Why did I say no to getting a service dog again? Check out this post I wrote for SPINALpedia, where I share two videos of insanely original service dogs (or “canine partners”) who are learning new tricks that were definitely not learned in service school. Read this entry
Category: Blog
SCI Superstar of the Week: Ali Stroker
Meet Ali Stroker, the first woman in a wheelchair to land a leading role in a professional musical, who’s also a contestant on the The Glee Project. Read this entry
Crafty fixes make melodious sounds
Saying goodbye to my love of music was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done after my injury. Maybe in my wildest dreams, jerry-rigging a clarinet (to work for my quad hands) would have worked, but not all instruments are impossible to adapt.
Watch Robb Madison, a paraplegic drummer use 3 sticks to mimic the bass drum, and watch a famous quadriplegic blues singer from the UK show how he can still play the steel guitar (via his lap). Gag they’re so smart! Read this entry
SCI Superstar of the Week: Eric Legrand
He broke his neck, but this is no sob story. There are a million reasons to love Eric Legrand: His tenacity, his determination to not stay hidden away. He shows everyone with a new spinal cord injury just how it’s done.
And still very much paralyzed, he just signed with the Tampa Bay Bucs last week (yes you read that right). Read this entry
You know you want this: Wheelchair bling
Want people to stare for the right reason? The wUnderGlow Wheelchair Light is just what you need. This snazzy LED light is clipped underneath the seat of a wheelchair and flashes colored lights on the floor underneath, making for some very very cool ground effects. Read this post
Awesome hands-free dog walking system
Walking your dog while you’re sitting down just got a whole lot easier thanks to this brilliant idea, the Hound-a-bout, invented by C. John Stanchina, a crafty paralyzed guy with a love of dogs.
Love this invention! Now where can I find the $119 to purchase one? Read this entry
My behind the wheel therapy
When I’m behind the wheel of my vehicle, no one can tell I use a wheelchair (no disabled plate, only a placard). And I gotta say that feeling is pretty hard to beat
But the anonymity of being just another driver on the road is one of several reasons driving my has become the best form of therapy I‘ve ever run across.
When you’re disabled and depressed, doctors tell you to take pills, or to meditate, but no one ever mentions the therapeutic benefits of getting behind the wheel and being fully in control of a car (and for the life of me I can’t figure out why!).
They’ll mention you’ll be able to drive again, and they’ll tell you the steps you need to make it happen, but no one ever tells you driving can be used as a secret weapon for people with disabilities against the blues. Read the rest of my blog
So excited – Push Girls sneak peak
The Sundance Channel aired a 12 minute sneak peak of the Push Girls last night, and holy crap you guys, it looks better than I had hoped.
It’s not cheesy, it doesn’t have that “whoa feel sad for these girls” type of feel. No, the show has hit the nail on the head. I officially love the Sundance Channel for making this show. There I said it.
Hitting on guys when you’re out at the club, real life with your man in bed (“Yes I can have sex. Lots and lots of sex”) to being obsessed with wearing high heels even if you can’t walk, seeing all of this glossified on the small screen is very, very cool, especially for me personally; it’s like my life, but with a way less cool car (and I’m just glad to see a positive yet real portrayal of women with spinal cord injuries in the media for once).
In the sneak peak, you meet the four women starring in this new reality show, Tiphany, Auti, Mia and Angela. My impressions:
– Auti, a woman I’ve admired in the disability community since I was injured and have always coveted her rock-hard abs, turns out to be surprisingly funny. Who knew? (and I think she may be my favorite).
– And it is revealed that Tiphany, a gorgeous paraplegic (who I interviewed for an article I wrote in Penthouse last year called “The Would You Girls”), is now dating a woman. Crazy talk!
– And Mia, she’s super cute; love the clip were she’s rating guys as they walk by….
– Angela Rockwood? She’s insanely stunning. Cheek-bones to die for….cheek-bones to die for…
Push Girls premieres on the Sundance Channel June 5th. Can’t wait!
My dream kitchen has landed
I’ve seen some gorgeous accessible kitchens in my day. Beautiful, custom kitchens to lust after with cut-outs under the counter tops for plenty of knee space, huge slabs of granite cut-out to fit the countertops perfectly, stainless steel appliances with bottom loading freezers and pull-out shelves to reach things easier.
But going from point A, a completely inaccessible kitchen to point B, a fully accessible kitchen where everything is thought of from top to bottom, usually takes a qualified ADA building expert or some kind of universal accessible consultant. And if you don’t hire one of these people, the likelihood of forgetting an accessible feature is almost guaranteed.
This is why I am completely in love with the Skyline Lab Kitchen, a wheelchair accessible kitchen made by Italian kitchen manufacturer, Snaidero. Read the rest of this post…
Aussie wheelchair tennis players explain the game
I’ve been blogging for SPINALpedia.com, a very cool video site that contains thousands of spinal cord injury-related videos, for a couple of months now. What I love about this site (other than it wass founded by my friend Josh Basile, a really smart C4-5 quad from Maryland who’s studying to be a lawyer) is that the videos are categorized by movement – full hand movement, partial hand movement, no hand movement, and for all the other body parts too, making it easy to find a video that would actually work for you without wasting too much time (gotta love that).
My latest post for SPINALpedia.com highlights some of my favorite sports videos on their site. If you’ve ever wondered about wheelchair tennis, watch this video of two top Aussie wheelchair tennis players (one who is a low quadriplegic) having a ball, as they create a 6 minute video explaining everything about wheelchair tennis. You can watch the video here