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NEW ISSUE

Vent Life

It took a global pandemic to make ventilators a trending topic of discussion, but for thousands of people, they were part of daily life long before COVID-19 entered the common lexicon. We check in with three active vent users who — unlike people in the news who are confined to hospitals or nursing homes — live full and enjoyable lives. Plus, Nicole Ficarra shares how a diaphragm pacemaker changed her world.

NEWS

Posts from the World of Disability

Our latest roundup of the wide world of disability news is a good one. This month features a first look at how airlines may be able to accommodate wheelchair users staying in their own chairs; a new, inexpensive technology that brings eye control to your iPad; a modern update on a disability-centric book about dating, sex and relationships; as well as book and movie recommendations and more.

CALL FOR ADA STORIES

Your Experiences with the ADA

As the ADA turns 30, please tell us how it has exceeded your expectations or fallen short. Is its impact lagging behind or further along than you thought it’d be? Most importantly, what are the biggest changes it has brought about that have improved your own life? And what do you think comes next? Your responses may appear in our July issue.

PRO TIPS

A Clickable Catalog of SCI Health Information

Since 2010, Bob Vogel’s Para/Medic column has provided expert guidance on managing the health challenges that often accompany spinal cord injury. Help us say farewell to this NM staple while we share a few of his columns that stand out. In addition, there’s a clickable list of the entire library — separated into categories such as general health, osteoporosis and fracture management, bladder, bowel, shoulders and skin — so you can still find the whatever health information you need.

Helping Design a Life-Changing Product

In 2016, engineer and C4 quad Rob Wudlick signed on with the company Abilitech to help develop a powered upper-limb orthotic to help increase functional independence for people with arm weakness. The final product will help high quads amplify their existing function to brush teeth, feed themselves and scratch their faces. More than that though, the project’s success shows what can be accomplished when end users are integrated into every stage of the design process.

Paris by Firefly

While traveling through Paris, Alan Toy felt like a superhero thanks to a powered attachment to his manual chair that let him zip from world-famous monument to world-class meal and back again, all without breaking a sweat. Join him for this fun tour of the City of Light, and get a sneak peek at the soon-to-be-released update to the Firefly by Rio Mobility.

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