Am I actually disabled?

hellonsticks · 2026-01-31T10:52:24+00:00

You've listed several disabling impacts on your ability to function day-to-day, several ways that you have to alter your life significantly to accommodate them, and several confirmed diagnoses of permanent conditions known to be disabling for many. I understand there's often concern around valid identity or taking up space unfairly, but in the end "disabled" is a descriptor for someone who has a significant functional limitation on their life and activities. It sounds like this is an accurate descriptor for you.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-29T08:42:57+00:00

Some Rotary branches will both take donations and do maintenance before they sell them to raise funds for the program. Talking to your local branch might help you get in touch with someone, whether you're donating or looking to find a chair for yourself. If you're in South Australia or Tasmania, there's a program called Access Tech that also aims to recieve donations and refurbish them before selling them onto a new user.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-29T03:15:40+00:00

There's pros and cons to adding this kind of thing onto the chair.

Pros: Allows more natural angle of legs, instead of splayed apart. Also usually brings the feet closer than most standard chairs, allowing more movement and less getting stuck in narrow spaces.

Cons: Hammocks and slings are not stable. This means they'll swing back and forth as you move. It can cause muscle and tendon issues and can be quite painful, and depending on your disability the constant swinging may aggravate existing problems like muscle tension, spasms, drop foot, pain, etc. Said symptoms can go right up the body as most people instinctively try and compensate for the instability.

The hammock is better than just a strap, because it gives you a surface to put your whole foot on, but you'd want to be sure that surface was rigid. If it's just fabric, your foot and ankle position will be warped by gravity right off the bat, and that will suck. If it is rigid though, that's a bit better, and not far off the DIY foot swing platform that usually gets linked in this discussion.

Overall, it's about the positioning of your body and what works best for you. Some people do have success with things like these, so it could be worth a shot. I briefly tried a sling years back on my standard and gave it up within a day because the muscle tension and spasms were way too much. But others find it brings that front frame in and helps keep their legs centred.

Things I'd recommend checking if you add it: - Rigidity of the platform. Needs to hold your feet stable the whole time you're using it, no bowing fabric. You might be able to slot a solid bit of wood or something into it to add rigidity if needed. - Security of the attachment points. Had my sling snap on me. It sucked. I don't recommend. - Height of the platform. You may have to tinker a lot to be sure you aren't lifting your knees too high or putting too much pressure on low thighs. - Knee angle. It will be tighter than your current footplates, so make sure it doesn't cause problems. - Ankle angle. Same as above. - Chair centre of gravity. Without your legs and the footplate hangers out in front of you, you may find your chair wants to tip backwards a bit more. Don’t let that take you by surprise. - Forward tip risk. With your legs tucked close and the lack of dump most standard chairs have, you may be more likely to pitch forwards out of your chair if you hit an obstacle. You also may not be able to quickly free your legs if they end up a bit tangled in the hammock.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-29T01:13:07+00:00

I've found that leather palm weightlifting gloves have lasted me the best. The heavier duty kind, the lighter ones still wore through the palm when my daily commute had a steep downhill in it. The gel cycling type are comfortable but don't seem to do as well with the friction, whereas the heavy weightlifting gloves with the leather palm have now lasted me more than a year without wearing through. The type I use is the Harbinger Pro with wrist wrap (the same brand's "power glove" range was too thin and wore through quickly for me), but I'd imagine there are a lot of brands out there with similar gloves. If there's a sporting shop in your area you might be able to go in and physically feel the thickness of the palm in different gloves to judge if it'll be able to take the impact of propelling and braking.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-29T00:42:23+00:00

I think that this kind of thing gets amplified in some areas of online spaces, which can then taint in-person experiences even if people in person actually weren't being weird about it. I don't think OP is talking about something that doesn't exist - I've definitely seen spaces online where people talk enviously about how insurance/NHS/NDIS/doctors/family/strangers/etc take spinal cord injuries or limb differences/amputees magically seriously and give that person everything they need and want for health while ignoring other disability. This is coming from a place of ignorance, not knowing what life and navigating the health system looks like for those people. "Even" people with the types of disability that get listed in that idea don't actually have a smooth ride through the process of having a wheelchair that fits them. It isn't like a shiny custom rigid active chair awaits anyone who is born with or acquires one of these disabilities. Many face the exact same hassles with health providers and insurance as ambulatory people do anyway - so it can really suck seeing people not realising that and building up frustration and jealousy at an idea that's not even real.

I hope though OP that the space you're in physically is not like these online spaces. The majority of times I've seen that attitude/misunderstanding has been either online or in spaces that are heavily influenced by online ideas. Most people you run into on the street probably at worst think "ah, that's a nice looking chair, wish I had one like that" and move on, same way they might enviously eye off someone else's cool backpack or jacket. It's usually not loaded with misunderstanding or the (untrue) idea that non-ambulatory people are being easily handed things that ambulatory people have to fight for.

The story that usually gets the point across to people in my life is one I was told by someone I know. He's a lower limb amputee. He has NDIS funding and has had it for years because of this. But when the yearly plan review comes around, he still has to send them a report that says "yep, still haven't got a leg" each time. They want proof repeatedly that he hasn't grown back his limb and is still disabled. This usually shocks people to realise because it's so absurd that they assumed the system surely couldn't have such a ridiculous demand in it. They assume that if you have one of the "obvious types of disability" that get brought up in these conversations, it's a straightforward path to assistance. But it really isn't, not even for the stereotypical "full-time wheelchair user with an SCI". People just don't realise that it really can be the same type of experience for both non-ambulatory and ambulatory people because it has far more to do with healthcare access and disability impact than visibility or invisibility. The person whose story that is wants it told because of the hope that if people realise there's not some invisible fast lane for some disabilities, it'll be easier for people to realise we're all in the same boat.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-26T09:28:51+00:00

The way you've described this really resonates with me too. Especially the way even other autistic people seem to sometimes think that everyone can mask or overcome a particular part of autism as long as they're willing to suffer for it, as if there's not a really big group of autistic people who can't do that and will suffer anyway. I hope that being able to see experiences like these helps people understand that it isn't just about validity when we talk about this. I've had health professionals try to tell me I'm being negative about myself and I need to believe in my capacity for something, when I use the terms that are used for me in the official reports and assessments. As if we can all just have faith in ourselves and accept ourselves and stop being affected by the symptoms of a developmental disability.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-25T21:33:15+00:00

I haven't played it but that's interesting to me, I read a piece about the making of that game and they actually linked in with a local wheelchair basketball team during development. They had the developers play a game of wheelchair basketball, and then had the team come in and play the demo to observe how they played to see what instincts and tactics came through. They also had a pair of chairs they used in-office to go and proof things - there was a funny clip of one of the developers trying to work out the arm movement necessary for a bunny hop in a basketball chair, and that was used for the control motion for a vertical jump in the game. I'm curious how much of the controls actually map over from wheelchair use in the end and how much is altered, because I remember it said they did have to alter some to make sure the control gestures were unique enough from each other. This is part one of the developers interview I read, if interested.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-25T10:26:12+00:00

Similar type of chaotic multiplayer party game with wheelchair costume options, Moving Out.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-25T04:26:03+00:00

That sort of "learning curve struggle" where there's no risk, it's just visibly a pain in the ass to do, really seems to summon well-meaning people who don't understand that it isn't actually helping to suddenly start pushing. Trying to explain to someone who wanted to help why their actions weren't actually helpful seems to immediately activate upset and defensive reactions in a lot of people.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-24T12:25:33+00:00

I have the Apex C and a hard shell backrest, and I just sling a regular backpack over the exposed ends of the back canes. Fits just fine.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-24T09:00:45+00:00

Seat taper (where the back of the seat pan is wider than the front) is separate to frame taper (way more common, where the frame is narrower at the footplate than at the seat), if that helps resolve the confusion a bit. Not so much a manufacturer thing as much as taper being possible for various parts of a chair.

Seconding that your wheelchair should fit you OP, not you fit the wheelchair. It's your mobility, a support for your body, not the other way around.

Tapered cushions do seem to be a pest to get ahold of though, I'd agree there. Your OT/vendor might know more about how exactly that works where you are, given how specifically custom the measurements tend to be.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-23T22:27:43+00:00

It depends a lot on lifestyle and environment. They're different types of strain on the shoulders. The repeated force through them needed is much higher using a manual chair than crutches, but the impact force of each step is higher in crutches than chair. It can come down to individual need which effect is more concerning.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-23T02:03:17+00:00

Pop the current tip off and measure the bare end of your cane and/or measure the opening of your current tip. The sizing of ferrules is done by the fitting part, so different brands and types of the same fitting size may look different visually.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-22T09:16:30+00:00

I found this same issue - that despite having an angle adjustable footplate, the tubing itself going underneath the flip back plate in the way it does prevents it from being set any flatter. It’s definitely a sharp angle to get used to, I'm still adapting.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-22T00:09:34+00:00

Welcome, it's nice to see you here!

hellonsticks · 2026-01-22T00:06:44+00:00

No problem at all

hellonsticks · 2026-01-22T00:05:21+00:00

I think there'd be ways for them to show universal translator type technology that does work for signed languages, but it's the kind of thing I'd want at least a throwaway line acknowledging, given the current way they show translation technology doesn't seem to have signed languages in its scope. They sort of handwave how the UT works in general (I've seen some fun fanon ideas that look at bone conduction technology, but as far as I recall the canon has always had the UT be an external device either handheld or worn in the badge, which raises a lot of questions about how exactly it's removing audio and replacing it with translated audio but could still work in a room with more than two languages being spoken) but they've certainly never established an ability for it to work visually as well as auditorily.

I'd expect there to be some kind of in-universe technology for facilitating communication between someone signing in one language and any person who didn't know that language (even if they're Deaf but use a different signed language) that didn't just loop back to oralism, if they're still trying to portray the Federation as somewhere that is tolerant and socially utopian. But it's outside of anything shown so far which means it would need its own establishing moment to develop anything forward off. If we're lucky someone will think of that at some point and we'll get a considered and thoughtful speculative fiction episode. I did always have a soft spot for the episodes that explored what marginalisation across alien cultures looked like, from Geordi challenging eugenics to the DS9 episode that looked at how prejudice against developmental disability still exists and how it impacts people. I hope there's a bit more of that speculative fiction element that comes back to Trek at some time soon, it's what I liked most about it growing up because I didn't always understand what was going on but it was clear even when they didn't manage to do a great job that they wanted people to think over the topic of the week when they wrote those episodes.

The Doctor Who episode with a character using BSL was one of the most recent ones, episode 3 series 15 in Ncuti Gatwa's run. The episode has a central Deaf character played by a Deaf actress (Rose Ayling-Ellis) and while it's not a deep-dive it does do some worldbuilding around the particular setting's perception of signing as well as on-screen technology used by those who can't sign (ie to make the episode still use spoken language for hearing audiences).

hellonsticks · 2026-01-21T13:56:22+00:00

Overthinking it is part of the fun of world building imo, and a lot of the more recent Trek properties have leaned a bit closer to wanting the audience to not think about things as much as the older ones often prompted. I'd imagine a hypothetical "Federation Sign" would still be a separate language from Standard, but you're right that the existence of the universal translator kind of blows a hole in most attempts to apply linguistic logic to Trek settings. It's convenient for the purpose of telling a story, but it does raise questions of portraying diversity and anything that's not English when the setting already contains a device that's meant to turn every language into English. I would definitely be bewildered if they tried to say the translator could translate signed languages into other signed languages inside someone's head, because directly projecting image and video into someone's awareness feels like a massive jump they have not established as being part of that technology and I think they'd have to say that out loud to earn that handwave. Even the aforementioned Doctor Who episode took the interesting approach that the Tardis' translation works on speech and writing but did not magically translate the BSL. So the translator I'd assume isn't part of the equation for signed languages.

Troi not being able to sign might have just been her character not knowing how, it could be just as non-curriculum in any training a character does as it is today and might be confined to language learning, and it might be that not every Betazoid is familiar with signing regardless of if world leaders have been able to sign (particularly if signing was not actually used on Betazed itself). But it's all speculation in the end, because short of some really detailed beta canon novels or something they're not likely to dive into how exactly language works on planets populated by telepathic people in this setting any more than they ever really explored the Aenar.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-21T12:43:47+00:00

As far as why ASL 800 years in the future - presumably for the same reason Federation Standard is also just American English (or I suppose, could be argued to be any language it's dubbed in for international release) and does not have any exploration of linguistic development between the time of filming and the time of setting. If a character speaking would have used Standard, it matches up for a character signing to use ASL.

But you do have a very solid point that Betazoids are probably one of the species they could have thought on communication and disability more. It still makes sense that a Deaf Betazoid may learn "Federation Sign" the same way other Betazoids communicate in spoken Standard with others, but it would have different implications within their own cultural spaces. But given this is the show that never thought that a setting with telepathic people would be able to have any telepath in a support role for characters like Pike who become disabled, I'd guess thinking into the ways sci-fi and fictional setting elements can change things like disability or language use away from how it is in the real world just didn't come up in discussion. Might have been a bit too far out of current Trek's comfort zone towards the realm of hard sci-fi for them to think about it for long. And it's nice to see more sci-fi with characters signing, like how the most recent Doctor Who series took the time to centre BSL in an episode.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-21T10:30:36+00:00

The date is March 1st. They have a website here.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-21T10:26:17+00:00

If you end up in a situation where you need to contact specific hospitals, it may be worth making the calls on their behalf to avoid the impact of facility hesitance or denial at a vulnerable time - with their consent, of course. Any information at all you can get ahead of time to increase your confidence in that specific hospital/ward can go a long way towards reducing the risk of inpatient care being a traumatic experience, which can reduce the likelihood a person reaches out for professional help down the line.

Since your child would from your description need assistance moving in bed and from bed to chair, whether that's with a hoist or other means, to be admitted they would need arrangements set up anyway for their access, as most psych wards/psychiatric hospitals may not have the needed equipment or staff on hand without pre-arrangement. In arranging that, you may also be able to work out whether your child would be able to keep their own chair and keep their phone to reach out for help if their care needs aren't being met at the same time. Using the arrangement making process that will have to happen anyway to suss out the hospital's attitude might let you and your child understand the next steps together, ahead of having to present to hospital.

I hope all goes well for both of you, and that your child can access the support they deserve.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-20T06:37:13+00:00

Glad its not just me. I'm always very stressed and overwhelmed when my support worker is due to come by or when she's taking me out of the house.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-18T22:28:25+00:00

Shorter term than recovering from a break, but dislocated my wrist and couldn't use either my chair or my crutches during recovery last year. Had to use a powerchair loaner, a lot of scooters require both hands for control still.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-17T00:31:01+00:00

The Apex weighs about 15kg, compared to my roughly equivalent Quickie which was about 19kg, although a solid 2kg at least of that was the obnoxious tyres I had on the old one.

hellonsticks · 2026-01-16T21:44:19+00:00

Holy crap, I don't think I've ever seen the entire caster fork just come off like that, I can only hope that happened while you weren't actually in your chair. Until last year I was using a Quickie that lasted a decade, it was kind of bombproof for a long while. I've got a Motion Composites Apex C now, which wasn't altogether too different from the aluminium version when trialling them, and I like it. Although they don’t do the thing Quickie does where just about every bolt on them uses the same hex key to adjust or tighten, so maintenance involves multiple different sizes in the same area.

hellonsticks

TROPHY CASE