okay ad'ers. ask me anything (but be nice! :))

Jiro said:
oh my god 3 hours lecture? It makes me go postal :mad2:
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no kidding. since my university is trying to make more classes available to students and adults who work part-time, they are readjusting lectures so they are 3 hours in length once or twice a week rather than one hour lectures 5 days a week.
 
Hear Again said:
yes. during the spring, summer and fall (depending on how cold it is) i do.

in fact, it's not uncommon for me to walk 5 days a week for 2 hours at a time.
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Wow. Yet another thing we have in common. I love going for long walks--2 hours. Although I don't like the winter weather stop me. I love the feel of snow on my face and the cold gives me a nice adrenaline rush.

Do you like coffee?
 
Nika said:
Wow. Yet another thing we have in common. I love going for long walks--2 hours. Although I don't like the winter weather stop me. I love the feel of snow on my face and the cold gives me a nice adrenaline rush.

Do you like coffee?
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i'm not at all a fan of the snow.

in fact, winters here in wisconsin are part of the reason i want to move to arizona next year. i try to get out in the winter, but given how depressed the weather makes me feel, i don't have the energy most of the time.

however, i do try my best to get out for at least one walk per day -- even in the winter.

i like coffee only if it is flavored (such as peppermint, etc.).
 
I definitely don't like walking in the city. Snowbanks, inconsistently shoveled snow--no thanks. But I love walking in nature with snow falling cause there I know what to expect. <smile>

How about tea?
 
Hear Again said:
first of all, i'm sorry to hear about the fact that you've been sick with the flu. i hope you feel better soon!
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Thanks hear again (smile)

i've only had cab drivers refuse to take my dog twice during the entire 15 years i've used guide dogs, so i've been fortunate.

however, i have had more of a problem with cab drivers driving off once they learn i have a dog. i always make sure to tell dispatch that i have a guide dog (so they can include this information on their computer) to help prevent drivers from claiming they didn't know i had a dog.
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That's good that you've not been refused but they shouldn't drive off either. I've not had a problem with this either until I moved to Birmingham. Their is a high muslim population here and most seem to be in the taxi buisness. sigh.
 
I also like walking. It's one of the things I've missed being in bed for a whole week. I live right next to a park with a cycle path.

Do you live anywhere near a park that Tiggers can be alowed off the lead?

Do you ever eat any vegitarian meals? If you do what is your favorite?
 
dreama said:
That's good that you've not been refused but they shouldn't drive off either. I've not had a problem with this either until I moved to Birmingham. Their is a high muslim population here and most seem to be in the taxi buisness. sigh.
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you're welcome. <smile>

when drivers don't stop to pick me up, i complain to dispatch and the manager of the cab company as well.

what i've gotten into the habit of doing is asking the friendly drivers whom i've received good service from for their cell phone numbers and having someone call on my behalf to arrange a ride.
 
Nika said:
DeafDoc1, have you noticed acceptance or rejection overall of in-betweeners in the mobility impairment community? For example people that use a wheelchair for severe arthritis, but can walk if they absolutely need to, or people that use a cane or a walker but not a wheelchair. I know there is obviously a lot of diversity in the community, so I'm just curious to know what you've observed.
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Yes, I think there is a "class system" within the mobility impaired population. Those with spinal cord injuries and no brain injury, I think, are hesitant to be lumped with those having CP, strokes, and so forth. There's also a snobbishness among those who are athletic, have ultralight sports chairs, and are physically fit and employed. I've also witnessed a resentment toward those who use a chair part time vs those who are wheelchair-enabled, or full time chair users. I've experienced this through a family I care for. Two of the four children have a progressive muscle disease. They are still able to walk, but fatigue very easily and may cause faster disease progression by pushing themselves to exhaustion. The kids and their mom are constantly getting sneers and comments from ABs (able-bodied people) like "why do they need wheelchairs, they can move just fine".

Our society fosters a competitive spirit. I think that trickles down through the disabled community as well. *sigh*
 
Nika said:
Oh no. Talk about a bad combination. Practicing Muslim plus guide dog.
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OK, add a deaf wheelchair user with a dog to the mix. Cabbies run the other way when they see me hailing them! :roll:
 
dreama said:
Do you live anywhere near a park that Tiggers can be alowed off the lead?

Do you ever eat any vegitarian meals? If you do what is your favorite?
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1. i live near a parkway and a park that i can take tigger to. however, i never allow her off of her leash after what happened to me with my last guide dog, sugar. as i was leaving my apartment building to go outside to relieve her, sugar bolted and took off. a neighbor had to go find her and it took him 10 minutes to catch her. tigger is always good about coming when called, but i'd rather not take the risk especially since i don't know if there are other dogs around. i'm also afraid of her running into traffic and being hit by a car.

2. i love any kind of vegetarian meals although i don't consider myself to be a strict vegan since i also eat dairy products and some meats as well.
 
DeafDoc1 said:
Yes, I think there is a "class system" within the mobility impaired population.
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Wow, thanks for the explanation. I never thought about this in terms of mobility before. It's amazing how often I see this "class system" within minority groups though, so it doesn't surprise me that it exists in the mobility impaired community as well.
 
DeafDoc1 said:
OK, add a deaf wheelchair user with a dog to the mix. Cabbies run the other way when they see me hailing them! :roll:
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Oh man that must be awful!

One of the many reasons I just avoid cabs altogether. Not to mention they are expensive.
 
deafdoc,

what you do mean by the differentiation that is made towards those who use ultralight sports chairs as opposed to manual wheelchairs? are sports chairs more expensive than manual wheelchairs? i hope that doesn't sound like a stupid question. one of my best friends has spina bifida and uses a scooter (although in the past she always used a manual wheelchair). however, she also uses braces as well, so she can walk if she absolutely has to. most of the time though she prefers to use her scooter because her arms become sore if she uses her braces for extended periods of time.
 
Nika said:
One of the many reasons I just avoid cabs altogether. Not to mention they are expensive.
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do you have any paratransit services in your area? here in the metro area where i live, disabled riders pay discounted cab fare, but have to pay the difference in price if the mileage exceeds 14 miles. in other words, that means a $3.50 cab fare one way if you want to travel 14 miles or less.
 
Nika said:
Wow, thanks for the explanation. I never thought about this in terms of mobility before. It's amazing how often I see this "class system" within minority groups though, so it doesn't surprise me that it exists in the mobility impaired community as well.
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i didn't know such a class system existed in the mobility impaired community either. it reminds me of the class system that is present in the blind community where partials or people with low vision think they're better than those of us who are totally blind or how some members of the deaf community (big "D" deaf) think they're better than those who are small "d" deaf or hard of hearing.
 
Hear Again said:
do you have any paratransit services in your area?
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Yes, but it usually involves waiting forever and you have to call ahead which isn't always possible. We also get discounts for bus rides. I use the student discount so I don't bother getting the disability discount cause I already have one discount. (I get to pay 62.5 cents instead of $1.35. If you're wondering about the half cent, you buy tokens in packs of tend for $6.25 and pay on the bus with the token.)
 
Hear Again said:
deafdoc,

what you do mean by the differentiation that is made towards those who use ultralight sports chairs as opposed to manual wheelchairs? are sports chairs more expensive than manual wheelchairs? i hope that doesn't sound like a stupid question. one of my best friends has spina bifida and uses a scooter (although in the past she always used a manual wheelchair). however, she also uses braces as well, so she can walk if she absolutely has to. most of the time though she prefers to use her scooter because her arms become sore if she uses her braces for extended periods of time.
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In my years playing wheelchair sports, there was a superiority attitude from that group of "jocks" and high functioning individuals toward those with more generic manual chairs, power chairs, scooters, cognitive disabilities, and the like. Not an attitude I support, merely one I have observed firsthand.
 
Nika said:
Oh man that must be awful!

One of the many reasons I just avoid cabs altogether. Not to mention they are expensive.
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At home I drive myself, and have a van with a ramp. However, I travel frequently and am often at the mercy of local cabbies. Accessible van rentals average $100-150 per day, which can be pretty prohibitive. And those that can be rented often aren't set up for a disabled driver. Most are for taking a family member out for a drive, getting grandma out of the nursing home for a day, and so forth.

When I re-create the world.....
 
DeafDoc1 said:
In my years playing wheelchair sports, there was a superiority attitude from that group of "jocks" and high functioning individuals toward those with more generic manual chairs, power chairs, scooters, cognitive disabilities, and the like. Not an attitude I support, merely one I have observed firsthand.
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thanks for answering my question. i think it's unfortunate that those kinds of attitudes exist. we're all human beings and one disability (or type of wheelchair/scooter) shouldn't define who we are.
 
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