#Assistive Devices

[noperopesaredope]

I noticed that the Mouthwashing fandom and sometimes even the game (though that may be due to it being from J*mmy’s perspective) tends to be very dehumanizing towards Curly post-crash. He is often treated like a burden or straight up corpse. But the only truly corpse-like thing about him is the fact that he has no skin (because that is literally impossible to survive). For a bit, I thought his limbs were missing entirely, or at least above the elbows and knees. Even then, I wrote out a whole thing on ways he could use (slightly more advanced) IRL devices that people with his disabilities use now. 

I thought it could be more interesting to explore Post-Canon Curly using assistive technology without it being super sci-fi levels of advanced or going into certain disability tropes. I had a whole list of ideas for types of devices he could use besides prosthetics (or at least arm/hand prosthetics), and I might honestly still put it out there. It just was to show that Curly would still be capable of a lot of things, and though he would need help from others in certain areas and would need physical training, he could do a lot. I think the only thing that was ever truly holding him back was the pain of not having skin.

The most frustrating part of this is that even while still in the Tulpar with no technology for communication, there are ways he could communicate. One that I thought of is morse code. He may not have lips, but he has a functional jaw. He could open his mouth to represent dots and dashes, or even use other body parts to do morse code. Though it might be slow, it could work, especially if sped up a bit. And a bit of patience could go a long way. IDK, it would just be neat to see content where he and Anya find ways to communicate (even if a little slowly) and we see him interact with others post crash.

Especially seeing him talk to Anya and them keeping each other company etc. Not even in a shipping way, just in a "Curly didn't help Anya when she needed it most but she will still help Curly when he needs it most, and Curly realizes he was wrong but Anya chooses to forgive him" kind of way. It would also be neat to see him interact with the others like Swansea and Daisuke and J*MMY (derogatory), especially if it takes a little bit of Anya and Curly to develop a form of communication, so the others have the attitude they have in canon. But then Anya reveals Curly can talk now (albeit slowly), and each ends up visiting him at some point (Daisuke talking to him could be so much fun honestly).

It could have a pretty interesting effect on Curly's psychology and maybe even role in the story, as he wouldn’t be completely helpless like he appears to be in canon.

He is able to say things to others, like maybe provide certain information (important captain knowledge). He could convince Anya not to die (might not work, but could be interesting if he at least tries). He can have some interesting angst, like still trying to keep up a confident front and be the strong, reliable captain despite everything. However, he is also aware that he is in a difficult position right now and worries the others see him as weak and helpless or a burden of some kind (as they lowkey treat him in canon). He could tell J*mmy to fuck off. The possibilities are endless.

I just think there could be a lot of potential there and would feel less infantilizing/dehumanizing.

[3liza]

I noticed a while ago that I was having some sort of muscular dysfunction with my jaw and unconsciously wrenching it open, sometimes at weird angles, while both awake and asleep. I have no idea why, it's like inverse TMJ and was causing downstream problems. it might just be a response to jaw and mouth crowding, which I have very badly. I can breathe fine and don't snore though, so I don't think airway issues are the cause. while my jaw was hanging open for long periods my teeth would move around slightly so that I'd wake up with a weird bite, too. which is common for collagen disorder people, the teeth thing

anyway after mulling this over I just started putting an ace bandage or a headband or a Korean jaw compression mask on my head and mandible when I go to sleep. and that both helps a lot and seems to squish edema out of my lower face and neck while I sleep, so win-win, and prevents my mouth from drying out at night (which is real bad for yojr teeth). just lying here in my weird mummy wraps and devices and thought I would mention it

[us-being-us2]

AAC Struggles

I just wrote my AAC device company to see what support they can give me, but I thought I'd take my struggles to the community for advice, too. I struggle to be concise and to organize my thoughts, to bear with me.

I have Level 2 Autism (I find diagnostic levels helpful, it's okay if they're not for you, and I'll never use them for anyone else unless asked to by the person with the diagnosis. I also support self-diagnosis/-identification), and expressive-receptive communication disorder, and self-diagnosed selective mutism. I consider myself an unreliable communicator. I am a part-time AAC user, but I want to use it to support myself more than I currently do; I often just don't communicate in situations where I have needs or thoughts. I was able to get AAC after not having support due to childhood circumstances that don't reflect on my support needs about 5 years ago, but I'm really struggling to make it work for me. I struggle to build sentences from individual words. I also struggle to respond in real-time, and people aren't very patient. I have a big struggle with phone calls with a captioning service; I get constantly hung up on because of the computer voice and my response speed. I've been laboriously typing out/scripting what I want to say in appointments in my AAC as whole paragraphs and just playing those paragraphs in appointments so far, or just continuing to have support staff speak for me because I'm too slow on AAC to do things like the check-in process and people yell at me for not talking. And typing everything out as paragraphs ahead-of-time only works for appointments and severely limits how much I can react to what happens in the moment or even make simple, real-time requests. I used to write out what I wanted to say at appointments and just hand it to the doctor before I had AAC. Surely, there should be a way to make AAC help me do things like chat with my friends or ask for things from my aide. I can talk some. But it's very difficult, not possible most of the time, and leads to some pretty volatile meltdowns from overload. I also have some trouble understanding speech, which is a while different question.

Open to any advice.

Oh, I also keep breaking my wheelchair AAC mounts because I'm not a very good driver. I'll tag wheelchair users, too, in case there's a better mount option than what's pictured.

Also, my AAC is Lingraphica.

[disabilityaware]

Assistive devices are part of one's personal space. Always ask for permission before handling a disabled person's assistive device. This includes the less obvious ones like oxygen tanks and communication boards.

In solidarity,

- Aalya

[accidental-apocalypse]

With Arcane season 2 being so popular, can we finally have functional steampunk-y mobility aids, pretty please?

I need that leather-and-metal hexclaw glove SO BAD, seriously, I'm tired of braces and splints in that medical blue and grey colour combo. We the people deserve the option of badass fantasy-esque assistive devices!

[disableism]

Anybody know of a mattress that is soft but has firmer outside edges? My friend is looking for one for her mom. The issue is —and I totally get this because I have the same issue— that the mattress needs to be soft enough to be easy on her arthritic body, but firm enough on the edges that she can sit herself up and stand up out of the bed. Which is an issue I have too, which is why I tend to go for medium mattresses. I wish I could go for the soft ones that would cradle my body but if I did that, I couldn’t get up out of the bed. So, to be honest, I might need to know the answer to this question at some point myself.

If you have any suggestions for a type of mattress that is soft in the center, but firm on the edges, I’d super appreciate it. And if everybody who sees this could re-blog it, try to get it out there in the world so I can get an answer for my friend and her mom, that would be awesome! Thanks, friends! 

[critterquirk]

🌱⭐ 8-20-24 💛🍀

[rosesandthorns44]

I lowkey forgot how helpful my grabber tool is for tidying up my room...

I can sit in a central location and just pick trash/laundry/recyclables and put them where they go!

I've had the dang thing for probably close to a decade. Why don't I use it? IDK. Internalized ableism? Imposter Syndrome? Denial?

I always tell myself, "I'm better now. I don't need all those things anymore," and avoid using any assistive devices unless I'm in so much pain I can barely move. It's bullshit! I'm making things so much harder for myself.

I keep thinking about getting a rollator so I can get out of the apartment more on my days off. Then I tell myself that's being overdramatic, and i don't need it. Lately, I'm resistant to even using my cane.

I get scared to go places on my own in case I get too tired! Clearly, I need SOMETHING.

I didn't use to be so self-conscious about visibly appearing disabled. It's more since I've entered the workforce, and I'm the only one at my company who uses mobility aids. Also, I got severely harassed/discriminated against by my ex-boss (reported her ass and got her fired!).

I'm fucking tired of being the odd one out at work and working in a completely NOT accessible building where the only mobility aid I even have the option to use is my cane.

Heavily considering applying to an independent living center a few cities over so I can be amongst peers and do some good for the local disabled community. It's just hard to make the leap and change careers.

[dangergirl64]

MLP OC TIME

Meet Danger! She's a pegasus with a heart of gold. And spunk! Her mechanical wings are intentional! Keep scrolling for a hint!

I originally created her in 2014 with the help of an acquaintance and some computer games:

Yeahhhhh nah. She needed a change. Gotta thank the fandom for creating such great mlp bases to help me with her redesign!

Here's a close-up of her cutiemark:

Here she is with the movie adaptation:

Added the alicorn for the sillies. No Mary Sue here!

Here she is with the Celestia build:

Also added the alicorn for the sillies. "It's not that serious" -scottykfitness

Finally, here is my most recent work (as of Sept. 1, 2024): Left pony is past Danger and Right pony is present Danger

BLOODY BANDAGE WARNING!!

See how her wings are damaged in her past version? And how her current version has significantly different wings? There's some lore with that!

Expect more of her in the future! And some collabs with friends!! Thanks for reading!💙

PSA: If you wish to use her in your posts, please be sure to tag and credit me!!

[sweaterkittensahoy]

She's here! Just arrived, so I haven't practiced yet, but step one (obtain cane) is complete!

I've named her Letty. Because she'll let me get around more easily when my hip hurts.

Thanks to everyone who let me know about fashionablecanes.com. It really is an excellent site with a lot of good information about how to size/use a cane and also has a super robust search engine.

[blondebrainpowered]

After being paralyzed, Franklin Delano Roosevelt learned to walk with a cane and metal leg braces by swinging his torso from side to side. He didn't want the public to see him as handicapped, so he walked short distances as much as possible, and was never seen in a wheelchair in public. This is the only footage of him walking. Only a few photos of him in a wheelchair exist.

[gilearstimboards]

---

Keziah (OC) Stimboard

Made for: anon

I made the accessibility equipment gifs and the stroke card gif. :) I hope you like them.

Credits: x x x | x x x | x x x

[freedrinksandbadadvice]

Ouch

I am in an unfamiliar town traveling for the eclipse, and on Saturday I went for a walk with a friend and tripped on a heaved sidewalk. My hip locked and I fell, luckily to the boulevard side so I landed mostly on grass. It hurt a lot, and I sat for awhile before determining nothing was broken and I could stand up, but wouldn't be able to walk back to where we were staying. My friend called her husband and said we needed a ride, and he picked us up. In the immediate aftermath I iced my hip, took ibuprofen, and took a hot shower and did some gentle stretching. It was pretty obvious to me I didn't need to go to urgent care, but one of my friends was skeptical and consulted a doctor friend of ours, who agreed but told him danger signs to watch out for that would indicate I did need to get checked out.

But by evening I was thinking about how I was going to handle the rest of the trip, not to mention getting home at the end, and quickly realized that the answer was to go buy a cane. And I'm not sure I would have realized that if I hadn't been listening to disability advocates online talking about the importance of normalizing mobility aids for several years now. So in the morning we swung by a pharmacy, I picked up a cane, and it hasn't really been a big deal. I move a little slower than my friends and can only carry things with one hand. But I brought a crossbody reusable shopping bag, because I usually do on vacation, so I can shove stuff in it. I thought about requesting assistance at the airport tonight but my hip's been feeling better every day and I'm walking almost normally for short distances, so we decided to check our bags instead of carrying on and I'll be fine with my cane.

So this is a general thank you to people here and elsewhere who've been open about their disability needs, and particularly @yespumpkindoodlesthings who's both talked about her own supportive devices and put them in her fiction. I probably won't need the cane for long this time, but I wouldn't be surprised to need it again some day, or some other device, and it's good to know I can just do that and it's no big deal.

[worm-dark]

Accessibility Reader Wanted

I am looking for someone who regularly requires a screen reader to test-read my portfolio PDF for me and send me a brief review of how well it worked for them, and notes on what isn't working if they run into problems. I would be happy to pay them, and include a credit at the end if they would prefer. It's a thirty-seven page document with a mix of text and images. Hit me up if this sounds like you, or please tag a friend who might be interested.

[mitzvahmelting]

holy shit this is cool

[mamalikescrochet]