Quad Mitts

  I read Kelly Rouba latest blog with great interest. I have been trying to encourage people to think outside the box and telling them that there is more than one way to solve a problem. After looking at the “gloves” Kelly’s friend made for her it just demonstrates what I have been encourage others to do. She found an inexpensive way to solve the challenge confronting her. I was faced with a similar situation and came up with a slightly different solution. My problem was trying to keep my hands warm when I was outside.  My fingers are always clenched in a loose fist position.  It was very difficult for my wife or nurse to put regular gloves on my hands.  It quickly became evident that mittens would work best.  Unfortunately, mittens created problems of their own.  It was impossible to keep my thumb in the thumb of the mitten.  The major problem with mittens however, was that once I took them off I was unable to get them back on by myself.  So I designed what I like to call Quad Mitts. They have an opening at each end with the front one tighter. I was able to get my wife’s friend to knit a trial pair and they worked extremely well.  The picture below shows the pattern that we used.  Note that the cuff is extra long and can be folded over what I am wearing so I don’t have to worry about them coming off. When I need to use my bare hand I just push it though the hole in the front end and then pull the end back over my hand when I am finished. I am a big man so you may need to adjust the measurements according to your own size. If you know someone who will knit for you maybe you want to think about a pair of sleeves (my arms are always cold) and/or leg warmers. Often in the morning I will have my nurse put my sleeves on with a tee-shirt and then I will take them off when the day warms up.

Dealing With Risk

Kayaking           If you read my other two blog entries Attitude, Attitude, Attitude and Attitude Adjustment, hopefully you are beginning to understand that it is a combination of your attitude and an ongoing process that are necessary to begin to deal with some of your daily frustrations. There is another barrier to some people’s efforts to think beyond traditional methods of accomplishing an objective. That obstacle is the concept of failure. Dealing with life’s adversities often involves risk and along with risk comes the idea of success or failure.  We are often reluctant to take a risk for fear we may not be able to accomplish what we are trying to do and that implies failure. First of all, nobody always achieves what they set out to do.  Secondly, many individuals have the misconception that failure is bad.  However, failure if approached with a positive attitude, provides opportunity for learning and hence for growth. In a “60 Minutes” interview LeBron James was asked what advice he would give to young kids, his response was not to be afraid to fail. LeBron James said, “Don’t be afraid of failure. “

Making adaptive equipment often involves a learning process that includes a change in attitude. If you have an idea for creating a piece of adaptive equipment, pursue it.  Remember for all of us, thinking out of the box is a strategy that can lead us down the road to success. When making adaptive equipment try to keep things simple. Use materials that are readily available and make the tools multifunctional if possible. Do not let yourself become discouraged for very few things happen quickly. Learning to approach a task with a new outlook will take time. However, success breeds success and after awhile you will look at things differently. Look at a new situation not as a problem, but as a challenge needing to be addressed. Set your mind free of the cultural restraints which may prevent you from finding a solution.  The following poem hung on the wall in my classroom for years.

ONLY A PERSON WHO RISKS IS FREE
by Author Unknown

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your ideas, your dreams,
before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the
greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The people who risk nothing, do nothing,
have nothing, are nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change,
grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes they are slaves;
they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.

~ from page 147 of the book “Addiction by Prescription”  by Joan Gadsby

What is normal? By Kelly Rouba

A few weeks ago, I was invited to lead a discussing on finding employment at a Center for Independent Living (CIL) in New Jersey. As someone with a mobility impairment, I know quite well how difficult it can be to find a job. I’ve had to overcome a lot of barriers to get where I am today, and I am happy to say that I love my job and my employer.

Unfortunately though, many employers are not capable of looking beyond a person’s “disability” in order to appreciate his or her “abilities”—no matter how talented he or she may be. Over the years, I have discovered a few ways in which individuals can prove their self worth and as I prepared to offer my advice to those at the workshop, the executive director of the CIL asked the group how they would respond if a Human Resources representative asked them about their disability. One girl who had a cognitive impairment quickly piped up and said, “I don’t have a disability. I am normal.”

With that, a silence fell upon the room as everyone was taken aback. I know I was. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right. We SHOULD all be considered “normal” and not referred to by our “special needs” or “disability.” In fact, a few people I know who have a disability prefer to call themselves “differently abled.”

While this phrase may or may not appeal to you, it’s a step in the right direction. It would be great if society could evolve enough to start celebrating each other’s strengths and stop focusing on the weaknesses. Imagine how productive we could be?

The other day, one of my friends said that everyone has a disability—they just don’t always realize it. It is true that we all have our inabilities—some are just more obvious than others. And it’s unlikely that you would want someone to harp on your limitations. This only makes people feel worthless and does nothing to make them want to rise to the challenge or help them grow as a person.

So let’s not forget that we are all “unique” in our own way, and because of that, we all have something special to offer. Here’s to being normal!