An Inspiration to us All

I am not inspiring to anyone at all.  I get tired of hearing that. Especially now, when mobility is indeed a challenge daily. Just because I have changed my surroundings to work for me does not  make me inspiring.

I think most people do that. Some have to change more things that others, but mine was simple really.

First, I put grab bars and accessible showers in both bathrooms. I am a good DIYer, so, even though I can't do the work anymore, I can hire somebody relatively inexperience and teach them what to do. After all, I was the first female licensed general contractor in the state of Louisiana with boots on the ground.  Made all those lessons taught to me by my grandparents worth it. I can wield a mighty hammer and butcher wood with the best of them. That’s not inspiring either, just practical. Makes doing home repairs easier. 

I built ramps, OMG, did I build ramps. Up to the front door, the back and up to the deck next to the pool. I can make a circle around the house at deck level. Nice for parties and particularly nice for me. Eliminating stairs is probably the most necessary changes to make to any house.  I advocate all houses being built this way, so they can be accessible to all generations all the time. With intergenerational housing happening more and more, when grandpa moves in, no changes need to be made.

The kitchen is a problem. I do not have the counters cut out, preferring instead to have storage cabinets. I can make do, but my grabbers come in really handy for things above waist level.  I need help with upper cabinets, the top shelf of the freezer and fridge. But help is available because I do not live alone.

Washer/dryer are easy enough. In fact, I am lower, so can fetch dry clothes from the dryer more easily than my wife.

You know I am a gardener.  Because I operate best at waist level, I garden in straw bales and have many rows of them, growing everything from tomatoes of all kinds, to squash, cukes, zucchini, yard long beans, regular pole beans green beans, potatoes and I am trying sweet potatoes this year. 

I grow way too much for just the two of us. Here’s my latest effort to give to the food pantry. 

Pretty, aren't they?

So inspiring? I don’t think so.  Do I feel good about what I have done to make my life as it has always been? You bet.

Sunday Again. This Time about Ramps.

Ramps.

You think ramps solve all your accessibility problems. If you are a merchant, you install one, either wood or concrete, and voila, you are in compliance with the ADA laws, right?  Uh uh.

Picture this:  An entry door is usually 36” wide and opens out. A merchant builds a ramp 36” wide and is in compliance with ADA rules, right? Any mobility impaired person can now enter and exit easily, right? Wrong.  

A prospective customer rolls up the ramp and is confronted with the usually heavy door that opens toward the customer. Customer leans forward to open the door and can’t unless he can go to one side. See where I am going with this. Customer can’t roll to the side without falling off the ramp. Customer can’t open the door without help. So customer gives up and leaves. Merchant could assign an employee to stand there and open the door for all customers, but that seems to be a misuse of human resources and awfully expensive. Merchant could install an electric door activated by an electric eye when customer approaches.  Problem solved. 

See what I mean.

Everybody is happy and all customers can spend money in merchant’s store or restaurant.

You may wonder why I spend time talking about ramps. Or talking on this blog every day. Sure, I hope to bring awareness to the merchants of Mountain View, Arkansas, and the rest of my readers.

 But mainly I am trying to make people understand that we who need different ways of getting from one place to another are not different from anyone else. We move differently, but other than that, we go to work, pay taxes, drive cars, commute, buy groceries, go to the movies, and expect to be treated like everyone else who does the same things. Is that so very difficult to understand?