Bill.Baughn@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Baughn) (06/04/90)
Index Number: 8589 Dear Ringo, Thanks for your reply I will get what information and videos I have on hand in the mail and will start looking for other resources which may be useful. I am ignorant of conditions in Hong Kong and the ways your culture differs from mine. I can only make suggestions which I know have worked for people with similar limb loss in this country. If I suggest something which is unworkable in your environment please accept my apologies. First you must stop thinking in terms like can't and impossible, and start thinking in terms of how to make these functions possible. If everyone,s arms were like yours you would have no disability because our world would have been designed for the functionality they offer. You must learn to become a designer and modify your environment for the arms you have. If when you say: "It is impossible for me to become a driver." you mean the state will not allow it, I can only suggest that you fight them by learning to drive and then demonstrating your ability. If on the other hand you mean it is physically impossible you are wrong. Cameron Enns Company, 13637 S. Madsen Ave., Kingsburg, California 93631 installs foot controls on a variety of automobiles, many of which are available in Hong Kong. There are many bilateral above elbow amputees in this country who drive with body powered prostheses with split hooks. The addition of a steering wheel knob with a cup replacing the knob. By inserting your stump into the cup you can safely steer. I have seen several automobiles in England which have been modified to allow thalidomide survivors to drive without legs and only deformed fingers on their shoulders. In this country people who have trouble manipulating change on public transportation often put the correct amount in a small envelope and carry it in a shirt pocket. They them simply ask the driver or a fellow passenger to drop it into the fare box. At this point in time you are like an infant learning to do things for the first time. If we decide to learn a new skill we understand that we will not do it well the first time it is attempted, but when we must relearn things we have done all our lives we expect to do it well the first time or accept that we can no longer do them. It is extremely difficult to struggle to accomplish thing that were so easy, but it does get easier. You will reach the point where you don't have to think about each motion you make. Try not to let public ignorance impose limitations you don't have. If you are wearing long sleeves to conceal your scars, start wearing short sleeves. Your stumps look worse to you than to anyone else and a smile and friendly disposition tends to make scars disappear. Your sense of touch and the friction between your skin and an object are your greatest assets. All The Best, Bill Baughn -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!130!10!Bill.Baughn Internet: Bill.Baughn@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.org
Bill.Baughn@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Baughn) (06/04/90)
Index Number: 8590 In an earlier post you mentioned the Utah Arm. Bilateral amputees who have tried both usually reject the Utah arm in favor of body powered hooks. If you can be fitted with conventional prostheses do so. They are far more durable and functional than the myoelectric devices. Please don't take my previous messages as an attempt to discourage prostheses. You can develop great skill with them but for complete independence you will need skill with your stumps and your feet as well. There is a surgical instrument that looks like long, curved hemostats with loops on the end that might be helpful in toilet skills. You might describe this to a doctor or nurse and they might be able to find one for you to try. I can tell you that many others are successfully coping with limb loss as and more severe than yours. You can too. Don't think can't, think how. All The Best, Bill Baughn -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!130!10!Bill.Baughn Internet: Bill.Baughn@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.org