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The Saga of Finding an Accessible ATM, i.e, “I Need My Money!”
I’m lucky. I live in downtown Minneapolis, which means I’m in “walking” distance of literally DOZENS of ATM machines. But the kicker? It seems as of late that finding one that is a) wheelchair accessible and C6 quad friendly (i.e., no swiper thingy please!), and b) accepts my type of card, is becoming more and more of a challenge. It’d ridiculous really. Let me give you some quick insight into what’s been happening so you can better understand my ATM-situation (btw, in the picture to the left…the dude pictured is NOT me). I used to visit this awesome, cutsey lowered-ATM machine that was located about 4 blocks from me. Getting…
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Don’t Go to Russia (the access and prejudices may drive you batty)!
I recently fell across this crazy (yet brilliant and hysterical) article written by Yasha Levine on “The Exile,” a Russia-based informations site, called “Hell On Wheels: 24 Hours Without Wheels in Moscow.” I’m not quite sure if his article was supposed to be satirical or purely informational, or shocking, or all three of these attributes, but I do know one thing – it was a HUGE wake-up call to Miss Tiffiny Carlson, in regards to how lucky I am to live in a city (Minneapolis), that is over 90% accessible (in regards to public facilities). What Mr. Levine did was rent out a wheelchair for 250 rubles/week called “Nadezdha,” from…
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Cats and Wheelchairs: The Unexplained Mystery
If you happen to be the lucky owner of a feline companion and also find yourself a wheelchair-user, you might have discovered the same bizarre occurence that I have during my many chair-using years: Cats want your wheelchair.I think it’s because that cats are, without a doubt (next to the sloth of course. No animal can beat the sloth), the laziest animal on the planet. And if you don’t believe me, go down to your friendly neighborhood cat shelter and pick one up. Not only will you be doing a service to society (score!), you’ll also be endlessly amused at how a cats seem to hone in on your chair; the most expensive seat in…
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“I’m Really Not a Wheelchair-Type of Person”
Ok, I’ll say it once again: “I’m Really Not a Wheelchair-Type of Person.” You see, I’ve found this totally ludicrous statement to work like a charm nearly everytime I spew it from my mouth. When I meet amiable, yet (unfortunately) ignorant, able-bodied folks, it’s the only way I can get it through their thick “sterotypical layered skulls” that I’m just as “normal” as they are. And of course, after I say this statement, I go into my injury story: “Yadda, yadda, I dove into shallow water, broke my neck, yadda, yadda, drowned, yadda.” And then, after this bizarre conversation (if you can even call it that. It feels more like being grilled by the Spanish Inquizition), they begin (at least from what…