Hey there friends. Now that I either got you fired up about having a child or more children or have totally frightened you about the prospects of having a child, I would like to dive into the specifics of parenting with a disability. First and foremost, you can do this! One of my greatest fears in parenting was the thought of picking up my child and actually holding him or her. I get occasional spasms which sometimes throw me off balance and being a T-7 para without the use of most of my abdominals, I don't have the best trunk balance in the world . . . even without holding anything. "What will happen if I am holding my newborn and one of these unexpected (they all are aren't they?) spasms occurs? Will I have to fall to the ground with the baby since both of my arms and hands will be preoccupied?" There are so many other fears, some that I have overcome and some that linger. Enjoy the journey!

I have no use for change in my life, and I haven't for almost 15 years now. No I don't mean I can't make personal life adjustments. I mean I have no use for pocket change: quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies-all the President's jingling men! The overriding reason for this is that due to the lack of full function in my hands and fingers I have great difficulty handling small, thin objects like coins. That has impacted my life to various degrees in a bunch of interrelated ways. The first time I tried to use a soda machine on my own post-SCI, I dropped three quarters on the ground before I had to resort to alternative measures. I ended up folding a piece of paper so it had a crease, then I put the edge of the paper crease near the coin slot and tipped the paper so the coins would slide down along the crease and into the machine. That was the most delicious can of Coke I've ever had in my life because it was such a high effort reward!

If you can't walk, speed. At least that's my motto. There's nothing like burning a little rubber, feeling the wind in your face, and feeling unencumbered from your disability...at least for a little while.

The Health-Nut Balance

Many of us get OCD when it comes to doing everything we should on a daily basis - eating healthy food, drinking enough water, getting proper sleep, exercising. We can't get better, but we refuse to let our bodies get worse. I'm so happy I've finally become a health-nut, I just hope I'll learn to be happy with what I can do, and be even more ok with what I can't.

Ms. Wheelchair America Documentary Premieres

I can't tell you how thrilled I am about this new documentary, "Defining Beauty," starring Ms. Wheelchair state holders, that documents their journey in the Ms. Wheelchair America program. Its purpose is to change perceptions, to challenge stereotypes, and to highlight a slice a life the world never sees.

Podcast #73

Featuring newly minted comedian Ally B! Take a listen to Tiff's newest podcast, it's sure to make you laugh!

As I travel around the country, I sometimes hear healthcare professionals and ATP suppliers express their opinion that a particular person will not benefit from a standing program for assorted reasons. Some are valid, as with people that have severe bone and joint problems or other contraindications to standing, but too often they are making judgments that are untrue or drawing the wrong conclusion, where by preventing an individual the chance to evaluate a standing program themselves. Here are a few of the reasons I have heard that standing will not work, or that the client will not benefit. Not everyone is appropriate for a standing program, but 90% of these reasons mentioned are inaccurate or wrong.

 

Now that you have a candidate for standing, the next step may be funding. These three very different clients all got their standers funded through insurance. Read their stories in "Funding - Making Your Own Luck".