Written by: Jessica Solimando, Marketing Account Manger for 101 mobility Halloween – the time for pumpkins and witches, costumes and trick-or-treating. For one day, we get a free pass to dress up and be whoever we want. However, wheelchair-users are familiar with the difficulty of trying to incorporate their devices into their costumes. We love…
Can a quadriplegic, someone paralyzed from the neck down, drive a car? Race car driver Sam Schmidt’s career came to an abrupt end when a crash in 2000 left him paralyzed. After 17 years though, project SAM (Semi Autonomous Motorcar), a car with various modifications, has helped Sam get back on the road. Here is…
Written by: Esmeralda Mandujano, CalAgrAbility Independent Living (IL), as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy or a way of looking at disability. It is a way of looking at society and a worldwide movement of people with disabilities who work towards self-determination, self-respect, and equity. While taking care of each other, individuals living with…
Written by: Stephen March, FreedomTech’s Financial Lending Specialist For many folks with disabilities, assistive technology (AT) is crucial for increasing and/or maintaining independence. According to the World Health Organization, globally more than one billion people need one or more AT devices and only 1 in 10 people actually have access to the AT they need.…
Written by: Madeline Cowdell, News Producer “Red brick is actually red!” I exclaimed, when I walked out of a San Francisco Bay Area optometrist’s office, while trying on a pair of Enchroma sunglasses. That day was the first time I saw many colors and shades I had never seen before. To me, red brick was…
Written by: Kevin Hansen, Voice Options Program Manager During the time that the Voice Options Pilot Project has been running we have seen a significant impact in the lives of the participants that have received services from this program. This pilot project was funded by the California Public Utilities Commission and officially started on January…
Written by: Emily Schooling, Independent Living Advocate at Placer Independent Resource Services September is Service Dog Month! In honor of all service animals, we’re sharing 10 tips that will help you separate fact from fiction. There are three different kinds of support animals. Service dogs are task trained to assist handlers with disabilities so the…
Written by: Christina Mills, Deputy Director, California Foundation of Independent Living Centers The chances that most manual wheelchair users will eventually graduate to a power wheelchair are high. As much as I’d like to believe that my body, and specifically my shoulders, should work like they have forever (in a seated position, moving back and…
Written by: Christine Fitzgerald, Community Advocate, Silicon Valley Independent Living Center Not all situations and needs are the same, and this extends to medical needs. Without insurance coverage, many would be forced to choose between DME and basic needs, like food or housing. As it is, many people already have to make this choice between…
Written by: Christine Fitzgerald, Community Advocate, Silicon Valley Independent Living Center When I think of what life might be like without access to Durable Medical Equipment (DME), it makes me think of living in earlier times. Not too long ago many of us would have been forced to live in institutions where we would most…