Letters: July 2017


Cool Cooper
Very cool! What an innovator [“Rory Cooper: The Man Behind the Technology,” May 2017].
Kelly Harrington
via newmobility.com

How About More?
Maybe they can find something for pressure sores and a device that can help [someone] transfer from their power chair to another chair or sofa. Keep up the fantastic work [“Rory Cooper …”].
Tim Leaphart
via newmobility.com

New Products Too Expensive
For these to be so expensive just plain rules out the majority of people that would benefit greatly from these great bits of equipment [“Cool New Products Unveiled at ISS,” May 2017]. I am paraplegic and would love to be able to buy the things that could make life that little bit easier.
Simon Malone
via newmobility.com

Aussies Pay More
Not even close to what we pay for the same stuff here in Australia. US$350 ROHO cushion is about AU$900. Even when our dollar was worth more than the U.S. dollar, we paid a lot more.
Peter Lane-Collett
via newmobility.com

Travel Invention
I travel by air from Tennessee to Newfoundland every month for work. I take a large suitcase [“Best Travel Products for Wheelchair Users,” May 16, 2017, newmobility.com]. I made a small hitch and attached it to my wheelchair’s axle. I have to take my backpack off the chair to hook the suitcase to the hitch, but it’s not a problem. After dropping the suitcase handle on the hitch, I put the backpack on the back of my manual chair and off I go. The shortness of the suitcase handle limits how much I can turn, but it hasn’t been difficult to get around. It backs up well, too. I have another backpack I keep my laptop and things in, which I use a bungee cord to strap around my neck so it doesn’t fall out of my lap. So far this arrangement has worked well for me.
Jim Harris
via newmobility.com

More Power to Sam Schmidt
As a paraplegic who daily drives a [Corvette] Z06, I find it awesome that others with more severe injuries can experience the same feeling of excitement and liberation from driving a sports car! [“Former IndyCar Driver Sam Schmidt Races Mario Andretti,” May 19 News, newmobility.com] Most of life slows down when you use a wheelchair, so it’s incredible to have a release where that isn’t the case. Way to go, Sam and Arrow [Electronics]!
Aaron Hastings
via newmobility.com

Stillness Brings Clarity
Yes! The opportunities for stillness abound in paralysis — literally. Stillness exists for the nondisabled world as well, and paralysis helps us see and be still with great clarity [Importance of Self-Reflection,” May 19 blog, newmobility.com].
Arwen Bird
via newmobility.com

Kudos for Alaska Airlines
I’ve been flying fairly regularly for many years and I’ve never had damage to my chair (granted, it’s manual, not power) nor have I had any incidents such as have been described recently in the media [“My Recent Experience Flying With My Power Chair, May 5 blog, newmobility.com]. I fly Alaska Airlines almost exclusively, and they do an excellent job and are very polite and respectful. I know everyone can’t use them, but I like to give them a shoutout for their excellent service.
Kathy M. Stice
via newmobility.com

Trumpcare Link Lacking in Facts
I normally appreciate the information from your newsletter; however I do not appreciate articles that use only scare tactics without facts as to why we should act. I am referring to the “Stop Trumpcare” [action alert link], which is short on factual information. I am willing to change my opinion based on facts, not scare tactics.

Under Obamacare our ability to obtain a much needed new wheelchair from Medicare for our quadriplegic son became horrendously difficult as Obamacare eliminated DME  providers in our state by making it too expensive and difficult for them to participate. The company we must deal with now has a monopoly and have been very difficult to work with as a result. Please stick to the facts and not a political agenda.
Sheryl Huffman
via newmobility.com

EDITOR: Readers often don’t realize that the elimination of local DME providers is a national trend caused not by Obamacare, but by a Medicare policy called “competitive bidding,” which awards regional contracts to larger companies with the lowest bid. NEW MOBILITY was one of the first to sound the alarm about competitive bidding, with articles such as “Getting Equipment Gets Harder” and “At What Cost, Savings,” which ran in 2008, two years before the passage of Obamacare. Further, NM’s parent organization, United Spinal Association, has led the fight against including complex rehab equipment in competitive bidding — it is, in fact, our signature issue. The American Health Care Act (aka Trumpcare) and Trump’s proposed budget are disastrous for our already struggling community. For more information, please visit newmobility.com’s News section.


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