Archive: November 2006
Judge Says Currency Shortchanges the Blind
From the Washington Post: Judge Says Currency Shortchanges the Blind:
A federal judge said yesterday that by keeping all U.S. currency the same size and texture, the government has denied blind people meaningful access to money.
…
Government attorneys argued that forcing the Treasury Department to change the size or texture of the bills would make it harder [...]
The Re-Education of Michael Graves
John Hockenberry interviews Michael Graves:
When I visit Graves again one steamy morning last summer, he is confined to his bed due to a prolonged bedsore, under strict medical orders to heal it by staying down and out of his wheelchair, so he insists that we speak in his room. A number of chairs are set [...]
“The Wheelchair” and “The Uniform”
Christiane is in the process of moving to London, so she’s racking up lots of airtime. Here’s a translation of her post “Der Rollstuhl†und “die Uniformâ€:
Today at the gate in Hamburg.
Employee behind the counter to the contract helpers: “The wheelchair can board first.”
What I thought: “And the uniform stays in Hamburg.”
What I said (with [...]
Universal Design versus Visitability
Ruth (Wheelie Catholic) has got some discussion going about Universal Design and Visitability.
Universal Design is based on the idea that products and environments should be designed in a way to make them usable by as many people as possible without adaption. It’s a very big (and important) idea. Visitability, on the other hand, is a [...]
Airport and rental car tips
We had family visit for Thanksgiving, including my mother-in-law, who uses a walker after several hip fractures. Her airport adventures with her daughters and their luggage prompt me to jot down a few thoughts.
Even if you don’t drive, if you are disabled, you should get a handicapped parking permit. Most jurisdictions allow you to have [...]
MIA?
AL Masters, where are you?
CripRevolution seems to have disappeared.
Our next concert
The Cantabile Singers present ‘Twas the Season, featuring Conrad Susa’s Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest for chorus, marimba, guitar and harp.
The concert will be Friday, December 1st, at the Broomfield Auditorium (a really beautiful acoustic space), and Saturday, December 2nd, at Mountain View Methodist Church in Boulder. It would be wonderful to see [...]
Wheelchair page updated
I’ve updated the wheelchair page.
The Good Old Days
In choir, we are rehearsing The Night Before Christmas:
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle…
After practicing the above, the guy next to me turned to the guy next to him and said, “Those were the good old days, when people actually knew how to use the simple past!”
“What, instead of ‘He [...]
Exercising the franchise
Just a couple of random items from my voting experience:
Paper or plastic?
I have been paying very little attention to the controversy over electronic voting. In Virginia, you went into a curtained booth and toggled little switches on a board till you were happy with your choices, then you pulled a big lever; the machine went [...]
Curiosity versus discretion
I went to my 25th college reunion last week (yes, Virginia, I’m old). I’ve hardly kept in touch with anyone, so as far as I know, only two other people at the reunion even knew that I now use a wheelchair.
I was afraid that no one would remember me, but that didn’t turn out to [...]
You’re too young to burn
We’ve had season tickets to the Takacs Quartet for a number of years. These sold-out concerts are in a 500 seat theatre at CU, and somebody pretty much has to die in order for someone else to get tickets.
Every year I call the box office and beg for seats on the aisle; this year we [...]
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