to his sensitivity as he bolts from the vacuum cleaner and takes refuge, quivering, under my wheelchair. There’s no other dog quite like Hector.

Just one photo could never encapsulate all that makes up my little Sighthound, my best friend, my Bubba.

And so, I give you Hector in triptych form…

Hector Triptych

Featured Photo: Checkmate?

Claire — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 18:43:00 +0000

We interrupt the scheduled silence with a rather overdue announcement:

K and I are getting married. Finally. After over a decade together, we have set the date, booked the venue and bought the dresses. I couldn’t be happier, or more excited.

I’m currently really enjoying planning the Big Day (although I’m sure that will change as the date draws nearer) and eight months from now, I will be Mrs M!

Checkmate?

[A Sneak-Peek of our wedding “theme” — taken at our venue.]