Many of us who had polio used canes, wheelchairs and bracing on our path to recovery and gradually were able to relinquish them. Others of us have developed different chronic conditions that have managed just fine until now without mobility equipment. But as we get older our bodies change, our symptoms escalate and daily activities use so much more energy …
Shared peer advice from polio survivors about what works for them.
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News about people who have made significant contributions to the disability community.
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Winter
BABY, IT IS COLD OUTSIDE! William G. Stothers Snow and bone-chilling cold are making this a brutal winter across North America. And Phil the groundhog says it will go on for another six weeks. Bad news for people stuck in this kind of weather, especially polio survivors. We know the snow-choked wheelchair wheels, snow-banked sidewalks and curb cuts, melting messes indoors, …
Out to Sea – Accessible Cruising
I love to travel. No, I live to travel, and when I was mobile I did a lot of it, from camping here in the US to sightseeing in Europe. I can divide my travel history into three phases. Phase 1 – “Almost” able-bodied. I could walk distances, climb, pull my own luggage, hop on and off trains. No need …
And Away We Go! Traveling with Mobility Aids
Travel overseas – or anywhere – can be enjoyable, enriching, enlightening, or a complete disaster if your equipment ends up mutilated or at the wrong destination. You should have the adventures, not your wheelchair. I have flown with a power scooter and a manual wheelchair, and have accompanied others who traveled with power wheelchairs. Air travel affords you less control …
Travel Resources
New Horizons: Information for the Air Traveler with a Disability Accessible Air Travel: A Guide for People with Disabilities Global Access Travel Aides International Access-Able Travel Source Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped (SATH) American Society of Travel Agents Scoot-Around North America Disability Travel and Recreation Resources Emerging Horizons: Accessible Travel News Fodor’s Great American Vacations for …
Keeping Mobility Equipment Together
A few months ago I flew to the east coast for a cruise and needed to take both my scooter and manual wheelchair. The problem was that both “vehicles” had loose parts and I was worried that something would get lost in the baggage compartment during the flight. My scooter has two parts that come off easily – the basket …
Past and Future
Grace Young When I had polio at age 9, I was happy to have a wheelchair – any wheelchair – that would allow me the freedom to leave my bedroom. The only model available at that time was all wood with a cane back and wooden wheels. Undoubtedly it’s featured in the Smithsonian now. Large, heavy, clunky – forget taking …
Don’t Ignore Pressure Sores
Mary Ann Buckingham had polio when she was 12 and walked using braces and crutches. Now 73, she started using a wheelchair about 20 years ago when her arms became too weak to use crutches. As a polio support group leader for 10 years, she was well aware of the danger of pressure sores and took preventive measures to avoid …
Pain and Using Wheelchair
Post-Polio Health, Volume 28, Number 1, Winter 2012 Ask Dr. Maynard Frederick M. Maynard, MD“Ask Dr. Maynard,” Post-Polio Health, Volume 28, Number 1, Winter 2012 Question: I have been having a LOT of pain through my butt into my lower back. I looked up muscle groups and think I see what is causing the problem. I sit at my desk nine or so hours …