April 2019 Newsletter
Get ready to enjoy our parks this summer! This month’s meeting of the Sonoma-Marin SCI Support Group will be held on Monday, April 15 from 4:00-5:30 pm at the Clubhouse of the Azure Apartment complex (5 Indigo Drive – Petaluma). Ellie Muelrath and Meagan Horeczko, colleagues of Irma Cuevas, Community Engagement Coordinator for the Sonoma County Regional Parks, will be joining us. Meagan and Ellie will give us an update on any new access developments in county parks and will be leading the County’s Eco-access program in the near future. If you are a support group newcomer call Stan at 707-774-6466 to notify the group you are planning to attend.
Local News
Save the date: on Saturday, April 27th the Disability Services and Legal Center (DSLC) will be hosting their annual A.D.A. (Aging, Disability, and Advocacy) Expo, a unique event that highlights technologies specifically designed to assist people with disabilities and the utilization of these technologies. The Expo will be held in the Grace Pavilion at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. It will run from 10 am – 3 pm. The goal of this event is to educate and inform seniors, Veterans, people with disabilities, health professionals, educators, and the general public about Assistive Technology and the services that are available for them.
One of our members has informed us of the availability of parallel bars for free. They are 10’ long and open to about 40”. J.J. Stivers is making the bars available, and Interested persons should contact J.J. directly at 707-246-6429 if interested.
Our friends at NorCal SCI have published an article about a buddy workout program thatBORP in Berkeley has developed. It’s a bit of a ride to Berkeley but looks intriguing. Sometimesyou might want to work out, but don’t want to do it by yourself. Here is one option.
https://norcalsci.org/news/2019/3/24/borp-offers-buddy-system-for-great-workouts.
General SCI News
Support group member Mike Sherman submitted this website for inclusion this month
https://wheelchairtravel.org/ .
Here you'll find information and resources to help you plan a wheelchair accessible vacation. John Morris is a passionate traveler who also happens to be a triple amputee and wheelchair user. He created a wheelchair travel blog to show others that traveling with a disability is possible. He’s flown more than 750,000 miles and visited 30 countries and territories — all with just one hand, a passport and power wheelchair.
Video of the month Check out this YouTube video about a product that allows quadraplegics to empty their own leg bag:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4UqJ__0d10
Has anyone ever used anything like this?
Like many of us I need a caregiver to help with this function, substantially limiting my independence. The product website is
https://www.jb-3.com
From New Mobility magazine: ever meet a C5-6 motor complete quad who self-transfers into a standard hand-controlled car and ties his own shoes? Eddie Crouch emphasizes themental side of maximizing everyday function. “Physical strength might be helpful but it’s notgoing to get you anywhere without stubbornness, critical thinking, and a great deal of patience”.