Now, with the election behind us, and new President-Elect Barack Obama ready to take over the office in a couple months, the United States is bracing itself for change. Barack Obama plans to empower people with disabilities through these key positions:
Provide the educational opportunities that Americans with disabilities need to succeed
End workplace discrimination and promote equal opportunity
Increase the employment rate of workers with disabilities
Support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities
In Obama’s acceptance speech on November 4th, 2008, he specifically mentioned “people with disabilities”.
Barack Obama has a plan to empower people with disabilities.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.We are, and always will be, the United States of America.” – President-Elect Barack Obama, Nov. 4, 2008
What do you think of Barack’s plans to empower Americans with Disabilities?
Hi!My name is Ginny Paleg and I am a pediatric physical therapist in Maryland.My specialty is getting children with severe gross motor dysfunction (GMFCS Level IV and V) to take steps in gait trainers.To get to this goal, I use passive standing, body weight supported gait therapy over a treadmill, and am investigating passive/assisted cycling and vibration platforms.My “dissertation” (final project for my DScPT) was a systematic review on passive standing and a webinar presenting what I found.I sorted the articles by level of evidence, clinical outcomes, diagnosis, type of stander, and length of standing time.
I hope the flow charts can help folks decide how long to stand, which type of standing device to use, typical complications of standing, as well as appropriate measurable attainable clinical goals of standing.I included research studies on standing combined with oscillation, vibration, electrical stimulation and exercise programs.
I ran across this video on Youtube showing Matt, a young man who has ALS- Lou Gehrig’s disease, using the EasyStand stander. Shartrina is Matt’s wife and caregiver, and demonstrates how she transfers Matt into the stander and gets him into the standing position. She also has some tips on making it more comfortable, adapting it for use with a ventilator, and more.
Matt and Shartrina have an inspirational website called the Matt White Cure ALS Foundation where they have documented their story and are educating others on ALS. I encourage you to check out www.cureals.org to read about their story.
What do you think of the video? Do you know a person who has ALS?
Bill Fertig and I are proud to have raised $6596.00 for the NSCIA
As you know Bill Fertig and I raced in the Marine Corp Marathon on Sunday. I had my personal best of 4:03:48 but I know I could have gotten below 4 hours if all those people would of just gotten out of my way. This was Bill’s first time hand cycling a marathon and he did it in 3:04:45. Here is what he had to say about it, “It was big fun as you say! But I was humbled by the experience of competing next to so many combat injured solders who returned as single or double amputees. I haven’t been addressed as ‘sir’ so many times in my life as I was by the many hundreds of Marines who worked the MCM!”
The most moving sight for me was a group of three runners with the US Marine Corp and MIA full size flags running ahead of me. Just as I was catching up to them they suddenly turned off from the race and stopped at the Vietnam Memorial to bow their heads in respect for about one minute, then continued running.
Many runners had pictures or messages on the backs of their shirts, stating they were running for brothers or sons killed or injured in the line of duty. This made me think about the reason I was running, for the many more people in civilian life that have also suffered, from SCI/D. This stopped me from whining about the pain and helped me get through the last six miles. It is an experience I will never forget.
Ryan has Cerebral Palsy and uses a power wheelchair for mobility, but doesn’t let his disability slow him down. He does fun therapy in his standing frame, walker, and bike to keep his muscles strong for other activities. He goes horseback riding, skis, swims, and does many other things that able-bodied kids do. His mom, Luann, shares how Ryan stays healthy and active through daily standing therapy and a variety of other great activities.
When you see Ryan, you see a glowing kid, full of potential. Ryan started standing in an EasyStand Magician-ei when he was only three years old; he worked his way up to an EasyStand Magician Comfy and is a third grader already! We had the pleasure of meeting Ryan at his home during a photo shoot with the new EasyStand Bantam. In this video, you see Ryan standing in the Magician-ei, Magician Comfy, and Bantam.
What do you think of Ryan’s story? What activities do you do for fun?
I discovered GoodSearch after learning about it in an email newsletter for an organization I support. GoodSearch is a search engine like Google that is powered by Yahoo Search. Every time you run a search, GoodSearch donates to the organization of your choice. Over 67,000 organizations and schools are already listed in Goodsearch, including many disability-related organizations like the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA), UCP- Wheels for Humanity, Miami Project, and many more. You can change your charity at any time, so it is easy to give to more than one. Plus new organizations are added daily, and you can even suggest new ones.
You can also shop though GoodSearch. At the GoodShop, shop your favorite stores like Amazon, Target and eBay, and a percent of your purchase cost will be donated to the charity that you select. I use this feature too because it allows me to use my shopping addiction for a good cause.
Goodsearch gives me the opportunity to support my favorite charity without shelling out the bucks. It’s user friendly, and I added it to my toolbar to make it even easier. Go ahead..try a new search engine! See what GoodSearch has to offer & start supporting your favorite charity now!
Have you tried GoodSearch? What charity do you support?
Matt building strength in the EasyStand Evolv Glider at Project Walk, in Carlsbad, CA.
It’s not everyday that you meet a person like Matt Courson. Matt is a 23 year old college student from Arkansas, who is a T7 Incomplete paraplegic. He is determined, hard-working, and the type of guy that you just sense the great attitude oozing out of him. I say this without meeting him face-to-face, but feel like I have after seeing him on youtube, Mattcourson.org, Facebook, and even the Washington Post.
Through his rehab programs at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, & Project Walk in Carlsbad, California, and hours of rehab at home, Matt is working towards becoming the 1%. To understand what it means to be the 1%, know that his doctors told him that there was a 99% chance that he would never walk again.
Earlier this year, the Washington Post wrote an article about Kennedy Krieger Institute and activity-based restorative therapy. It includes interviews with Pat Rummerfield, who after 17 years of therapy has regained his ability to walk, and Matt Courson who seems to be following in his footsteps with his hard work, faith and determination.
Matt Courson uses the EasyStand Glider stander, combined with electrical stimulation, to gain strength, build muscle mass, and ultimately achieve his goal of walking on his own again one day.
Are you going to the Medtrade show October 28-30 in Atlanta? Historically, Medtrade has been the show of the year for DME Suppliers and Rehab manufacturers to gather. Seeing new products, attending educational seminars, and networking is on everyone’s agenda. Despite the decreasing attendance at Medtrade over the years, Altimate Medical is excited to be going to Atlanta once again:
The greatly anticipated EasyStand Bantam makes it first appearance at Medtrade! After a thorough design & evaluation period, we are excited to show suppliers and therapists the new stander that their schools and families were waiting for!
Our standers are Evolv-ing! A prototype of the EasyStand Evolv with an optional Swing Away Front will be in our booth. This allows the front table and kneepad to swing to the side, providing maximum transfer room.
The Evolv E3 was designed to make standing more attainable to the customer- come talk to us about it to see if it’s the right fit for you!
We can see old friends! For us, Medtrade is a great place to talk to our friends and customers in person; with the product right in front of us to play with!
Are you going to Medtrade this year? Why or why not? If you are attending, be sure to visit our crew in booth #1637A! We want to show you what the new Bantam and Evolv are all about! If you are not attending the show, let us know, and we will send you the new Bantam literature and price list when it’s available.
I’ve had my standing frame for over a decade. I think I received it in 1994, but it’s been so long now I can barely remember. The exact date I got my standing frame is besides the point though. The worthwhile thing to blog about? The fact that my standing frame, an EasyStand 2400, still works as good as the day I got it. Now that’s something to write home about.
It can be a chore (at least for me) to work standing into my everyday, stressful schedule. As a freelance writer, a C6 quad, and someone who depends on PCA’s everyday (and does her own staffing to boot) my life is chock full of things that need to be taken care of. Taking a break from everything and putting things on hold as I stand for a 1/2 hour can feel counterproductive.
But at the heart of things I know it isn’t. In fact, after I stand I feel happier and ready to take on the day. Knowing my body is still able to stand is a huge ego-boost. Sounds silly, I know, but it’s the truth. So over the years I’ve learned how to multitask while standing. Just look at this pic taken this morning of me working on my laptop and drinking my morning coffee, all while I stand:
Here I am, drinking coffee and working on my laptop while standing in my EasyStand.
So in conclusion, it’s just a matter of life organization, in re: to working your stander into your life. It may feel like your dragging your sorry butt to the gym on a day you’d rather be in bed sleeping, but take it from me, it’ll still feel worth it when you’re done; and you’ll be very glad you did it. It’s a more-than-beneficial work-out.
I’m very lucky to have my standing frame, even if it’s over 10 years old. A standing frame may cost x number of dollars, but being able to stand? Priceless.
Therapists and parents around the globe have been waiting for the release of the EasyStand Bantam - the new EasyStand stander for kids! For the past few months, we have had some prototypes in select areas of the U.S. and have been gathering clinical and consumer feedback from the experts. Soon, we will be ready to make a formal introduction!
So here is a just a glimpse of the Bantam, some photos from our our recent photo shoots with Ryan Kane and Isabel Koegel. Aren’t they adorable? And yes, the stander is pretty cool, too!
