[nabs-l] Could someone lend me a hand, please? (Question about juggling multiple items)

[Anita Adkins]

Hey,  Sounds like you need a horse.  lol.  I'm really at a loss.  What if 
you could somehow obtain a motorized scooter or wheelchair.  You could ride 
in it, use your cane to guide you, and have something on it that you could 
store your support cane and your backpack in.  Or, it may fit a bag or 
something that you could use to hold the items in your backpack.  I know you 
may not want to use such a system since you can walk, but I am just 
brainstorming.  At Blind Industries and Services of MD, I believe people 
with no vision have been taught to use a cane as they manuever a wheelchair, 
and you could certainly contact them at 1-888-3322-4567 and see if they have 
any suggestions.  Or, try calling an NFB training center to see if they have 
any recommendations  for you.  Some schools have lockers, and so maybe an 
idea would be to acquire lockers in each of your buildings where you could 
padlock your stuff and keep it there.  Or, could you take online classes? 
This way, you could be at class without needing to bring stuff to it.  Or, 
the Victor reader is very light.  Maybe, you could jus ttake it, record the 
class, and then listen to it and take notes when you arrive home.  The 
Victor can also play RFB&D files, and so you would have any books that are 
available through them with you.  Just suggestions.  Sorry I don't have a 
brilliant sollution for you.  Anita
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 4:47 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] Could someone lend me a hand,please? (Question about 
juggling multiple items)


> Hi everyone,
>
> As the title suggests, I need a bit of help...some advice, really. But
> I sure wish someone could literally lend me a hand. I need that third
> hand something fierce!
>
> Here's my dilemma. I will be starting school at the local community
> college in two weeks. I have a very nice High Sierra rolling backpack.
> It has a retractable handle with a T-grip which makes it easy to pull.
> However, I also have a long white cane and a T-grip support cane. One
> hand for the white cane, one hand for the support cane (I have tried
> carrying things in my right hand while using the support cane and I
> simply can't put enough weight on the cane to use it properly if I'm
> holding something...if it can hang on my wrist, and is not too heavy,
> I can do that, but it must be very light, such as a bag of light
> groceries {a bag of papertwoels, a bag with shampoo and conditiner,
> some small grocery items, etc.}, and one hand for the rolling
> backpack. That just doesn't add up to two!
>
> My primary doctor and my chiropractor have warned me several times not
> to put anything more than a few pounds on my shoulders or back, and
> definitely not a backpack full of books, so carrying the bag on my
> back when I use my support cane is out of the question. I have several
> slipped discs in my neck and severe misalignment in my back and hips,
> so I have to be careful not to carry too much. I also have problems
> with my arms and wrists; if I carry something heavy on my wrist or
> forearm, it will start tingling and sending lightning bolts of pain up
> and down my arm. Further, with my bad hips and knees, using a waist
> harness of some sort to pull the backpack seems out of the question as
> well.
>
> I brought this concern up to the Disability office at the college and
> they and I together could not think of anything to solve my problem. I
> suggested a volunteer pulling my bag from class to class, but they
> said they do not have the means to find someone or schedule such a
> volunteer's time. I am going to ask my VR counselor and my O&M
> instructor about it tomorrow, but I wanted to ask here. Surely I'm not
> the only one who has had this dilemma? Are there any of you out there
> who use both a white cane and a support cane with no hands for rolling
> backpack or other items?
>
> Any advice, suggestions, or ideas would be invaluable to me, as I'm
> truly at a loss. I didn't even think of it until yesterday when I was
> at the college and tried to do it and couldn't, and was in no
> condition to walk without my support cane without stumbling and/or
> falling often.
>
> ~Jewel
> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
>
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