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Lessons in coming back from a spinal cord injury stronger

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After sustaining a C5 spinal cord injury the summer after high school senior year, Neil was determined to be an athlete and live his life, now in a manual wheelchair.

We were coming home [from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho] and it was 2:00 o’clock in the morning. I was sleeping and [the driver] fell asleep at the wheel. There was a semi-truck parked on the side of the road and we crossed over the line and hit head on going 50-60 miles per hour. I was not wearing my seat belt. I was DOA (dead on arrival) when the ambulance arrived. My parents got to the hospital and the staff told them I wasn’t going to make it through the night. But I did. – Neil

Comfort blog: Neil

[Read more…] about Lessons in coming back from a spinal cord injury stronger

WheelMate Helps You Find Accessible Parking and Restrooms

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It’s happened to us all. You’re out and about after meeting a friend for coffee or cocktails, and then it hits you — the sudden urge to use the restroom. For the walking population, there’s no need to panic. Popping into the closest restaurant, café, or bar and desperately pleading your case or buying a small something generally grants you the right to use the toilets. But for wheelchair users, relief is much harder to come by. How many locations will you have to roll to before you find an accessible bathroom? Enter WheelMate, an app that locates accessible restrooms and parking spots near you. 

screenshot of WheelMate app showing map of NY Metro area populated with accessible restroom and parking icons

Despite ADA regulations, many businesses in the United States have chosen to ignore the law and ostracize the disability community by failing to update their facilities in compliance with accessibility standards. The same can be said for many other countries around the world that have enacted accessibility laws but rarely enforce them. Coloplast, a developer of ostomy and continence products, recognizes the obstacles wheelchair users face when traveling and even exploring their home city. That’s why they decided to create WheelMate!

senior wheelchair user getting into his car

WheelMate is available on both Android and iOS and uses standard GPS technology to geolocate your device. Upon launching the app, you will see your current location on a map. At the bottom of your screen, you’ll find a prompt asking you what you’re looking for. By clicking in the search bar, you can choose between three icons: 

screenshot of WheelMate app after clicking in search bar. It reads, "What are you looking for?" and shows an icon of a wheelchair user, a man and woman, and a P for parking.
By zooming out, you’ll see a larger radius of your current location. If you’d like to see what’s available in a different area of the world, type the name of any city into the search bar. Whether you find what you’re looking for is dependent on other users like you submitting the accessible places they’ve visited!

young woman in a wheelchair drinking coffee in a cafe and working on her computer

To add a location, simply click on the plus button, type in the name of the establishment, choose the appropriate icon, indicate whether it’s free or paid, and click “Add location.” That’s it! As of now, you cannot edit your submission once it has been added, so make sure the information you enter is accurate. 

screenshot of WheelMate app showing how to add a location

If you don’t see any accessible parking or restrooms in your city, you may be among the first to use the app in the area. WheelMate is user-driven, so Coloplast is counting on you to submit accessible locations each time you discover one. Are there accessible toilets and parking at your supermarket? How about at your favorite restaurant or bar? By adding that information to WheelMate, you’re also helping fellow wheelchair users by allowing them to get out, run errands, and enjoy the town worry-free. 

Woman and man in wheelchair having coffee at outdoor cafe table

Another handy feature is the ability to rate a location. Let’s say you used the restrooms at an establishment you found through the app. By clicking on the icon and tapping “Rate this location,” you can give it a thumbs up or thumbs down depending on your experience there. 

screenshot of WheelMate app showing thumbs up or thumbs down to rate a location

Coloplast is currently working on adding new features and would like user feedback on what you’d like to see next. A more detailed rating system, as well as the ability to delete inactive locations, are on their way, but new ideas are always welcome. After downloading the app and testing it, send your suggestions to mobileapp@coloplast.com. Show your support for WheelMate by emailing your comments and letting them know how helpful the app could be to you or a loved one. The more responses they receive, the more likely they are to allocate further resources to improving the app with future updates. 

Click here to download WheelMate now!

panoramic view of a city with wheelchair and parking icons floating throughout

Yoocan: Where People with Disabilities from All Over the World Connect

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Back in 2017, Wheel:Life featured a story on Yoocan and Alto. For those of you who missed it, Yoocan is a unique, collaborative online community for people with disabilities to connect, share personal stories, and empower each other. Alto was a membership club providing discounts on products and services for the disability community. The two brands have since merged under the Yoocan umbrella eliminating the Alto membership fees in the process. The result? A completely free platform for both community interaction and shopping all on one website.

Wheel:Life has been following Yoocan on social media, and wow, have we read some incredible stories over the past few years! Yoocan began with one Israeli family’s desire to let others with disabilities around the world know they were not alone, but it has since grown into a community of tens of thousands of people from over 105 countries searching the content and writing in to share their experiences, struggles, accomplishments, tips, and more.

Erez Gaon (the inspiration behind Yoocan) with his brother Asaf Gaon. You can read more about Erez here.

Investing in Assistive Technology

Moshe Gaon, Yoocan CEO & Co-Founder

As the community grew and Yoocan continued to form partnerships with various organizations across the globe, it became apparent that innovative startups in the assistive technology field were struggling to find the necessary funding to accelerate marketing and reach potential partners. So, the Yoocan team decided to do something about that and created the first ever early-stage assistive technologies startup hub. Moshe Gaon, Yoocan CEO & Co-Founder, states, “The Yoocan Technologies Hub is designed to help early-stage companies focusing on developing assistive innovation in spaces like mobility, smart home, smart cities, video, IoT, AI, and more, reach out faster to the market, raise funds, and connect to potential partners.”

Editor’s Note:  If you would like to join the Yoocan Technologies Hub as a startup or investor, send an email to moshe@yoocantech.com.

Expanding to Include More Languages

From its inception, Yoocan had been an English-speaking platform, but Gaon’s vision is to make it available in every language so people can share their stories and search in their native tongue. His hope is to have Yoocan available in three languages by the end of 2019. The second language became available last year when Israel’s largest bank, Bank Hapoalim, got on board and sponsored the translation of Yoocanfind.com into Hebrew. Yoocan is aiming to find sponsors for the Spanish, German, Chinese, and Arabic versions next.

Editor’s Note:  If your company would like to learn about the Bank Hapoalim case study and explore the option of sponsoring Yoocan in another language, send an email to moshe@yoocantech.com.

Yoocan Work!

Out of all the features Yoocan has unveiled or is planning to introduce in the near future, Wheel:Life is

most excited about Yoocan Work. Job-seekers and employers should keep their eyes open over the next couple of months for a new career board catering specifically to the disability community. A hard launch date is yet to be determined, but Gaon hints that it’s just around the corner. Stay connected with Wheel:Life, and we’ll be sure to bring you more details as they become available.

Editor’s Note:  Employers who’d like to collaborate with Yoocan or sponsor this new feature to create job opportunities for people with disabilities, reach out to Moshe@yoocantech.com.

Yoocan Share Your Story, Too

Gaon encourages people to get involved and declares, “Many of our storytellers have found friends and have helped others by sharing their story. One story can change somebody’s life.”

Yoocan storyteller Jessica Marie says, “I remember years ago when I had no friends with disabilities and I felt so alone and Yoocan makes you feel so welcomed and part of a community.”

Yoocan community members Shane Burcaw and Hannah Elizabeth run a YouTube channel documenting their inter-abled relationship.

Children are also encouraged to get involved in sharing and learning more about what kids with similar disabilities around the world are doing. Yoocan often receives feedback from parents who are grateful to have met new people through the online community, and for this, Gaon says, the team is especially proud.

Editor’s Note:  Sharing your story on Yoocan is simple. Go to Yoocanfind.com, click on “+ADD” at the top of the page and follow the steps to create an account by clicking on “Sign Up For Free.” Once you’re registered, you’ll be taken to a form where you can write out your story and upload some photos. After you submit it, your story will be reviewed before appearing on the website, so make sure to follow along on social media daily!

If you’d like to help and support Yoocan, consider doing some of your product research and shopping via Yoocanfind.com/Shop. Access to the site is free, and for every purchase you make, Yoocan receives a small commission from the vendors they work with to help build new features, such as Yoocan Work, and keep the global community up and running.

Comfort Conversations: How Does Giving Help Defeat the Holiday Blues?

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Feelings of sadness are different for everyone as is each individual’s reaction to those emotions. Sorrow during the holidays can stem from preexisting factors like pain, stress, or financial problems, but can also be heightened by feelings of loneliness or unrealistic expectations to buy gifts. Over-commercialization of the holiday can exacerbate symptoms and make them even harder to defeat.

According to Medicine.net, sadness or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season. In other cases, people may feel depressed during the winter months due to a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also referred to as seasonal depression.

How Does Helping Others Help Ourselves?

People who suffer from depression often struggle with finding their purpose in life or feel they simply lack one. I was lucky to discover my purpose very quickly after my injury. While in outpatient rehabilitation a few months after being released from the hospital, I realized that resources and peer support for newly injured SCI patients were nearly non-existent. This, coupled with my newfound faith, prompted me to start a faith-based peer support ministry, Blessed with Life, and begin sharing my story. Every time I told my story, it felt like a part of me grew stronger, and every time I helped someone new with resources and peer support, their accomplishments became my accomplishments.

How to Give Money if You Don’t Have Much to Give?

When we talk about giving, people tend to think about money first. Financial donations are, after all, the easiest and most convenient way to help others. If you don’t have much money to give, you can also get involved with fundraisers for a local nonprofit. I am always creating fun ways to get active in the community by eating out, bowling, playing pool, or participating in a sport while raising funds for my nonprofit, Rolling With Me. These events help get others in my situation active and involved while raising funds for a great cause.

How Do You Give Back When You Feel You Have Nothing to Give?

Living with limited financial resources or physical ability is no excuse for not being able to give because giving doesn’t always have to involve money. Volunteering for a nonprofit organization, school, church, or library is a great way to meet new people and even open doors to potential employment opportunities. Volunteering keeps you active and involved, and those types of entities are always in need of extra help. It’s also awesome knowing you’re needed and appreciated.

How Do You Find Ways to Get Involved?

A great place to start is by asking yourself which causes you are passionate about and what you enjoy doing. After you answer those questions, you can then look for related organizations or businesses. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, that’s a perfect reason to start a program of your own. You can also propose your idea to an existing organization and partner with them. Another option is to get involved with a peer support group. Being around other people with similar challenges is empowering. You can lean on each other for help and grow the programs you’re interested in. The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has a peer support directory so you can find a program near you!

If we let them, the holiday blues can be more paralyzing than our actual loss of mobility, and once those feelings start to spiral, they can be very difficult to overcome without professional help. I have struggled with depression my entire life and have even survived several suicide attempts pre- and post-injury. Today, it has been over five years since I have had any of those negative thoughts, primarily because I began to see how much my life impacted others in a positive way through all of my community involvement. I now embrace and feel empowered by the gratitude and joy I bring others.

If you’re experiencing the holiday blues or are battling depression and thoughts of suicide, please reach out to someone. There is no reason for you to feel lonely or be alone this holiday. Wheel:Life values and cares about you. Happy Holidays!

Have a question for Our Comfort Ambassador? Let us know! Contact us here.

Or, find a peer support group near you using our helpful reference guide!

You Are Enough, Disability and All

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No one can deny that living with a disability renders daily living more difficult to varying degrees. Navigating through an able-bodied world in a wheelchair can be physically exhausting and emotionally draining. Ostomates almost always have to plan ahead or use spontaneous problem-solving skills. While society often projects its ideas of what it means to be disabled, you don’t have to be the person that allows those beliefs to shape your identity. Yes, you have a disability, but that shouldn’t be, and most definitely isn’t, the trait that defines your entire existence.

Some people find the phrase, “Don’t let your disability define you,” empowering because it encourages them to prove to others that the essence of who they are goes way beyond their medical condition. Others argue that their disability does indeed play an important role in shaping their identity both in a positive and negative way. No matter which side of the debate you’re on, we want to let you know that being a member of the disability community is not a flaw or imperfection, and you don’t have to let it keep you from being the person you choose to be. You are enough just the way you are!

Here are some of our favorite stories of people living with disabilities defying societal misconceptions — you know, those stereotypes that incorrectly label you. These incredible people are proving society wrong simply by being themselves and pursuing the things they enjoy!

Gaelynn Lea

Gaelynn Lea was born with osteogenesis imperfecta. If she had let traditional methods dissuade her from learning how to play the violin, we wouldn’t be graced with her beautiful compositions today, some of which address living with a disability. She is now using her success to fight for access and inclusion in the music industry.

Dr. Alette Coble-Temple

If Dr. Alette Coble-Temple, who lives with cerebral palsy, had decided to sit back and let others determine her educational path, she likely wouldn’t be an accomplished college psychology professor today and former Ms. Wheelchair America titleholder. Temple’s advocacy paved the way for others living with disabilities to pursue a college education. She continues to challenge misconstrued ideas of disability in her daily life as a professor, psychologist, and mother.

Zebreda Dunham

Even Zebreda Dunham’s parents were afraid to let her live an independent life, but the power wheelchair user decided it was time to branch out on her own and move to a place where the sun shines more often than not. Once she found an assisted living center to take her in, she made the move from Maryland to California where she plays power soccer and works on various inventions to help herself complete everyday tasks, such as eating, on her own. Check out some of her ingenious ideas at ZebredaMakesItWork.com.

It’s not unusual to struggle with defining yourself, especially when others are constantly trying to do it for you. Just remember, you don’t have to live down to outdated conventions on how to go about life as a person with disabilities, nor do you have to do anything “extraordinary” to prove that you don’t fit into those stereotypes. Brands from Hotels.com to Coca-Cola have used the concept of “you do you” in recent campaigns, and well, we think they’re on to something. So, go do you, whoever that may be!

Don’t Miss These 5 Adaptive Events This December

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December is here, and while we love to use holiday parties as an excuse to overindulge, we also like to take time to reflect on the year and set goals for the future. If being more active is on your list for 2019, there’s no reason to wait until January to put that plan into motion! Check out these adaptive events happening in December across the country, and yes, dancing your way into 2019 counts as exercise!

Wheelchair skiing 1) The Hartford Ski Spectacular

December 3 – 9, 2018 • Breckenridge, CO

‘Tis the season for winter sports, and what better setting than the Rockies! Disabled Sports USA is partnering with Beaver Run Resort to bring you a week full of skiing, curling, sled hockey, and more. Don’t forget your bell bottoms — you’ll need them to finish out the week in style at the ‘70s-themed party with your new friends!

2) Stance ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship

December 12 – 16, 2018 • La Jolla, CA

wheelchair next to water
If you’d rather hang out at the beach than bundle up in the mountains, head out to La Jolla, California, for the World Adaptive Surfing Championship. Athletes must be selected by their national federation to qualify for this event, so get ready to see some highly skilled surfers from all over the planet vying for a spot on the podium!

3) Ability360 Adaptive Golf Clinics

golf

December 12, 19, and 26, 2018 • Phoenix and Laveen Village, AZYes, golf can be enjoyed all year round in Arizona! No prior experience is needed, and all necessary equipment for you to learn adaptive golfing techniques is provided. The best part? It only costs $10 (or $5 if you’re an Ability360 member)!

4) Skate With the Bruins

December 15, 2018 • Lincoln, NH

adfaptive-skating

Join New England Disabled Sports on the ice this December with a select group of Boston Bruins alumni! Skate time will be followed by cocktails, a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle. Proceeds go toward NEDS’s year-round adaptive sports programming which includes skiing, rock climbing, archery, and more.

5) Charm City Countdown New Year’s Eve Party

New Years Eve

December 31, 2018 • Baltimore, MD

If you’re going to spend money on a New Year’s Eve party, why not dance the night away while helping Caring Communities fund various support services and activities for the disability community throughout Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia. This year’s theme is Midnight in Hollywood, so start thinking about your costume now!
Of course, we realize you may not be able to make any of these events, but don’t forget to check your area for other opportunities to get active this December!

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