Posts tagged: work

Time to Walk the Walk

In my previous three blogs I have encouraged individuals with disabilities to change their attitude, be willing to take some risks and begin to try some different ways to make their lives a little easier. I talked the talk but now it is time for me to walk the walk and show you some things that I’ve done to adapt equipment for my use. Below is a materials list of items that will be helpful to have around for making adjustments to things you use.

Cable ties    Clamps    Clips    Compression bandage    Duct tape   Electric tape Friction tape    Foam    Hose Clamps    Pipe Insulation    PVC Pipe    Straps and Webbing    String  Shoelaces    Velcro    Wooden Dowels

My hands are normally in a loose grip position. It is almost impossible for me to grip anything tightly. In order to hold on tight my hands must be strapped on the object.  I noticed lacrosse and hockey players wrap tape repeatedly around the same spot on their sticks to prevent their hands from sliding off the stick, so I decided to try it. If you look at the attached video (Adapting a Broom) you will see how I use friction tape and a piece of wooden dowel to enable me to use a broom. The friction tape has been used to make what I call a “stop.” On a long handle, such as this broom, you should decide where you want your lower hand positioned and place the “stop” right there. Wrap tape repeatedly around the same spot until you have built up a raised area on the handle. Grip the broom as best you can. When your hand slides up the handle it will come to rest against the “stop” and prevent any further upward movement.

 At the top of the broom handle I have taken a small piece of wooden dowel, which I removed from a foam paint brush, and passed it through the hole.  If the handle does not have a hole have someone drill one for you. Then I attached the dowel through the hole using a rubber band. This enables my wife to remove the dowel if it gets in her way.

 We have a wire wreath-like birdfeeder which is filled with peanuts. We then hang the wreath outside for Blue Jays and other birds. They will pull the peanuts out one by one. As you can see in the video, the kitchen floor is quite a mess when I finish. So I use the broom I have adapted to clean up. Use this technique on other long handled tools like a mop, leaf rake and  garden tools.    Adapting a Broom

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categories Apapting Equipment, Disability, Independent Living, Living with a Disability | Rich Fabend | datetime January 10, 2010 1:13 pm | comments Comments (0)

Krip Hop Part I

I was born in the 60′s in the South Bronx, NY. There was no home computer, cell phones, Internet or any wide screen televisions. Pretty much they way we lived then, we still managed to survive. Back then until 1987 when I was paralyzed, I never knew what paralysismeant or how it effects our ability. Even after being paralyzed until 2005, I wasn’t involved with spinal cord injury issues. Since 2005 until now, December 2009, about 5 years, I have experienced more greed, discrimination, nonsupport and holly-wooding, a term that means someone says something you want to hear when they’re just trying to brush you off. This experience in our ownSCI community. Am I shocked, even though I know your own brother can turn on you like Cain and Able. Yes I was. Sometime I feel in order to gain support I had tothimble myself and kiss butt. WOW, among my own SCI community, the people I suffer this pain with. Make no mistake I hold an grudges, in fact as I follow Jesus and the path He lived, sometime mankind can do things and not know what they’re doing. I’m no angel, I’m not perfect, I don’t think what ever I been told I do for othersSCI like myself deserves an award, all I’m expressing is something I feel is going on we can change.

I met Leroy Moore a few years ago. Leroy is to disability as Kool Herc and Africa Bambatta is to Hip Hop. He’s a soldier, a general and leader of creating a nation of supporting each other. He seeks out artist who are disable and ask them to send him their audio to be put on acompilation CD. Leroy reminds me of what Hip Hop was all about and how it was treated like I stated earlier about the experiences of greed, discrimination, nonsupport and holly-wooding that I took part in. Every thing Hip Hop was, was designed to save young lives, not to make a dollar. Contrary to what some may think, gangs, crime and wars existed before Hip Hop. Hip Hop didn’t create what already existed in mankind. Hip Hop was made to change the gangs, crime and wars and turn it into an art where talents went to battle without putting others into coffins. Therefore although you may see violence, greed and sex in Hip Hop videos, it’s no different then seeing the same thing in a block buster famous actor movie. What is the difference is unlikethose block buster movies, many of the artist lives are genuinely real. They don’t have laser beam vision or can shoot web out they’re wrist but their expression of art can sometimes only afford to create fantasy from their own reality, not a 100 million dollarCGI description of their art. Everything needs money event our dreams as aspirations. You can find ways through literature and book writing but most artist want to see their art on film not just on paper and if it means just picking up a camera and recording it the best way they can, an artist will do that.

I felt to write this blog because I had my last straw to hearing the statement Shameless Promotion. Most disable people can’t or may not be working. If durning their days at home they find a talent in them and begin working on it, if they decide their art can also help them pay for medications,supplies, hospital bills and rent because they’re not as finacially lucky like someone rich, is it wrong for them to try to use their art in their survival. From what I experienced, many have proved it to be. I think what’s shameless is when, you yourself living with a disability or you are anorganization who’s mission is to help disable people, to call their only means of self promoting shameless it’s very like friendly fire.

When man vs SCI becomes man vs man vs SCI, the war may never end. Everything man needs to live, like food and warter, God provides but some how mankind made a way to monopolize things we need to live and make us pay for it. So when many of us aren’t lucky enough to have major deals , we may chose to sell our art instead of robbing you. When you don’t provide options, sometimes others will chose negative options when the good ones aren’t helping them survives. Sure their naturally are bad individuals who no mater what will do wrong but there are many out there that genuinely want to do right. When wealthy companiescommercialize their products we accept that because they’re paying to promote their product, but if a unwealthy person who doesn’t have the money to promote their product we call their means of self promotions shameless. Spamming and Scams has also assisted in the obstacles for a true inventor. That’s about why things stay the same.

The classes can’t change if the masses wont change.

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categories Blogroll, Community Inclusion, Creative Ideas, Disability, Disability Advocacy, Living with a Disability, art | professirX | datetime January 3, 2010 8:02 pm | comments Comments (0)

Five percent-No Excuses!

Five Percent-No Excuses

 

ThisAbled.com is calling on President Obama to employee people with disabilities at all levels of the Federal Government.  Currently, people with disabilities make-up less than 1 percent of the Federal workforce, this is unacceptable.  We can longer afford to keep the most vulnerable in poverty by denying them jobs and promotions.  America is better than that and we will prove it!

Together, we will send Washington a clear and unequivocal mandate to fix the unemployment problem which faces 54 million people with disabilities.  We will not, we cannot and we must not take the same lame excuses that we have for decades.  The Clinton Era promise of 100,000 new jobs for people with disabilities was a cruel hoax perpetrated on a community of people who have no choice but to believe in promises made by government.   During the rolling economic times of the Clinton Presidency, Executive Order 13163 went into effect.  It called for 100,000 new hires by the year 2005 today Disabled employees represent 0.92 percent of the federal workforce, a decrease of nearly 15 percent since 1997.  

The Ticket to Work Act of 1999, also signed by President Clinton has been a serious disappointment to people with disabilities wishing to work.  The saving grace of the Act may be the Medicaid Buy-In program which has allowed thousands of people with disabilities, to receive medical benefits while working.  These, programs are run through a States’ Medicaid Agency and may go by different names in different States.  For a list of Buy-In States go to http://www.nchsd.org/links/index.asp?c=39 and click on your State.

One would suppose that the unfulfilled promise of 100,000 jobs by Uncle Sam was a kick in the gut.  However, what really leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of many Americans is the money and effort expended by the Federal and State government to “get people employed”.  For example, in 2001 “The Social Security Administration (SSA) awarded MAXIMUS a $56.4 million nationwide contract to provide Program Management services for the Ticket-to-Work and Self-Sufficiency Program. (Maximus Website).

The five-year contract would make MAXIMUS the Program Manager for the Ticket-to-Work Program. They would be responsible for recruitment and management of nationwide employment networks anticipated to be in excess of 4,500.  In addition, they would coordinate services to 13 million Ticket recipients over the next five years; assistance to SSA in processing payments to employment networks; and operation of a national call center.  In reality, more people with disabilities were working before this contract than after it.  MAXIMUS, like most huge conglomerates never got it.   Therefore, no jobs were really ever created.  Here is a thought, contract someone to get 100,000 people hired into the Federal system, then move on from there.

Everyone has heard of all the new jobs that will be created under an Obama Administration; well we want 5 percent of at least the Federal workforce to be people with disabilities.  The Federal workforce is under the direct control of the President.  54 million people with disabilities have waited too long and cannot afford to wait another year.

What can we do this year?

Sign and Share our Petition to President Obama.  Simply copy the text below and email it to friends, family, colleagues or post it on websites and social network sites, Facebook and My Space.

 

 

 

 

Five percent-No Excuses!

 

The Second part of 2009 efforts on behalf of people with disabilities has begun. Here is the www.thisabled.com petition to President Obama to increase the number of Federal employees with disabilities by five percent. We ask that you sign it and forward to others as well as share.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Thisable/petition.html

Petition Text

We call on President of the United States Barrack Obama to employee people with disabilities at all levels of the Federal Government.  Currently people with disabilities make-up less than 1 percent of the Federal workforce, this is unacceptable.  We can longer afford to keep the most vulnerable in poverty by denying them jobs.  America is better than that and we will prove it!

Five percent of Federal workforce to be people with disabilities by 2013, no excuses!

Together, we will send Washington a clear and unequivocal mandate to fix the unemployment problem which faces 54 million people with disabilities.  We will not, we cannot and we must not take the same lame excuses, we have for decades.  Five percent-No Excuses!

Sign the petition at:  http://www.petitiononline.com/Thisable/petition.html  

 

  

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categories Uncategorized | admin | datetime January 4, 2009 8:21 pm | comments Comments (0)

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