by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Marilyn Hamilton

When you were injured, what kind of wheelchair did you get?  A lightweight manual or a powerchair?  Either way, it sure wasn’t a 60 pound steel wheelchair.

Times have changed a lot since ancient wheelchairs were made (praise God!), and we have Marilyn Hamilton thank for it, the co-founder of Quickie Wheelchairs.

A driven businesswoman, Marilyn, 63, is without question one of the most successful people with spinal cord injuries in the corporate world.  Her insatiable desire for success is what catapulted her to where she is today, and where she is, is pretty dang exciting. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Amazing paralyzed crotch rocket rider

It’s true, Brian Kinney, a T1 paraplegic from Ohio, broke his back riding his motorcycle. Call it sad, tragic, no question it was all of those things. But Brian still loved to ride.

So after coming home from the hospital, he decided to get back on the road – out on the same bike (a Kawasaki Ninja 650R) – only with few modifications this time around. And he recorded it for your viewing pleasure.

I was pretty amazed when I first saw his video.  I honestly never thought it was possible for someone paralyzed to ride a motorcycle with only two wheels. Never, never, never (does that make me naive? me?)

But apparently there are kits out there that not only put hand controls on your bike, but also install what‘s called “landing gear.” This is the key component to being able to ride independently if you can’t move your legs. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Locomotor a waste of time?

Maybe I’ve been paralyzed too long, but there are a bunch of new therapy programs out there that I question.

Let me preemptively say that locomotor training has a lot of great benefits (it’s good for weight-bearing, making your muscles move, organ-hanging party time).  It’s a pretty intense therapy where they strap you into a harness (that’s attached to a bar above your head) and hang you above a treadmill. Read this entry

by Tiff -

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…