CELA 2010 & Gas Station Help

If you use a wheelchair or any other medical technology then you may want to find out more about this conference and the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers(NRRTS) organization. With the cutbacks in health care it is getting to be almost impossible to get the appropriate adaptive equipment for individuals with disabilities. Even if you have private insurance, don't hold your breath if you need a new adaptive item.

This conference/group is advocating with Congress to get people with disabilities the adapted equipment that they need. If you have a story to tell or want to give your input, make sure to contact them and your local representatives. For every letter that is received, politicians often realize that they represent a whole bunch more of their constituents. So yes, your voice does count!

http://www.nrrts.org/

Press on the event:
http://www.hmenews.com/?p=article&id=hm201001sRtRH5

Another issue NRRTS is advocating for according to their site is:
"NRRTS supports pursuing federal legislation for a safer more convenient refueling experience for people with disabilities, senior citizens, and parents of children with disabilities. An accessible, communication device to gain the attention of in store personnel would be part of this safer experience. This safer experience also needs to include signage indicating the existence of a calling device and hours that refueling services are available."

Reminder - Last Day to Enter Contest for $50 Safeway Gift Card

To enter the contest for the $50 Safeway gift card please add yourself as a follower to the Blog. This will allow me to contact you if you are the winner. To get a bonus entry put a comment on this blog post. Contest Ends Feb 14, 2010. Good luck!

Get a free phone! If you have a Disability and live in California you can get one too!

This is a great program that has been around forever. It gives people with disabilities specialized telecommunications products that allow them to use a phone. Whether you are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, and all other groups of disabilities are covered by their products.

All you have to do is print out the application, fill it out and have a doctor sign off on it. Then send it in to them and they will contact you and provide you with an appropriate totally free phone. They have hands free phones, phones with pictures for Alzheimers, and a wide variety of others.

I have used this program myself, so I can tell you it is legitamate and super easy to do.

http://ddtp.org/

If you do not live in California I would suggest calling their 800# and ask about other states.

PSA-IMPORTANT HEARING REMINDER

"Did you know that when MP3 players are purchased as gifts, the majority of purchasers are moms? That finding emerged at the Mommy Tech summit at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show.

But do you know about the potential risks? Kids often don't know how to use audio technology safely and they can harm their hearing as a result. In fact, hearing loss among young people is reported to be on the rise and there are strong concerns that a generation of young people could end up with prevalent hearing loss.

"For some time, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has warned that hearing loss in the United States could rise significantly due to the misuse of personal audio technology," ASHA President Tommie L. Robinson, Jr. explains. "Unfortunately, a report released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation cites some alarming trends about excessive entertainment media consumption among our nation's children, indirectly supporting ASHA's concerns. This should be a warning to parents that they must regulate children's exposure and fully understand the potential health threats associated with misuse and over exposure to such technologies."

"ASHA will continue to bring these issues to the forefront and appreciates the Kaiser Family Foundation's contributions to the national dialogue," Robinson adds.

According to a 2004 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children were reported as being exposed to 6 hours and 21 minutes of media (TV, music, internet, etc) per day. By 2009, this statistic had increased dramatically to 7 hours and 38 minutes per day. When media multitasking is taken into account, this leaps to 10 hours and 45 minutes per day. This massive consumption of media has led to decreased grades in school and ASHA contends it puts kids at an increased risk of hearing loss.

One thing that is clear from the study is that parents can be very positive influencers on how their children use entertainment media.

How You Can Help - Spread the Following Message

Whether your child received an MP3 player, gaming device, cell phone, laptop, or any other device with headphones, don't overlook the important health threat of hearing loss. Now is the time to reach out to other parents about the importance of hearing loss prevention, the damaging effects of excessive media consumption, and the resources available to them through ASHA.
Here are two simple ways to protect your children's - and your own - hearing.

· Keep the volume down. A good guide is half volume.
· Limit listening time. Give your hearing 'quiet breaks'.

Find more information and statistics at ASHA's website. You can also follow their Twitter feed or fan them on Facebook to get real time updates on their work."
-Amy Lupold Bair

When traveling, think about renting!

If you travel on the airlines with a wheelchair you know how dangerous it can be for your wheelchair. Instead of bringing your primary chair, you may want to rent one at your destination. This is becoming very popular. Remember too that most airports have wheelchairs and people to help you to get from place to place in the airport. So once at your destination the medical equipment provider meets you with the borrowed item, such as a scooter or manual chair.