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

sarah.jevnikar at utoronto.ca sarah.jevnikar at utoronto.ca
Thu Aug 5 00:01:10 UTC 2010


Jewel,
Try writing to the blind rollers mailing list; perhaps they have  
life-tested solutions.
Your reluctance to use a wheelchair has come up before and I  
completely understand why you wouldn't want one, but if it can improve  
life in some ways perhaps it could be a temporary solution?


Quoting Robert Jaquiss <rjaquiss at earthlink.net>:

> Hello Jewel:
>
>     Some years ago, I heard of an electric golf cart that would follow
> a golfer around. The golfer wore a small device attached to his/her
> belt and the cart followed it. I have no clue if this type of device is
> still on the market. I'll check.
>
> Regards,
>
> Robert
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
> To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 3:47 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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>
>
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