[Blind-Rollers] the test

[Jane Lansaw]

Good morning Becky
I am a cane  travel instructor in Oklahoma.  We learned some good wheelchair techniques at Louisiana Tech University but the best training I got was from a man named Scott Crawford who works for affiliated Blind of Louisiana and occasionally does some work at the Perkins Institute in Massachusetts. He has some great videos online.  I haven’t watched them for a while so I don’t remember how descriptive they are.

What I was taught is that your cane needs to be long enough to clear your back wheel on the opposite side of your Cane hand. It’s also a good idea to clear your chair if your foot rests or any part of your chair sticks out past your wheels. This way you won’t get caught on those corners.

Another poster mentioned using constant contact. That is a good idea for people with stamina and strength problems. Also you can use a technique called tap slide. This is where you arc your cane evenly and each time it taps on the left and right, you hold it in place for a bit and allow your chair to push it forward slightly. This helps some people with ramps and drop offs.

The important part with the wheelchair is the drop offs. As long as you are catching your curbs and steps in plenty of time to stop, you will be safe. Otherwise just make sure you don’t Mow anybody down or damage property and you will be fine.

Here is what I have heard about smart drive. I had a student with a manual chair who had smart drive installed and he said it is a power system that lets a manual chair work with less effort.
All I can think of is a moped. A bicycle that works like a motorcycle. LOL. Not really sure that applies because I haven’t ever had a chance to drive a chair with smart drive but that is what my clients description made me think about.  
If you have strength and stamina issues and are not able to get a power chair, smart drive might be what you need.

You mentioned taking a test drive with someone and having that person take you out on the road with no sidewalks. Is this somebody from your wheelchair provider or is this an orientation and mobility teacher?
Proper training can help you learn to drive on roads with no sidewalks depending on the traffic.

If you’re interested in more in-depth orientation and mobility training than what you can get it home, you might consider one of the three NFB training centers. I would advise calling each one of these, discussing your non-blindness disabilities and figuring out which center would fit your needs the best. All three centers have NOMC certified orientation and mobility instructors like me and all three centers are accredited by the national blindness professional certification board.  

Affiliated blind of Louisiana is a more traditional program and the orientation and mobility instructors are generally certified COMS. I think Patrick Thibodeau might still work there in which case he might be that center is only NOMC.  

Hope that steers you in some good directions.

Yours in the Federation,
Jane Lansaw
NOMC

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 12, 2020, at 9:38 AM, Becky Frankeberger via Blind-Rollers <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Like many of us, I have to go through a test drive of the power wheelchair.
> I think he called it a "Smart Drive," whatever that means? Does anyone have
> such a critter? I gather it detaches from the chair. My home might be to
> tight to use it indoors. 
> 
> 
> 
> Do you over the ark of your cane so the chairs doesn't tip in case he wants
> to take me up the no sidewalk streets I live around. Now if I am indoors,
> should the ark just cover the width of my wheels?
> 
> 
> 
> Any real help you can give me is appreciated.
> 
> 
> 
> I need a mobility lesson from the experts, those of you who use such a
> critter. 
> 
> 
> 
> Becky in Joy Wheels   
> 
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