About WVATSWVATS Quarterly Newsletter
Summer 2005
Articles:
[WVATS]
[Resources]
[Tools]
[State]
[National]
[DBTAC]
[AgrAbility]
[VISIONS]
A Guide to Accessible Recreation in West Virginia
West Virginia is fortunate to have many places across the state where individuals with special needs including children, older adults and individuals with disabilities can have fun.
A "Guide to Accessible Recreation" was created to gather new information, merge existing information and standardize the information into a single publication that will then be made available to interested individuals. Information on attractions can be obtained through various state agencies, but this Guide is an attempt to put as much information as possible in one place.
You can look up accessible sites by site name, or use the county index or the activity index. The Guide also includes lists of resources for travelers, such as AMTRAC and Greyhound stations, airports, public transit systems and services, dialysis centers and medical equipment and supply vendors.
This edition of the WVATS newsletter is designed to help make individuals aware of recreational opportunities available in the state of West Virginia and beyond, and has used information from the Guide throughout the newsletter.
For more information on the "Guide to Accessible Recreation" call Regina Mayolo at 800-841-8436 or view the Guide online at www.cedwvu.org/programs/realchoice. The printed version of the guide is in large print and available in other formats.
West Virginia AgrAbility Project Renewed
The West Virginia AgrAbility Project has been renewed for the years 2005-2009. This program is designed to help farmers and farm families who have a disability, chronic illness or who have had an accident on or off the farm. For more information on the AgrAbility Project and its renewal please see AgrAbility in this newsletter.
Travel Tips
In general these are common sense tips to successful travel that everyone should follow:
- If you or someone you are traveling with requires medication, check and recheck the proper amount of dosages needed for the number of days your trip will last.
- If you or someone you are traveling with requires mobility and/or assistive technology, make sure they are in working order and get packed. If they are battery powered, pack extra batteries.
- Remember to take your insurance provider(s) information and emergency contact(s) information with you on your trip.
- Plan your trip well to avoid getting lost, inconvenience at sight-seeing areas, confusion at your place of lodging and mix-ups with service organizations.
- WV211 is an information and referral service available free of charge to both residents and visitors to West Virginia. If your trip is interrupted due to a medical or personal emergency, you can dial 211 free from any telephone to talk to someone about what services might be available to help. 211 does not provide tourism information - it is intended only to help you identify social services and other resources.
ADAPT News adaptwv@hotmail.com
Time For A Change
By Ken Ervin
On July 7, 2005, Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living (NWVCIL) and ADAPT WV brought together a group of ten (10) advocates from around the state representing a cross-section of the disability community to meet with Governor Joe Manchin, Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Secretary Martha Walker and her staff.
Our request to the Governor was to:
- Select an independent Consumer Council comprised of people with disabilities (service users) and family members to advise and meet with the Governor's office no less than three times a year. This group would meet quarterly with Secretary Walker and her representatives to brainstorm proactive solutions to ongoing problems.
- Ensure compliance with existing regulations.
- Direct the Olmstead Coordinator and her advisory council to explore the possibility of rebalancing our current Medicaid system, in order to move away from our State's current institutional bias.
- Meet with a delegation of people with disabilities and their families from the Eastern Panhandle who cannot travel to Charleston.
- Request that the Legislature designate monies from WV Lottery and Charles Town Racetrack and the existing $360 million surplus to end the waiting list on both the MR/DD and A/D Waiver programs.
We stressed that we wanted this meeting to represent a new beginning for the Governor's office and the disability community. Individuals with disabilities and their families must have the opportunity to have an open, proactive dialogue with the Governor, the Secretary of DHHR and their representatives. We can no longer afford to talk around these issues; we must take strong, unified action to make real progress.
We discussed each item at length. The meeting lasted for over one hour and a half. Secretary Walker and her staff assured us many times that they were listening to our concerns. The response of our entire group was that we know they are listening and we have seen some positive change, but in order for real change to happen the people who receive the services must not be seen as an afterthought and simply allowed to comment. We must be the people who drive the process. There is a difference between just being allowed to comment and being an equal partner in developing the services that affect our lives.
Although no agreement was reached on the specific agenda items, Brian Kastick, Governor Manchin's Director of Public Policy stated that he would like to begin a work group consisting of service users and DHHR Policymakers to develop recommendations around specific issues related to community-based services. We are hopeful that the first of these meetings will begin in the very near future. We appreciate the opportunity to meet with the Governor, Secretary Walker and their representatives, but it is no longer enough to be heard or listened to. We must all begin to work together to make a real difference for West Virginians with disabilities.
The Resource Section
Adventure Pursuit
Adventure Pursuit is an adventure club located in Parkersburg that specializes in kayaking for individuals who have mental and physical disabilities. The club also offers a variety of other adventures including mountain biking, an indoor swimming pool, an indoor climbing wall and much more! The adventures and opportunities are open to everyone. Individuals can enjoy a day of adventure at the clubhouse or become an Adventure Pursuit member and join lots of adventures and unlimited fun. For more information call 304-485-0911 or visit www.adventurepursuit.org
Disability Travel and Recreation Resources
This web site is designed to help individuals with travel planning, choosing destinations, air travel, information specific for children, etc. Each section is divided into a variety of links so consumers can browse what travel agencies and organizations might work best for them or their families. This travel guide is only available online at www.makoa.org/travel.htm
Air Travel
This hotline provides general information to consumers about the rights of air travelers with disabilities, responds to requests for printed consumer information and assists air travelers with time-sensitive disability-related issues that need to be addressed. The line is staffed from 7 am to 11 pm Eastern time, seven days a week. Air travelers who experience disability-related air travel service problems may call the hotline at 800-778-4838 (voice) or 800-455-9880 (TTY) to obtain assistance.
Sportime
Sportime specializes in physical education equipment for children with differing abilities. Call 800-444-5700 or visit www.sportime.com/index.jsp to request a catalogue. Sportime products include equipment for archery, bowling, golf, field hockey, dance, tennis and more.
Challenged Athletes of West Virginia
The mission of Challenged Athletes of West Virginia (CAWV), located at Snowshoe is to improve the quality of life for persons with physical disabilities through outdoor sports and recreation. CAWV offers both summer and winter activities including adaptive biking and skiing. CAWV offers an Adaptive Sports Seminar every fall. This two-day event includes workshops in sign language, visual impairment, wheelchair sports, developmental disabilities, children and adults and medical considerations. For more information call 304-572-6708 or visit www.cawvsports.org
Travel Guides
WVATS staff has put together a few agencies and resources for individuals to use who want to plan trips in the United States or abroad. This is just a sampling of travel agencies that specialize in travel for individuals with disabilities. If you have any questions about a trip you are planning, WVATS staff may be able to help you get information about a particular area. Call us at 800-841-8436 to find out more about travel resources.
Fine Arts Program
For people with disabilities, the arts represent a world of opportunities, as well as a vehicle for creative expression. In an effort to mainstream and expose people with developmental and other disabilities to the world of arts and culture, the Creative Arts Center in Morgantown and the Center for Excellence in Disabilities promote the creative power in people with disabilities. The Fine Arts program provides opportunities for people with developmental and other disabilities to explore the unlimited possibilities for personal, academic and professional success.
Using the mediums of photography, painting/visual arts program (traditional and experimental oil and acrylic painting), music program, ceramics, sculpture, dance/theatre and puppeting, the Fine Arts Program explores the artistic self-expression of people with severe to mild disabilities.
For more information call Helen Panzironi at 304-293-4692 or visit www.cedwvu.org/programs/arts/
The West Virginia Special Needs Hunter Education Course
The West Virginia Special Needs Hunter Education Course is open to the public regardless of ability or disability, but designed especially for individuals who are either hard of hearing or deaf, limb impaired or those who desire help with reading.
Captioned videos, interpreters and other adaptive equipment are used to open doors to anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors.
The key principle is the focus on each person, expending whatever effort is necessary to help them complete the course and also to help find adaptive equipment for those graduates and "post class" activities so they too can enjoy the outdoors.
The WV Special Needs Hunter Education Course program believes that enjoying the outdoors is a privilege and values everyone as an individual. Students range from 10 year olds to adults with many years of hunting experience. Division of Natural Resources Hunter Education Instructors adapt presentations to meet the needs of a diverse audience and want to provide access to information for finding adaptive equipment and accessible facilities.
This effort is about caring for people, the love of teaching and especially enabling people to enjoy the great outdoors. Further, the group strongly promotes the use of personal floatation devices, hearing and eye protection and physical conditioning. For more information visit www.wvhuntered.com/SpecialNds.htm
Disability Services Hunting/Fishing Licenses
A Class Q special resident hunting permit for persons with disabilities in the lower extremities entitles the holder to hunt all legal species of game during the designated hunting seasons.
Any resident of West Virginia who was honorably discharged from the armed forces of the United States, and who receives a veteran's pension based on total permanent service connected disability as certified by the Veterans Administration, is permitted to hunt, trap or fish without obtaining a license.
Any resident of West Virginia who is legally blind may fish without a license. A written statement or certificate from a duly licensed physician of this state certifying that the resident person is blind will serve in lieu of a fishing license and shall be carried at all times while the person is fishing.
For more information, call the WV Department of Natural Resources Public Information office at 304-558-3380 or visit www.wvdnr.gov
Captioned Media Program
The mission of the Captioned Media Program (CMP) is to provide all persons who are deaf or hard of hearing awareness of, and equal access to communication and learning through the use of captioned educational media and supportive collateral materials. The CMP also acts as a captioning information and training center. The ultimate goal of the CMP is to permit media to be an integral part in the lifelong learning process for all stakeholders in the deaf and hard of hearing community: adults, students, parents and educators.
The CMP provides a free-loan media program of over 4,000 open-captioned titles (videos, CD-ROM, and DVD.) Deaf and hard of hearing persons, teachers, parents and others may borrow materials. There are no rental, registration, or postage fees. Several hundred titles are also streamed on the CMP web site. CMP offers a clearinghouse of information and materials on the subject of captioning. These resources are available in print or online to consumers, agencies, businesses and schools. The clearinghouse also maintains a database of captioned media available for purchase.
For more information call 800-237-6213 (V); 800-237-6819 (TTY) or visit www.cfv.org
Accessible Italy
Accessible Italy is a travel agency that specializes in Italian tours for people with disabilities. "Accessible Italy" could be a good match for you if:
- You need accessible hotels with rooms equipped with roll-in showers
- You transport by accessible vans with lift
- You travel by trains and you want to be sure the railways staff will help
- You need expert guides who know which are the accessible monuments for people using a wheelchair
- You would like to have a "help line" to call, during your stay in Italy
- You need medical assistance or to repair your wheelchair
"Accessible Italy" provides services all over Italy to many U.S. and European tour operators who specialize in tourism for individuals with disabilities and may be able to help you organize your Italian trip.
Accessible Italy Travel GuidePromotur-Mondo Possibile
Piazza Pitagora 9, 10137 Turin
Phone: +39-0113096363
Fax: +39-0113091201
www.tour-web.com/accitaly/index.html
Accessible Seas
Royal Caribbean International offers a variety of services for guests with special needs. If contacted in advance, Royal Caribbean can accommodate a variety of dietary needs, offer accessible ocean view rooms, and help plan shore excursions, or alert a consumer to whether the shore excursions are wheelchair accessible before the consumer plans the trip. Royal Caribbean also can arrange for an accessible bus to transfer guests between the airport and the pier. For more information on Accessible Seas visit www.royalcaribbean.com or call 866-562-7625.
Breathin' Easy
No matter how you travel in the United States, there are over 2,500 locations to refill your oxygen tanks, in over 1,600 cities in all 50 states. Dependence on oxygen does not have to keep you at home. Many resources are available to help you "hit the road."
Airlines, cruise ships, railroads and other public carriers all have different regulations for the safe transport of oxygen. Breathin' Easy summarizes most of what you will need to know about traveling with oxygen. If you need additional information, ask the Respiratory Care Department at your local home care provider or hospital, or consult your Breathin' Easy Travel Guide. If you are planning to visit foreign lands, click on the "Buy a Guide" page.
Breathin' Easy Travel Guide
225 Daisy Drive
Napa, CA 94558
Phone: 888-699-4360
Fax: 707-252-3028
www.oxygen4travel.com
SATH
The Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH) is an educational, nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to raise awareness of the needs of all travelers with disabilities, remove physical and attitudinal barriers to free access and expand travel opportunities in the United States and abroad. Members include travel professionals, consumers with disabilities and other individuals and corporations.
SATH works closely with a number of sponsoring corporations to help create training programs and materials, improve customer service and develop better outreach and marketing. SATH serves on advisory committees at Greyhound Lines and Northwest Airlines, among others. The Society is also available to perform access audits of hotels, restaurants and attractions.
SATH serves as a clearinghouse for access information. SATH's travel magazine, Open World, features inspiring articles by travelers with disabilities and updates on destinations, cruises, web sites, legislation and more.
SATH (Society for Accessible
Travel & Hospitality)
347 Fifth Ave, Suite 610
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-447-7284
Fax: 212-725-8253
E-mail: sathtravel@aol.com
Web site: www.sath.org
Powerful Tools
Switch Adapted Digital Camera
A switch-adapted digital camera can make taking pictures fun for everyone. Just point and shoot with a 1.5 " color LCD viewing screen. This camera allows a preview of your photos before saving or printing. With 3.1 megapixels, four photo sizes, and 4x digital zoom, individuals can take photos with a single switch activation.
Tremor
The "Tremor" all terrain wheelchair is designed for individuals to use in a variety of settings including through any type of sand, mud, snow or off road surface. If you love to camp, go to the beach or be in the snow, the Tremor wheelchair may be the answer.
For more information call 800-861-3211 or visit www.allegromedical.com
Large Print Bingo Cards
There are a variety of Bingo cards from large print, Braille, sequenced order, and placemat size. Having many Bingo cards can help ensure everyone can play independently.
For more information on the variety of Bingo cards call 800-537-2118 or visit www.independentliving.com
Freedom Rider
Freedom Rider offers products that enable individuals to do more with horses. Freedom Rider offers therapeutic saddles in custom and semi-custom styles. Seats can be raised in different areas to accommodate a rider's needs. Freedom Rider also offers double foam seats, thigh blocks, longer or shorter flaps and panels.
For more information call 888-253-8811 or visit www.freedomrider.com
PAL - Portable Aquatic Lift
The PAL is a portable pool lift. It requires no mounting to the pool deck and can be a solution for facilities with multiple pools. It can be set up anywhere along the pool deck and put away when not in use. Its hand control is completely waterproof. Just roll the PAL to the edge of the pool, lock the wheels, set the stabilizers and the PAL is ready to use. It provides a 300-pound lifting capacity and a 240 degree turning radius for safe transfers away from the pool edge.
For more information call 800-634-4351 or visit http://store.accesstr.com
Intro to the Guitar and Intro to the Piano
These musical aids can help users with visual impairments to play the guitar or the piano. Lessons are taught verbally over four hours worth of cassette recordings.
For more information call 800-522-6294 or visit www.maxiaids.com
National News
Free Telephone Assistance for People with Speech Disabilities
People who have a speech disability and live in the USA can now use a new, free telephone service 24 hours a day. This service, called Speech to Speech (STS), provides communication assistants (CAs) for people with difficulty being understood by the public on the telephone.
People with speech disabilities can dial to reach a trained CA who is familiar with many speech patterns and has excellent language recognition skills. This CA makes telephone calls for them and repeats their words exactly in a 3-way calling environment.
Users of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) may ask the STS CA to set up the call, negotiate the menu, introduce the call explaining AAC and then go into the background. This enables AAC users to communicate independently once the other party is on the line.
Bob Segalman, PhD, has Cerebral Palsy and developed the concept of STS. To try out STS, report problems or get more information call 877-833-6341 and ask for Dr. Bob Segalman. You can also access STS by dialing 711 and asking for Speech to Speech. If the communications assistant cannot assist you with an STS call, please let Bob know.
Medicare to Expand Coverage
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will expand coverage of cochlear implant devices to help treat severe hearing loss.
CMS is expanding current coverage for cochlear implants, which are used to treat bilateral pre-or-post-linguistic, sensorineural, moderate to profound severe hearing loss. Previously, Medicare covered cochlear implants for beneficiaries with open-set sentence recognition test scores of 30 percent correct or worse.
Medicare will now cover cochlear implants in beneficiaries who have test scores of 40 percent or less correct, and will cover cochlear implants in beneficiaries who have open-set sentence recognition test scores over 40 percent, up to 60 percent if they are participating in a clinical trial of cochlear implantation that meets the requirements outlined in the national coverage decision.
State News
Housing Guide
"A Guide to Housing in West Virginia" was a collaborative project with the Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living (NWVCIL), the Community Living Initiatives Corporation (CLIC) and the Housing Committee of CED*. Each organization collected information about housing choices, funding providers and laws and regulations governing housing.
In addition, the Guide has a glossary, resource section, safety and evacuation resources, worksheets and checklists. Real Choice staff is working on adding a "Frequently Asked Questions" section and will disseminate fact sheets from the guide. The Guide is available in print, alternate formats and on the CED web site at www.cedwvu.org/programs/realchoice/
For more information call Melina Danko or Regina Mayolo at 304-293-4692.
* Housing Committee members include: Rhonda Bills, Tammy Collins, Shirlee Lively, Karen McMillion, Joy Mason, Regina Mayolo, Renee Reedy, Melina Danko, Jacalyn Suhodolski and Kevin Swisher.
West Virginia State Parks and Forests - Guide to Accessibility
The West Virginia State Park system is dedicated to providing outdoor recreation and educational opportunities to all visitors. West Virginia State Parks are committed to operating facilities, programs and services in an accessible manner so that all visitors, regardless of abilities, may participate. To accomplish this goal West Virginia State Parks work to provide accessible day-use facilities, overnight accommodations and programs, ensuring all visitors access to West Virginia's natural beauty and rich history.
Call 800-225-5982 (CALL WVA) for a brochure designed for the special needs of visitors with disabilities.
WV DBTAC News
Summer is a Time of FUN
There are many exciting activities that can be experienced that are both fun and educational. Summer is a time of FUN - reading, recreational camps and games, and not having to worry about schoolwork.
E-Books
In a recent Mini Course series on Disabilities, given by Temple University's Institute on Disabilities, Dr. Judith Dixon provided a select list of sources for electronic texts. These e-books come in a variety of formats, both text and audio (computer narrated and human speech narration.) Below is an excerpt from the selected sources provided by the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped:
- Audible.com (www.audible.com): Includes 4,500 audio books and 14,000 other audio programs in a broad range of subjects that can be downloaded to a computer. Readers can listen immediately, transfer files to an audio player or burn them onto a CD. Items are spoken-word audio in a proprietary audible.com format. Cost: $14.95-$19.95 per month
- Bookshare.org (www.bookshare.org): Provides digital books in a broad range of subjects to U.S. residents who have a visual or other print disability. Requires completion of an online form, proof of disability, and payment of a $25 sign-up fee and a $50 annual subscription fee. Books are in text format and contracted Braille. Most text files are presented with XML markup and the site includes tools for reading these files.
- Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.net): The oldest producer of free electronic books (eBooks or etexts) on the Internet. Has a collection of more than 15,000 eBooks produced by hundreds of volunteers. Most of the Project Gutenberg eBooks are older literary works that are in the public domain in the United States. All may be freely downloaded and read, and redistributed for non-commercial use. Most books are in text or HTML format; a few require proprietary ebook reading software.
- Web-Braille (www.loc.gov/nls/braille): Provides Braille magazines produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), press-Braille books produced by NLS since 1992, and Braille music scores. Files, which are in contracted Braille ASCII format, may be read online or downloaded for viewing offline or embossing. Access is password-protected and limited to NLS patrons and eligible institutions.
To obtain a complete copy of this selected source list of electronic texts, call 800-841-8436 or visit www.loc.gov/nls/reference/factsheets/etexts.html
As a member of the Statewide Internet Group (SWIG), West Virginia Disability Business Technical Assistance Center (WV DBTAC) has worked to ensure that the statewide information technology/web standards included 508 accessibility guidelines. SWIG was recently informed that the official technology standards documentation with the 508 accessibility guidelines was approved by the Governor's Information Technology Council (ITC).
Summer Camp
Camp Gizmo is a five-day, hands-on camp where parents, professionals and students learn how assistive technology can help young children (birth - 8 years) with significant and multiple developmental needs. A limited number of "focus" children were accepted and assigned a team of professionals who helped families identify and apply new strategies for solving their multiple assistive technology needs. Professionals and other caregivers involved with these children were encouraged to attend the camp.
Labs and workshops were available to camp participants daily. Parents attended workshops on subjects to help them better meet the needs of their child. Professionals and students attended workshops of interest to meet professional/educational needs or assist the "focus" family. Teams met daily to observe, discuss and implement strategies for the "focus" child.
Camp Gizmo was held July 16-20, 2005 on the campus of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf/Blind in Romney, WV.
For more information about a future Camp Gizmo, contact Kathy Knighton/Ginger Huffman, WV Dept. of Education, 800-642-8541 or Pam Roush, WV Birth to Three, 800-642-9704 or Alyson Edwards, WVECTCR, 888-983-2827 or aedwards@rvcds.org.
Camp Gizmo is funded by the WV Dept of Ed/Office of Special Education, WVDHHR/Bureau for Public Health/Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health/WV Birth to Three, and WVDHHR/Bureau for Children and Families/Division of Early Care and Education and in-kind support is provided by WVATS. Support and coordination was provided by WV Early Childhood Training Connections and Resources.
Accessible Computer Games
Arcess has created some simple switch games that are easy to play and are designed to be widely accessible for players who have Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Injury, Head Injury or other physical disabilities. The games can be played as single switch games, speech recognition games or expanded keyboard games (Intellikeys, Unicorn Keyboard, Concept Keyboard, Mini Keyboards).
These games were designed for kids with disabilities to have fun and, the fun doesn't stop just because you're an adult. Computer games can be enjoyed just as much by adults as they are by children.
Arcess games feature high contrast with large clear characters, yet without the "children's" themes that would make them inappropriate for an adult. The speed and difficulty of the games can be adjusted through a very wide range to ensure almost anyone can play. Traditional computer games assume both players have similar physical abilities and reaction times, but the flexible Arcess games allow players with different abilities to play, each with a fair chance of winning.
Choose your access method. These accessible games are designed to work with a very wide range of assistive technologies:
- Single switch
- Expanded keyboard (eg. Intellikeys)
- Keyboard
- Joystick
- Mouse
- Trackball
- Touchscreen
Arcess has been providing accessible switch games through the Internet since 1997. The focus of the games is to overcome the physical barriers to playing arcade games. This is achieved by:
- Providing panels that give the user very wide control over the major game elements - speed, power, etc.
- Supporting a wide range of access methods
- Including high contrast graphics and large characters
Some of Arcess' more popular games are: "Alien Invasion," "Brickout" and "Ruby Ridge." For additional information, check out their web site at www.arcess.com.
The West Virginia Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (WV DBTAC) is a statewide resource offering FREE services in an effort to assist with issues of providing accessible information technology in meaningful ways. If you would like more information or would like to schedule a consultation, please call 800-841-8436.
Serving West Virginia Farmers and Farm Families
Do you belong to an organization whose members might want to know more about West Virginia AgrAbility?
Please call to arrange an AgrAbility presentation.
We would like to share information with your organization about the AgrAbility Project and how it helps farmers and their families.
800-841-8436 or assist@sunnyelkins.com
Gardening Made Easier for SeniorsGardening is truly one of America's favorite leisure outdoor activities, enjoyed by more than 22 million seniors. But for those who suffer from arthritis or other medical conditions, gardening can become difficult and frustrating. Accessible gardening is a term that offers practical tips and ideas to help seniors manage their physical limitations so they can continue to garden. Here are some things to consider.
Tools of the trade
If you have limited strength or mobility, here are some tips to help make your gardening a little easier:
- Add foam tubing to your garden tool handles to soften the grip.
- Paint your tools with a bright color to make them easier to locate.
- Buy ergonomic gardening tools. The user-friendly design makes these tools easier to grip, putting less stress on the wrist and hand.
- Use a kneeling pad or knee pads to help protect aching knees.
- Buy telescopic extender handles, or longer handles for some of your garden tools to eliminate bending and stooping.
- Use a lightweight garden stool to avoid stooping or kneeling. Some stools are rolling carts that will transport tools and double as a seat.
- Use fold-away canvas wheelbarrows that are lightweight, weighing only 12 pounds, but can carry 130 pounds.
- Coil hoses make watering in small containers easier.
Bring the garden to you
If your mobility keeps you from getting into the garden, bring the garden to you. Here are some ideas to consider:
- Raised garden beds, adjusted to your height require less kneeling, stooping and bending.
- Container gardening can be an alternative. Decorative containers are made to look like terra cotta pots, but are actually made out of lightweight plastic. Self-watering planters, when filled, can go unattended for days and minimize hauling around water or a heavy hose.
- A trellis can serve the same purpose, growing a garden vertically instead of horizontally.
- Hanging baskets on a pulley system allows them to be lowered for watering or other maintenance.
- A unique upside down planter can allow you to grow a garden from your patio with no bending or stooping. Visit Hammacher Schlemmer for more information at 800-321-1484 or www.hammacher.com
Resources:
The National Gardening Association: A nonprofit organization that offers gardening tips and sells many of the accessible gardening tools and containers listed above. Visit www.garden.org or call 800-538-7476.
Gardener's Supply Company sells many accessible gardening tools and containers. Visit www.gardeners.com or call 888-833-1412.
Check with your local county extension agent for advice on accessible gardening.
Content derived from Savvy Senior by Jim Miller.
West Virginia AgrAbility Project Renewed
The National AgrAbility Project is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded program established to help people with disabilities remain active in agriculture. West Virginia was among the states that applied for and received the AgrAbility grant for the years 2005-2009.
West Virginia will continue to serve farmers and farm families in many ways including:
- Making direct on-the-farm visits to help develop solutions to meet individual needs
- Recommending safe and affordable modifications to homes, land, vehicles and farming equipment
- Putting families in contact with other West Virginia farm families who have similar experiences
- Helping find funding support for assistive technology and farm equipment modifications
- Providing education on farm safety and injury prevention
For more information on the West Virginia AgrAbility Project call 800-841-8436 or e-mail assist@sunnyelkins.com.
Visit www.cedwvu.org/programs/agrability/ for more information including articles from past WVATS newsletters and the West Virginia Farmers' Connection Guide, which contains information about both state and national resources related to agriculture.
For more information on the National AgrAbility Project visit www.agrabilityproject.org/ or call 866-259-6280.
Web Resource
For individuals interested in adapting their lawn tractors, many manufacturers are including adaptations in their newer models. Both John Deere and Simplicity (which owns Snapper) offer a hand control kit for many models in their respective lawn tractor lines. For more information visit the following web sites:
www.ridgewaymower.com/lxlawn.htm
www.simplicitymfg.com/news_room_7.php
Note: the following two links open PDF files. You may need to download Acrobat Reader
www.stonehams.com/pdf/gx255.pdf
www.stonehams.com/pdf/gt200trac.pdf
West Virginia Farmers' Connections Guide
The WV Farmers' Connections Guide published by the West Virginia AgrAbility Project is available online. This guide is a resource for farmers and farm families in West Virginia; it contains contact information about both state and national resources related to agriculture. An online version can be accessed at: www.cedwvu.org/programs/agrability/connections/
VISIONS - Visually Impaired Seniors In-Home Outreach and Networking
VISIONS - Visually Impaired Seniors In-Home Outreach and Networking Services - is a new program at the Center for Excellence in Disabilities. VISIONS provides free in-home services to adults who are 55 and older who have severe vision impairments. The VISIONS staff consist of five skills trainers. The staff do assessments for vision-related assistive technology, as well as developing independent living plans and providing skills training in activities of daily living, home management, orientation and mobility and communication.
Depending on the client's needs, training can involve methods to make it easier for a client to do cooking, shopping, reading, organizing and paying bills, keeping records and labeling. The focus is on helping clients maintain or achieve their desired level of independence. Skills trainers can also refer clients to peer networks for involvement in support activities.
If you think you or anyone you know might be eligible for this statewide program, call 800-642-3021. Information will be collected through your call and sent to a VISIONS skills trainer who will call to make arrangements for a visit to your home. The skills trainer will ask for a medical verification to document that your vision loss meets criteria for delivery of VISIONS services.
WVATS Newsletter
Editor: Jamie Hayhurst jhayhurst@hsc.wvu.edu Center for Excellence in Disabilities at West Virginia University Publications
Editorial Committee: Jeanne Grimm, Monica Andis, Laura Werner, Lori Risk, Melina Danko. Layout: Kim Palumbo
All printed materials produced by WVATS are available in Braille, electronic format, cassette tape and large print.
This publication was supported by funds from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), Department of Education, grant number H224a20011. The lead agency is the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services. Contents of the newsletter are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the Department of Education or the Center for Excellence in Disabilities.
Web site address: www.cedwvu.org/programs/wvats/
