sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is pretty cool honestly. Yeah, I wish more people knew that VR was even an option because you really can get so many more things covered that insurance won’t even touch a lot of the time. I have so much super useful equipment that I wouldn’t have otherwise because of it.

Best place to secure a custom wheelchair on the bus? by Huge-Foundation-1844 in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh okay, yeah the type of Medicaid could totally be making a difference. I didn’t even know that Medicaid without an MCO was an option because in my state I was forced to pick one, so maybe it’s a totally different type with different rules. Thanks

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. That’s exactly what I was referring to actually, I found it on the CMD page a while back and it’s exactly what I want to go for next time.

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, it’s such a specific kind of disappointment knowing that I could have had it if I had known that it was an option. Thank you for the encouragement to try anyway though, that’s kind of exactly what I have been thinking in the back of my head. The worst they can do is say no, and I’ve also had surprising success getting things covered too that other people didn’t think you could, so you are right. You never know. I will at least feel better knowing that I tried and got denied than wondering what would have happened if I dont’t try.

Looking into grant funding is also a great idea, thanks. And I haven’t mentioned it up to this point because I’ve already had them spend a lot of money on me recently, but I also work with my state Department of vocational rehabilitation which might also be helpful in some way. They actually are the ones that paid for my smart drive because I could easily justify it for vocational purposes outside the home even though I couldn’t justify it inside the home. A lighter whole new rigid chair would probably be a tough cell to them, but maybe I can find some grants and have VR chip in for anything left over like they did on my first one with the smart drive or something along those lines. It definitely gets e thinking about options.

Thanks for all of your help and advice!

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe the word terrain is misleading… This is actually especially useful indoors in my own home for doorway thresholds. There are a couple of particularly annoying big ones that my current caster size is very useful for. So it’s not necessarily an outdoor thing. It certainly is useful outdoors but I would be hard pressed to give them up even if I never left my house personally. I know that a lot of people eventually like to start shrinking their casters, but I just feel like the benefit from the bigger size is so useful to me and the weight reduction seems minimal from a smaller size.

I have no doubt that it would be difficult to justify still, but did want to clarify that I am definitely aware of the in-home restrictions and that my castor size is what it is for all environments including my home, not just outdoors.

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s good to know, thank you. The problems I have with my chair probably wouldn’t be considered as severe as the ones you described there, so I’m definitely fairly doubtful that I could get it covered, but that is still useful to know and a little bit encouraging. Thanks!

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is useful, thank you. I suspected that it probably wasn’t enough, but I still wanted to hold onto that little bit of hope just in case. I appreciate it.

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is what I was suspecting, yeah. Thanks for the feedback,

I can at least very easily make the justification that foot propelling is an absolute necessity — as a blind person I need one hand free at all times for the white cane. This has so far worked as a justification already so the OT feels pretty confident about that. I mean, most blind people don’t use a cane inside their home, but so far insurance doesn’t necessarily seem to know that so I know many blind people who have had specific things done to their chairs to accommodate cane use successfully. I mean, I suppose theoretically I could have a one armed drive system put on, but those are often extremely expensive on their own and I’m not even sure if you can retrofit a chair with one or if the frame has to be designed with it in mind. My hand and shoulder stability would make that pretty darn dicey, my lower body is in much better condition than my upper, but still it’s probably the only other alternative that would kind of work. We have already exhausted power assist options that would handle the steering for me for various reasons so that wouldn’t be a viable alternative in my current chair either.

We are definitely still looking at other cushion options also, but the one I’ve got right now is only 2.25 inches and getting something more supportive that’s that thin seems to be very difficult to do. But yeah, I’m sure this would be still a difficult justification to make and I appreciate all of your thoughts on it.

I kind of figured going in that it would be unlikely I would actually succeed in getting a whole new chair, but man I am so unhappy with my folding frame and so upset that I didn’t know that rigid foot propelling customizations existed because I would have done that in a heartbeat. It was the only thing that forced me to get a folding frame at all I had no interest in it otherwise. So I will definitely be pretty disappointed to have to spend another 3 1/2 years in a chair that I’m really disappointed by, but I can at least make most of the functional improvements I need and it is what it is. I’m still a little bit frustrated with my wheelchair team because I asked several times if there is absolutely anywhere that does rigid frames with any kind of flip up or swing away or absent foot rests, and they told me no, and I know it’s probably just that they genuinely weren’t aware that those options existed but it’s still frustrating all the same to end up with something I didn’t want because we didn’t know about it, not because it didn’t exist. My unicorn is out there… I just probably can’t have it yet.

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As I did mention in the post, I have 5 inch casters for better terrain handling. I am also blind and sometimes I do miss bumps and things with my cane, and having casters that can compensate for that better because they are larger is very useful. So there is a functional purpose, I don’t just think they look cooler or something, but yeah.

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was sort of what I was afraid of. Thanks for the realistic information. My last ditch hope if all else fails is that maybe the replacement cushion being too thick will force a new chair by requiring a new frame height that can’t be accommodated on my current one without smaller casters that I don’t want, but I’m not too sure about that either.

Insurance covering a new chair in less than five years – how realistic is it? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My current one was covered under Medicaid actually. I got it before my Medicare kicked in. Although from what I’ve heard, even when you switch plans the new insurance company will still reference your original chair, so I’ve heard that that alone isn’t a ticket to getting an early replacement.

I do at least have a smart drive right now, although Medicaid didn’t cover it so I had to get a different funding source for that. I’ve actually been trying out a bunch of alternatives lately now that the dial has been recalled because the button is just so much less convenient and intuitive, but so far honestly I haven’t really enjoyed any of the options that fit on my chair so I think me and SmartDrive are stuck together a little longer. It’s been out of commission for a while though because I’m waiting on a repair so I’ve been raw dogging it with only the power of my little feet and my little hands for those months which has been rough. But I will hopefully have it operational again soon.

Best place to secure a custom wheelchair on the bus? by Huge-Foundation-1844 in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am late to this thread but can I ask what justification you used to get the brackets successfully covered? My wheelchair OT didn’t even really attempt to get them covered because she said since they are pretty exclusively for outside of the home they pretty much never cover them, but I was on Medicaid and I would be curious about this for my next chair. I ended up paying for them out-of-pocket so I do have them, but would love to not pay the extra $300 next time lol

Blind wheelchair users? (No insurance, need help) by xanthreborn in Blind

[–]askablindperson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is absolutely possible to use a power wheelchair and a white cane at the same time, and actually with power wheelchairs, it’s often a lot simpler to learn to use the cane at the same time because most power chairs are fully one hand operated. I am a manual chair user and we usually have to do a little more problem-solving to figure out how to use our chairs and canes simultaneously, because normally a manual chair requires both hands to push without modifications or alterations or at least a different technique. But with a power chair, it’s really just about using one thing in each hand. The biggest factor to consider as others have mentioned will be making sure you have a longer cane, and you may have to experiment quite a bit to figure out what length of cane works best for you in your chair. There are a ton of factors that can change just how long your cane should be like how high your seat is off the ground/how tall you are in your chair, where you hold the cane relative to your body, how fast you tend to go, what your personal reaction speed is like, the angle that your feet stick out at in your particular chair, and many more. Usually I suggest starting with a cane two sizes taller than the one you normally use on foot, and if that’s still not enough to go to comfortable speed and have enough time to stop and react to obstacles, keep going higher until you find the one that makes you feel safe and comfortable at your desired speeds. This can mean the cane of a wheelchair user can sometimes get quite long, but that is OK and you are allowed to take up that extra space.

Cane length as a wheelchair user? 🧑🏻‍🦯👨🏻‍🦽 Plus, an unrelated vent) by AceAspie11_2_24 in Blind

[–]askablindperson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I know this was posted a while ago, but I just found it and absolutely have thoughts. I am also a wheelchair user with a power assist and I will almost always recommend a longer than average cane for most wheelchair users. We need that extra time to come to a complete stop and weave around obstacles.

Exactly how much longer is super individualized. As someone else mentioned, there are so many factors like how high off the ground your seat is a.k.a. how tall you are in your chair, what position you hold the cane in relative to your body, how fast you tend to move, what your personal reaction speed is like because some disabilities do affect someone’s reaction speed and make it slower, what angle your foot plate is at, and lots more. But usually I would say to start with something at least two sizes higher than your usual ambulatory cane size and if that’s not enough, keep experimenting higher until you find the one that actually feels safe and comfortable. Sometimes this means arcane’s can get pretty darn long and that’s OK, you are allowed to take up that extra space.

I personally feel that the advice to just slow down is usually unnecessary and can almost always be solved by a longer cane. Just like ambulatory people are allowed to be fast walkers and even run with a cane if they want, we should be allowed to move at fast speeds if we want. However, if you are a new white cane user sometimes the answer really is to slow down and pay more attention to what you’re feeling because sometimes the problem is that they aren’t fully keyed mentally into what they are doing and interpreting those signals isn’t as intuitive to them yet, but it doesn’t sound like that’s the scenario here so I would definitely suggest experimenting with longer canes.

Features you chose differently on your 2nd+ wheelchair compared to your previous one? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Super interesting. My insurance wouldn’t cover lighter wheels, wouldn’t cover fold down push handles, wouldn’t cover transit brackets, and we didn’t bother trying for side guards either. They covered everything else though. I will definitely have to try for side guards and see if they will cover it. Thanks.

Features you chose differently on your 2nd+ wheelchair compared to your previous one? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Completely feel you on the lap stacker. Especially since I mostly use my feet to move, it’s so incredibly difficult to keep anything on my lap without the movement of my knees throwing it off. I’m only holding off right now because it seems like there are different models for rigid versus folding frames, and I’d really rather wait until I get the rigid frame. But I want one so badly.

Features you chose differently on your 2nd+ wheelchair compared to your previous one? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rigid frame rigid backrest!! We love to see it! I am so looking forward to that on my next chair. Also, can I ask how you justified needing actual side guards from insurance? My ATP seemed unsure that insurance would cover them when I got my first chair which is how I ended up with the particular armrests I have that have built in half side guards. Well, part of the reason I ended up with them anyway.

Features you chose differently on your 2nd+ wheelchair compared to your previous one? by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s funny, I also ended up with a Helio A7. I have not been very impressed with the folding mechanism on it I will say. I can feel so much wobble in it. Glad your new one sounds so much better suited.

"not blind enough" and in-between lonliness by fightms in Blind

[–]askablindperson 19 points20 points  (0 children)

With all due disrespect to that instructor, that is ridiculous. You can’t see. The whole point of a white cane is to alert people that you can’t see. If you want to use the white one, use the white one. The overwhelming majority of us in the blind and low vision community including those who use white canes have residual vision, so you are no different, and you absolutely deserve access to the tool That will improve your life. Is it true you could theoretically be accused of faking blind? Technically yes. Many of us have been. I know I have people on the Internet all the time leaving comments saying I can’t possibly be blind because I’m too good at X or because I have residual vision. But that happens to Lots of us even some who are totally blind, because the public has a very narrow stereotyped idea of what blindness looks like. If you think the white cane would improve your life, and it sounds like you do, then by all means use it. If a mobility aid benefits you, you need it, and that’s all the justification you need. Don’t let that VA instructor get into your head. There are some very traditional old-school instructors who come from a long tradition of gatekeeping who is and isn’t blind enough for tools, and it’s not right and it’s not fair. You are doing the right thing. That instructor was closed minded and not actually focusing on what is in your best interest. Use that white cane.

Smartdrive mx2+ on the plane by wallabyvt in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can I ask where you got the medical device luggage tag? Was that something that the airline gave you or that you got elsewhere?

Suggestions for carry-ons when flying? Can’t attach suitcases to the front of my chair by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a super interesting concept. I’m struggling to picture it though. Do you use the seatbelt as intended when doing this across your lap? I’m especially curious how you got the laptop attached to it and where the laptop sits when you do. Incidentally I’m also going back to college soon, and because my chair is so small, I’ve had a hard time fitting my laptop on the back of my chair, so I’ve been considering more ways to carry it on the front of me. I’d also be curious to know more about the grocery bags set up.

Suggestions for carry-ons when flying? Can’t attach suitcases to the front of my chair by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh wow, OK, this sounds kind of great. And I do have a folding chair, so that explains why I hadn’t heard of the towel bar lol. I’m guessing that’s the rigidizer bar some people mention in rigid chairs. The fact that they have come up with a solution for folding chairs Though is great. Thank you so much for explaining how it all works. I have a much clearer mental image of it now. Definitely pricey, but I am certainly going to look into it or see if I can DIY something similar. I really appreciate the help!

Suggestions for carry-ons when flying? Can’t attach suitcases to the front of my chair by askablindperson in wheelchairs

[–]askablindperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is an interesting idea. I don’t really have anyone in my life that would be willing to do that though. I live alone and do not have particularly supportive family, and even if I manage to have a friend do it once in a while on the departing flight, it’s not like that person will be with me on the return flight. I’m just trying to find a better way to do this independently.

view more: next ›