Happy New Year all you Party People

Well time we said goodbye to 2010 and hi to 2011

CHEERS Everyone. Have a great night celebrating and I'll see you all next year.  Anne

Other ideas for Lacing Shoes

After the last article on shoe buttons, I decided to see what else was available for those of use that might need help with laces and thinks. I found another product that seams to be even better than shoe buttons.
Elastic Shoe Laces Turns a lace-up shoe into a slip-on shoe. Lace and tie shoes as usual but you only have to do it once. Shoes can be slipped on or off easily without tying and untying the laces. Ingenious.

 And here is another idea, there called   Lock Laces 
 I personally like the Apple green. Lock Laces are a patented "elastic shoelace and spring activated locking device"

How faith brought me shoe buttons

How faith brought me shoe buttons

By Maggie Delaney.


Having been born with an injured left arm I faced many unusual challenges at an early age. Tying my shoelaces proved to be one without an easy solution. Making knots and bows appeared to be impossible with only one hand. My parents and teachers, who were often helpful with other things, had no suggestions.

During elementary school, occupational therapists worked with me on this skill, but they ultimately had to admit defeat. I continued to have to seek help with this task. As I grew older, I became increasingly disturbed at having to ask for assistance; it made me feel helpless and embarrassed. About this time, I began to pray that God would help me with this difficult problem.

In junior high and high school, I continued to be persistent and keep a positive attitude, though the fact that I had to ask my parents or sisters to tie my shoelaces every morning made it harder for me to think positively. I constantly worried that my shoelaces would come untied at school, and I would have to ask someone publicly to retie them for me. I had to learn that those who teased me and laughed at me had no idea how hard it would be for them to tie their shoelaces with just one hand, and that they were just feeling insecure about my being different.



When I was eighteen my faith was rewarded.

An occupational therapist introduced me to shoe buttons, which are devices attached by small screws into the top eyelets of a shoe. For anyone who has limited use of his or her arms and hands, these shoe buttons allow an individual to wear ordinary shoes. Once the shoelaces that come with the footwear are laced and wrapped around the shoe buttons, they are tied. This knot may be sewn to keep it from coming untied, or it may be criss-crossed around the shoe buttons before they are tied. I found that they come in white, brown, and black, and I could use them with any of my shoes. I was able to go off to college relieved of the burden of asking for help with this task.

I now take great pride in tying my shoelaces. I am no longer dependent on others or fear what

they might say to me. I have taken on the responsibility to inform people with physical impairments about shoe buttons and their significance, and I continue to educate everyone that through the work of the Lord all things are possible.

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
You may visit your local medical supply store or order these shoe buttons online at http://www.wisdomking.com/line100036.html

I've never heard of shoe buttons before. They look like a great idea. Does anyone know if there available in Europe
Anne

A thought for this weather.

How is snow white? -Pretty good, according to the 7 dwarfs.

LOL or you'll cry.

Solo Travel with a Disability by Scott Rains

Rolling Rains Report

This article was first published by Janice Waugh on Solo Traveler where Scott was invited to be a guest blogger and share his unique insights on traveling solo with a disability.

Janice Waugh exposed the heart of solo travel in her free eBook Glad You're Not Here: A solo traveler's manifesto. She found that solo travel is colored by whatever life stage the traveler is navigating.

Disability can make one life stage intrude on another when design and policies create barriers that limit one's independence. They complicate both the how and the why of travel. The skill is to anticipate collisions when they are predictable or embrace them with grace when they are not.

Solo travel can be a spiritual practice, a rite of passage, a time for reprioritizing – but Maslow's Theory of Development reminds us that basic human needs must first be met. For many people with a disability the motivation for solo travel is the same as for their non-disabled peers but the logistics can be many times more complex.

• Wayne Teasdale embodied the archetype of solo travel. As a Ganges-bathed sanyassin – a wandering monk – teaching was his calling. My wife and I were able to provide him with hospitality and companionship along his chosen way of spirituality until cancer brought him unexpected detours.
• Steven Dawes moved to a different call but from a similar depth. Shortly after going blind he turned inward from the coast near Sydney and began a solo Walkabout in the general direction of Ayer's Rock – Uluru. Over Australian quantities of beers in Perth he poured out his story and shared the depth of his motivation to test his new limits and explore his potential.
• Craig Grimes fell out of a tree. Discharged from the hospital in the UK he set out, backpack slung behind his wheelchair, to explore Europe. We met in South America, and then India, and later in Florida.

The simple truth is "nobody stops moving". Whether it is moving through space, or time, or relationships travel is both metaphor and a concrete reality. A few of us have dedicated significant portions of our lives to making travel possible for those who experience disabilities. Here is what we have discovered.

Inclusive tourism

We can create the built world around a more realistic and inclusive image of what it is to be human. Meanwhile we work with what we cannot change about our bodies and do the same things as everyone else – but sometimes a bit differently.

We call what we are promoting "Inclusive Tourism". We mean social inclusion; full participation.

The moral impulse for social inclusion is enshrined in national laws like the ADA, various Anti Discrimination Acts, and the UN's Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. The practical tools for achieving this inclusion flow from the seven principles and eight goals of Universal Design.

Universal Design is "a framework for the design of places, things, information, communication and policy to be usable by the widest range of people operating in the widest range of situations without special or separate design". As we succeed in convincing more and more destinations that it is not only the "right thing to do" (even where laws don't mandate it) we show them the studies documenting that it is the profitable thing to do. With the industry coming to an awareness of how it can profit from us as customers – the US market of people with disabilities spending $ 13.6 annually (OD Market Study, 2002, 2005) – solo travel becomes physically possible.

Disability – a motivation for travel

Sometimes the very predictability of daily activities related to a disability is enough to spur one to travel. Consider these routine-breakers:

• If regular kidney dialysis is part of your lifestyle then taking one of several dialysis cruises available each year might determine your itinerary – at least until Endeavour Safaris is able to secure funding for a planned fully accessible game reserve lodge with dialysis.
• If you want to cruise but need oxygen, or a machine to help with breathing, Special Needs at Sea specializes in what you are looking for.
• Your solo travel might be limited to a few stolen moments in port but, if you are Deaf, the annual RCCL Deaf Cruise provides hospitality unrivaled by any other experience on the water – with the possible exception of chartering your own yacht through Waypoint Yacht Charter Services.
• Trekking and backcountry camping offer a wrap-around silence that is appropriate to solo travel. If you have a mobility impairment maybe you want a Eureka wheelchair-friendly tent designed by Blue Sky Designs combined with a Marvel Wheelchair, the Kilmanjaro-climbing wheelchair used by Jesse Owens, or SideStix super-strong sport crutches. Consider carrying the Spot GPS device for safety.
• Adventure sports are a good antidote to stereotypes about disability. White water rafting in Canada, hot air ballooning in the UK, wildlife safaris and bungee jumping in South Africa, elephant rides in Thailand, or zipline trips in Brazil are all easy to arrange.

These days there are many specialist travel agents, tour operators, and publications to help with trip planning. I always suggest starting with Candy Harrington's work including herEmerging Horizons web site and magazine. She also has several books including "Barrier-Free Travel: A Nuts And Bolts Guide For Wheelers And Slow Walkers.

Going the distance

"Step over the finish line." That was the advice coming from the radio as I sped northward alone toward the Canadian border at dawn. Travel writer Rick Steves was interviewing Norman Fischer author of the mythic solo travelogue "Sailing Home". Steves' point was about being transformed at the end of a journey. When you get to the destination , Steves said, "Go beyond the souvenir shop. Go over the finish line. Discover what only that place has to offer".

Captivated by the radio dialogue, passing not far from Rick's home at the time, I was on my way to oversee modification of a 42 foot catamaran in Bellingham Washington. The project added a bosun's chair so that, with some help, I could "sling myself over the finish line" onto the boat and sail out onto the bay.

Too often the logistical barriers of travel become handicapping for someone with a disability. Little energy, imagination, or finance remains to wander beyond the finish line and be immersed in the spirit of a place. With projects like this catamaran my 89 year old father, and friends from his assisted living community, will be among the first to use the bosun's chair as they take the new "aerial route" aboard. A physical barrier is removed and a new set of life-enhancing possibilities becomes available to a whole community of people.

There's a paradox to solo travel. It is there in the value we call inter-dependence which forms the heart of disability culture.

Unfamiliar environments remind us that even the simplest activities require us to rely on others. Environments that were never built for people with disabilities in the first place open that level of awareness to us permanently.

Solo travel, from the outside, looks like the ultimate in asserting independence. Yet we know from the inside that it is really a way of deeply connecting with persons and place. By paring travel down to the essentials the solo traveler feels the consequences of their individual choices with a new immediacy. Solo travel is a lot like living with a disability.

We set up a facebook comment button for you, its on your right here.We would love to here what you have to say about anything.


HO   HO   HO
Only 9 days to Christmas tried to get some present shopping yesterday. I bought a very nice scarf (for myself ) The list of presents I need to buy has got no shorter. I think it might be nearly time to panic. Watch this spot.

The New Disability Bray website, launched yesterday

Fergus Finlay, the CEO of Barnardo's Ireland  launched the new website 'www.disabilitybray.ie' at the Bray Area Partnership Christmas community lunch on Monday 13th December.

This website is a “one stop shop” for parents and carers of people with disabilities and people with disabilities themselves.

The website has a clean easy to maneuver look, lots of relevant  information  about the service available in and around Bray. It is going to be a valuable and useful resource. You should check it out, just click on the headline. 

No News unless it Snow News from Bray

Well we have had a covering of snow over Bray since last Sunday and its loosing its charm. Its very nice to look at but we are not used to temperature this cold for more than one or two days a year, Most everything is closed, all the activities that were plan have been cancelled, no one is talking about anything but the cold and the snow. Even the children are tired of throwing snowball and making snow angel. Looking forward to next week and the great thaw, so at least we will have something else to talk about.

JST marks: International Day of People with Disability

Tomorrow Friday 3rd December 2010 it is International Day of Persons with Disabilities and we would like to celebrate this day by telling you about what we have done and what we plan to do in the future. The JST changes lives by breaking down the barriers between able bodied and disabled people, and promotes the integration of men and women of all physical abilities.
We do this via our two magnificent, fully accessible tall ships where every body gets the chance to participate in all aspects of running the ship.
We challenge perceptions of disabled people’s abilities – both of themselves and the perceptions of those around them.
The challenge of tall ship sailing with a mixed ability crew – who take responsibility for the ship during the voyage.

They sail throughout the year around the UK, Europe and the Caribbean, with a growing appeal from an international audience. Voyages are subsidised from fundraising to make them affordable and accessible to as many as possible. Since the charity’s inception in 1978 the philosophy has been that life should be about equality, sharing and celebrating our individual differences and working together to achieve greater things. During which, over 36,000 people have sailed with us. Of these, approximately 16,500 people were disabled, with 5,000 wheelchair users.

What have the rest of you done to Celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities ? I  would love to here what else is going on

Don't let Arthritis stop you from living

Published by: Crystal Ware


There is simply nothing more frustrating that wanting to do something, knowing that you have the skills to do it, and yet still not being able to due to pain. Those hobbies that you love, that sport that gets your blood pumping or the physical activity that gives you clarity can all be outside of your grasp if you are dealing with the pain of arthritis. Not only does it limit your mobility, but it can seriously affect your mental health if it means taking away those activities that bring you pleasure within your day to day life. There is a way to alleviate those negative symptoms without having to increase any medicinal support that you rely on and it might be an alternative that is much simpler than you can imagine.

Aquatic Therapy can provide you with an enjoyable and yet non weight bearing source of exercise that can help keep your joints limber.
Physical therapy pools, home spas, or simple "water walking" can help you maintain the flexibility and ease of movement necessary for you to live your live in the way that you chose. Water therapy will not repair damaged joints due to arthritis but it can help strengthen surrounding muscles and offer you a level of physical fitness that would not normally be possible by traditional methods. Where jogging on unyielding pavement is not an option due to its joint punishing impact, jogging in water is. Most exercises that cause pain can be re-thought and altered to be done within the natural cushion of water. Gain strength, mobility, and the power to continue those activities that bring you pleasure by looking after your whole health. Aquatic therapy and its muscle strengthening benefits can help give you back the mobility that you've been missing and it's literally all just a splash away.


About the Author

Crystal is account coordinator at Location3 Media

Simon Communities of Ireland :: Fundraising For Simon

Simon Communities of Ireland :: Fundraising For Simon

New Maintenance Service available to friends and family of HOMELink Members!

See our new service available for friends and family members of our HOMELink clients :) http://bit.ly/aCgUzr

Accessible Breaks

Sightseeing tours for wheelchair users and their companions!

We provide a complete door-to-door service for a maximum 7 persons, including 1 or 2 wheelchair passengers

We provide day and/or evening tours (full-day or half-day) e.g.:

• Wicklow mountain experience
• Malahide Castle
• Newgrange and the Boyne Valley
• Aiport transfers
• Bespoke tours available upon request
  

Phone: 01 276 5488

Email: easicab@eircom.net

All of our guides are approved by The Association of Approved Tourist Guides of Ireland

The safety and comfort of our passengers is our first priority

Our vehicles are accessible and are fitted with low steps and a passenger ramp

Our drivers are fully trained

Wheelchair Surfing

Jesse’s story
Jesse Billauer age 31, born February 24, 1979, is a well known Californian surfer. Billauer suffered an accident on March 25, 1996 at the age of 17. He hit his head on a shallow sandbar after being knocked off his surfboard by a wave. The force broke his neck, severing his spinal cord at the C6 level and the accident instantly rendered him a quadriplegic.
Billauer was told by doctors that he would never surf again. However, Billauer eventually did return to surfing, adapting his surfing technique and equipment to the situation of his current condition. He has become a role model guide to many other surfers, both professional and amateur, on how to life a life to the fullest, despite a life changing injury.
After graduating from Malibu High School, Billauer eventually enrolled at San Diego State University, with an emphasis in communications. He graduated in 2002. He is also a motivational speaker, and is involved with a non profit foundation, ‘Life Rolls On’ (LRO). Through this foundation, Jesse is taking a leading role in awareness and activism for spinal cord injury research, picking up where Christopher Reeve left off.
See www.jessesstory.com

Jesse has inspired many young people with disabilities to partake in extreme sports. Patrick Ivison is just one of these young people. He has been in a wheelchair since he was 14 months old, when a car reversed over him and trapped him under the car. His disability has not stopped him from waterskiing, jet-skiing, kayaking, sailing, hand-cycling, playing rugby, surfing and just about anything else his Mother will let him try! He is now an ambassador for Life Rolls On.
Life Rolls On is a division of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. It is dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury and utilises action sports as a platform to inspire infinite possibilities despite paralysis.
They Will Surf Again (TWSA) – Is Life Rolls On’s flagship programme. It is an adaptive surfing programme for people with spinal cord injuries and is also a life-changing volunteer experience for volunteers. It is not just about the surfing, recently LRO has added They Will Ski Again and They Will Skate Again programmes.
See www.liferollson.org.

Click here

National Disability Authority - list of useful contacts - both national and international.

Calling all rollers, runners, joggers or walkers!

Homelink and Easi-Cabs are looking for rollers, runners, joggers or walkers to join us in taking part in the Flora Women's Dublin Mini Marathon on Bank Holiday Monday, June 7th 2010. All funds raised will go towards the running of our much needed services for older people and people with mobility difficulties in Wicklow and South Dublin.

Official registration for this year's Flora Women’s Mini Marathon begins Wednesday 3rd March 2010. If you would like to run, jog or walk , to help raise essential funds for Homelink and Easi-cabs, please contact us in Bray on 01 201 4473/01 276 5488.

To enter the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon you must enter either on the official Entry Form which will appear in the Evening Herald every Wednesday and Saturday from 3rd March 2010, or online from 3rd March 2010. (On-line entries will incur an extra €1 bank processing charge)

We are really looking forward to this fun day taking part in the biggest all-women’s event of its kind in the world. The event is open to all fitness levels and to get you up and running we'll help you along the way with:
· A sponsorship pack
· Information on our vital services
· Fitness and Training advice
· Homelink & Easi-Cab t-shirt to stand out on the day
· Our blog for updates on our own in-house training progress
By participating in the marathon for Homelink and Easi-cabs you are not only raising funds but also helping to raise awareness of our helpful services. The funds raised will go towards the provision of free phone support, free small home repairs service and accessible transport.
We are very excited here about taking part and we hope you will join us with the challenge.

Bocce

Bocce (or Bocci, or Boccie) is a precision sport belonging to the boules sport family, closely related to bowls and pétanque with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire.

Developed into its present form in Italy (where it is called Bocce, the plural of the Italian word boccia which means "bowl"), it is played around Europe and also in countries that have received Italian migrants, including Australia, North America and South America (where it is known as bochas; "bolas criollas" in Venezuela), initially amongst the migrants themselves but slowly becoming more popular with their descendants and the wider community.

Bray lakers play Bocce and so do the The Blackrock Flyers! The Bray Lakers always welcome new members: Call 01 202 2694.

Swishing!

Some of the gorgeous clothes that were Swished!!

Thanks to everyone who came along on the night, we had a great time!

Wheelchair Rugby/Murderball!

Wheelchair Rugby, aka Quad Rugby or Murderball was developed in the 1970s in the US. Now a paralympic sport, it is played in approximately 24 countries around the world. Wheelchair Rugby is a sport that is designed for quadraplegics, or people with upper and lower limb impairments. In Ireland, the sport is open to any age or sex and if you can push a wheelchair then you can play! Played indoors on a hardwood court, this contact sport includes elements of a few sports: wheelchair basketball, ice hockey, handball and rugby.

The Irish Team!
Wheelchair Rugby was introduced to Ireland in 1997 by Garrett Culliton. Garrett saw the game being played in the US. He was certain that Ireland could have their own team. It took a few seasons for them to win a game, but now Ireland currently ranks 15th in the world! The Gaelic Warriors have spare chairs that interested people may use to try out the sport. If you wish to learn more, log onto http://www.gaelicwarriors.com/.

Murderball – The Movie
“Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro's Murderball is an inspiring documentary, which proves that physical limitations are no match for the human spirit... For the determined quadriplegic men who participate in the dangerous sport of "quad rugby", it is more than just a game: it is a chance to prove themselves in a much bigger way. With armoured wheelchairs and enough macho energy to overcome any challenge, the players engage in a violently physical game.” The Irish Times DVD Club - February 9th 2010

You can find us on facebook to find out what else we might be doing, Become a friend so you don't miss anything.

Swishing for Charity!

SWISHING!

At the Martello, in Bray, Wicklow
Thursday 18th February 2010 at 7.30pm
Simply bring at least two good quality items of clothing, or

accessories on clothes hangers

There will also feature stands with make up artists!

Tickets are €10 at the door
In aid of Easi-Cabs & HOMELink in Bray

Talkback, Schools' attitudes to disability must change

Schools' attitudes to disability must change, writes ANN HEELAN

RECENTLY The Irish Times revealed how many fee-paying schools appear to be excluding children with special educational needs. In responding to this list, the question we should ask is: Why are so many professionals involved in education behaving in this unacceptable way?

The answer is that professional staff and parents see the child with the disability as the problem. Many children with disabilities are being inadvertently discriminated against in Irish schools because of attitudes and unchallenged thinking about disability. What are these attitudes? What do principals, staff and parents think about the ability of students with disability?

It is nearly a cliche, but some focus on the disability rather than the child. In schools where parents are paying high fees, disability is perceived as a threat to the concept of the gold star student. This is a myth and needs to be challenged. It is unacceptable and leads to discrimination and exclusion of very able students.

Children with disabilities can learn as much as other children when given the right tools and the right learning environment. Technology can make a significant difference and resources, such as electronic textbooks and voice-activated software, would enable the child to keep up with the work of the class independently.

Ignoring the talents of these children does not make economic sense. Many children with dyslexia (about 8 per cent of the population) have the very skills employers need to get us all out of the current economic mess.

The economic reality of hi-tech jobs in a fast-changing world means that employers need problem solvers, creative thinkers and technical experts. Many children with disabilities and specific learning difficulties have these skills in spades. They are great outside-the-box thinkers – they see the world differently.

They think laterally and make great leaps in understanding, seeing links and connectedness others do not see. Many are highly motivated, having had to negotiate an unwelcoming world.

It is unacceptable that schools should get away with restrictive practices. But changing attitudes takes time and directed effort – the old carrot and stick approach.

The Department of Education and Science – responsible for ensuring equality of education for all children – should implement a quota system for schools. This should link funding to new rules requiring schools to reflect the mix in the community, including children with disabilities. The Department of Education and Science is also responsible for ensuring there are sufficient supports such as technology in the classroom and that teachers are trained to use them.

The teachers’ unions also have a key role to play in leading this cultural change and could review their block on the introduction of individual needs assessments as recommended by the National Council of Special Education and embedded in the Disability Act since 2005.

Needs assessment is a systematic way to identify the support requirements of children with disabilities and is a critical step in ensuring that resources are used effectively and targeted to dealing with the impact of the individual child’s disability.

---

Ann Heelan is executive director of Ahead, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability. Ahead is a non-profit organisation promoting full access to, and participation in, further and higher education for students with disabilities and to enhance their employment prospects on graduation

This article was in the Times on 2nd of Feb 2010

Happy New Year!!

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have had a wonderful New Year so far!

Easi-Cabs were running on Christmas Day, as always, it was a very busy day for our drivers!

In the run up to Christmas we ran an amazing deal for return trips to Dundrum Town Centre, we hope to introduce these kinds of deals all year round and will keep you posted!