Do you get mad when you see someone with no handicapped tag zoom into a handicapped parking spot at Wal-Mart and then jog into the store? I do! I like this video because it explains the great details that go into making good, accessible handicapped parking. It also causes me to think, as an able bodied person, about how I park my vehicle and how I use public space. For instance, do I pull so far into a parking spot that the hood of my car extends over most of the sidewalk, making it difficult for people to get around my car? And how many of you have been aggravated to see that there is a nice h/c parking area, but there's no easy way to access the curb, except for a slope that's 30 feet away and forces the disabled person to travel through the parking lot to get to it? I doubt that we as OTAs will be outside measuring and inspecting the parking lots, but this video does give you some ideas about the challenges that disabled persons face when moving from place to place.

It's hard to believe that the ADA is 25 years old. This video shows some problems that still exist for disabled individuals in our present society. Like most major reform laws, the ADA has had a big impact on our country, but there is still more to do.

In our combined lab with PTA students, one of my scenarios involved tennis elbow. This video explains some helpful exercises for this condition and would be good to share with patients. It also explains that tennis elbow is now seen as being degenerative rather than inflammatory and as tendinopathy instead of tendinitis.

This is a slide presentation by AgrAbility which does a little bit of teaching about ergonomics and also shows lots of examples of adapted garden tools. I don't garden, but I found this presentation interesting because a lot of older people I know garden, and I enjoy eating their produce! Grips, handle lengths, lightweight materials and the like are described and suggested, either to purchase or make yourself. There's also information about gardening with arthritis and general safety precautions.

The skin is the largest organ in the body; as such, it is important to keep it healthy and functioning. Nothing is much worse for skin than severe burns. This easy to understand article takes a look at using plastic surgery to repair badly damaged skin. Some fairly new techniques include microsurgery and tissue expansion. The article also discusses changes in the skin and circulation post-op.

This is a short video with an OTR/CHT demonstrating how to wrap a finger. Uses for Coban wrap include reducing edema, support and protection for wounds (it can be applied directly, but doesn't stick to weeping tissue), light support for joint positioning, and early AROM.

This is a short video demonstrating the use of a simulator which enables the client to practice movements prior to returning to work or other activities. Apparently the machine has several interchangeable parts to mimic different tasks. Notice that the data collected from the simulator is displayed on a computer monitor for quick feedback. This technology is mentioned on pp. 602-03 in our Early text.

This is a short, easy to read article that would be a helpful resource for patients. Individuals with MS have many symptoms; one of the most common is fatigue. Suggestions about position and time of day may help persons have more fulfilling sex lives. Many of the ideas given in the article are very similar to the alternatives identified in chapter 16 of the Early text.

If you are working at a drive thru window in Nevada, it is really possible that a car could pull up and have no one inside it. No, it's not a ghost car, but a driverless car, which is actually road legal in that state. This bookmark is a website by BMWi listing new innovations in technology that could benefit disabled persons. Even if some of the products never become widely used, the technologies from them could be put to use in a variety of other ways. The website reads a bit like a commercial, but it still gives you an idea of how technology, adaptive equipment, and the needs of disabled people are converging.

I'm not sure that I agree with the title of this video, but the TEK Robotic Mobilization Device is a major improvement, in many ways, over a wheelchair. This segment gives 4 reasons why the TEK Robotic demonstrates a major shift in thinking in mobility devices. Best of all, this device shows how an individual with SCI can both sit and stand during the day, and place himself in much more natural positions for social interaction.

This is an easy-to-understand webpage that describes the parts of a LE prosthesis. The material is more descriptive and more current, in my opinion, than what appears in our textbook. It also includes sections on prosthesis fitting and care of the residual limb. This resource would be good to recommend to a patient prior to or shortly after amputation. It also has professional version of the same material.

Last year when Dennis (injured hang-gliding) visited our lab and when we watched the video of Charlie Croteau, I thought one of the most interesting topics they mentioned was how to travel on airlines with a wheelchair. Both men emphasized the importance of the items you need to take with you onto the plane and the space restrictions you could anticipate. I was also interested in how the wheelchair could be disassembled into a very compact space. This website is aimed toward those who may be traveling with a wheelchair and offers practical advice such as labeling your w/c parts and requesting assistance at airports.

Service animals can not only provide practical needs for their owners, but love and emotional support as well. I know a few things about service dogs, but I know very little about capuchin monkeys as service animals. In this short video, a trainer explains how the monkeys are prepared for service, the many tasks they can help with, and how the animal is placed with a client. Having a capuchin come to your house puts a whole new twist on the idea of a home evaluation!

You may not believe it if I told you to grab some tissues to watch a hip surgery video, but this one will get you! For my much younger classmates, Mary Lou Retton was an Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics. She was fun to watch and she had a bouncy, energetic personality to match. She was on the Wheaties box and was just one of those wholesome, American pie type figures for a long time. In this segment, Mary Lou explains her battle with hip dysplasia (her hips were "like plastic" she says, but she did not know this growing up) and her decision to have hip surgery. This video helps future practitioners see the big picture of health, therapy, and life.

Looking over my bookmarks to Diigo, I must enjoy recreation and leisure a lot, but I couldn't resist posting this blog about amusement parks and accessibility. The author identifies 6 amusement parks in the U.S. and briefly describes the unique perks of each. From Morgan's Wonderland in TX, built specifically for special needs children, to Cedar Fair Parks in NC and OH, which cater especially to children with autism, this is an interesting list of possibilities. Although this is just a blog, it provides quite a bit of information and photos.

This short video shows how a prosthetic hand is made from a 3D printer. At the TNOTA Conference last year, a presenter described the impact of 3D printing on manufacturing in general and on OT interventions specifically. Prosthetics can now be much more customized to the needs of the patient, more aesthetically appealing, quicker to make, and much less expensive. The possibilities of use of 3D printing with disabled individuals are nearly limitless.

How would a blind person play tennis? This article explains the sport of blind tennis and gives some information about the sport's history, which started in 1984. With certain modifications of rules and equipment, blind or otherwise visually impaired individuals can participate remarkably well. Scientists are discovering other ways that the brain "sees." The visual cortex apparently can also process auditory and tactile stimuli, and impaired individuals also do have some visual perception, using other senses to monitor their surroundings. When blind tennis players begin to succeed on court, that success carries over into other areas of their lives. The article includes conversations with instructors and students, and is inspiring to those who think they "can't."

In class we have been discussing the wellness wheel and holistic health. This article about wheelchair tennis is inspiring and encouraging for persons living with disabilities. As practitioners, we should be aware of a variety of resources that could help our clients live full lives. "Wheelchair Revolution" relates the history of wheelchair tennis through the lives of Brad Parks and Jeff Minnebraker, both paraplegics. The two fatefully met at the Ranchos Los Amigos rehab center (remember the levels of consciousness scale by the same name?) in the 1970s. Minnebraker was a pioneer of lightweight, maneuverable w/c's, while Parks was experimenting with w/c tennis. The article also describes the game's popularity, attractive prize money, international tour, and sizable fan base. More info on wheelchair tennis can be found at http://www.usta.com/Adult-Tennis/Wheelchair-Tennis/Wheelchair/.

This study explores how effective energy conservation techniques are for three tasks: shopping for groceries with a grocery bag vs. a shopping cart, washing clothes while standing vs. sitting, and hanging clothes to dry at shoulder height vs. waist height. The subjects were divided by age; one group was 60 or < and the other group was over 60. Read this article to find out why two of the EC techniques benefited only the younger group. This study raises interesting questions about considering clients' contexts before suggesting EC techniques.

This is a handy-dandy chart of a variety of assessments that OTs can use to help determine a patient's functional limitations and how those limitations may change over time. According to fairly new rules related to Medicare, OTs and other therapists must now include a G-code which helps documents changes in patients and gives Medicare decision making abilities about the patient's future services. Originally I was looking for the use of the Barthel Index in OT settings when I found this chart and recognized some of the other assessments as well. If you are especially interested in working with older patients, this chart could be helpful.