Resources_For_People_In

RESOURCES

Wheelchair

LIFE

Hopefully, this web site, and the information and links provided in it, will be a resource itself. But this section is intended to provide ready access to additional resources. It is intended to be a work in progress. I've posted Wheelchair LIFE and this section before they are complete. I'll try to update this page with good resources for the stuff we folks in chairs need. If you have a good one, please share it through Feedback. As stated in the Disclaimers section, whether something is listed on this page or elsewhere throughout this website, I am simply passing on resources, some of which I have found to be good. I'm not paid or compensated in any way to endorse products or services mentioned here. In fact, most sellers probably don't even know I’ve listed them. I don't make any guarantees about the quality, reliability, or price of any products or services. I'm just providing resources.

Many cities have entire institutions dedicated to rehabilitation. When you think about it, the goal of "rehabilitation" is much like the goal of this web site: to help people get on with the business of living LIFE. A rehabilitation institute or support group near you may have a wealth of information about local resources. For instance, there are at least two such entities in the Kansas City area, where I live. I utilized one of them when I tested to determine if I could use hand controls to drive (alas, I could not ... too many arm spasms).

But in the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I intentionally stay away from support groups and rehabilitation centers (unless I can 'hit and run' to provide some motivation or insight). Far too often the people I've run into are what I call "handicapped whiners." I just don't like to be around negative people with negative energy. Dwelling on, or wallowing in, the fact that we are in wheelchairs, and commiserating about the negatives, rather than the positives – at least it seems to me – is not a good basis for a friendship or relationship. Now, if someone is a fun, friendly, or interesting person, and he or she just happens to be in a wheelchair, I enjoy associating with, and may be fortunate enough to befriend that person. We may even talk about wheelchair experiences. But a disability is not a good basis for a friendship, in my way of thinking. I try not to discriminate, but I am probably somewhat guilty of stereotyping. That comes from being around so many people in chairs who have the victim mentality outlook on life (oh, woe is me). But I do keep an eye out for "regular people in chairs, the 'non-whiners.' So it's fun when I meet someone like my buddy Scooter, or Schneider the wild-man from Key West. They're both inconvenienced by wheelchairs, but they're not "downers." I also knew an especially pleasant gal in a chair who was going to pharmacy school at my alma mater (but she moved away and I lost touch). I know several others who are not downers or whiners, but unfortunately they are few and far between. Hopefully, this site will help. Hopefully, wheelers can learn that LIFE doesn’t have to be a bummer, just because you are inconvenienced by a wheelchair.

Access Board

One resource I can tell you about is the United States Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (ATBCB). Also known as the "Access Board." They are responsible for promulgating and updating rules and guidelines for compliance with Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II of the Act deals with public transportation, and title III of the Act deals with public accommodations (Title I deals with employment).

The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. It develops and maintains accessibility guidelines for buildings, facilities, and transit vehicles, and provides technical assistance and training on these guidelines. The ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) serve as the basis for standards issued by the departments of Justice (DOJ) and Transportation (DOT) to enforce the law. The building guidelines cover places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, and state and local government facilities. The vehicle guidelines address buses, vans, a variety of rail vehicles, trams, and other modes of public transportation. Regulations issued by DOJ and DOT contain standards based on ADAAG, and also provide important information on which buildings and facilities are subject to the standards.

You can contact the Access Board at:

The Access Board

1331 F Street, NW, Suite 1000

Washington, DC 20004-1111

(800) 872-2253 (voice)

(800) 993-2822 (TTY)

Internet: http://www.access-board.gov/index.htm

Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC)

The Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has established ten regional centers to provide information, training, and technical assistance to employers, people with disabilities, and other entities with responsibilities under the ADA. The centers act as a "one-stop" central, comprehensive resource on ADA issues in employment, public services, public accommodations, and communications. Each center works closely with local business, disability, governmental, rehabilitation, and other professional networks to provide ADA information and assistance.

To locate one of the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs), contact the ADA Program Assistance Coordinator:

(800) 949-4232 (Voice/TTY)

Internet: http://www.adata.org/

There are a number of other online resources for folks in wheelchairs. Here’s an alphabetical-ordered list of some domestic and foreign websites I discovered in my research. Some are SUPPORT websites, some of which offer forums for sharing information and experiences. The second half consists of RETAILERS. Both lists could use more resource listings. I don't "advocate" these sites, their content, or their authors, because I've not researched them; the links, are provided merely as a convenience. Click the banner, or its link to the right:

SUPPORT