For those of you planning to fly Old Glory this fourth, there is a great pamphlet on Displaying Our Flag. Just take the 10 question quiz below and you can pick up a copy at the finish.
The pamphlet also makes a super hand out for clubs, groups, troops, and schools. You can produce as many copies as you like for educational purposes. The pamphlet is courtesy of United Spinal Association.
Show off your score- Post your score in the comment section of this post.
Listen up! It may not improve hearing but it may improve independence for people with extremely limited function who may require advanced control systems in order to use a powered wheelchair.
Think A Move Technology, LTD, has developed e-macc, a unique technology that fits in a wheelchair users ear and allows them to control their powered wheelchair. The ear piece is inconspicuous and hygienic.
e-macc translates small tongue movements inside the mouth into commands that control the wheelchair and ancillary devices. Acoustic sensing technology picks up the signals created by speech and tongue movements. The signals are then transmitted to a small processor on the wheelchair where they are translated into pre-defined commands.
Think-A-Move, Ltd. has licensed its e-macc (Ear Mobility Accessibility Control Communication) technology to Switch-It Inc. With this technology Switch-It brings the first wheelchair control that only requires a hygienic inconspicuous earpiece to operate to the market.
This is one technology to keep an ear out for. Depending on cost, and ease of training the user and system, it has the potential of eliminating several long standing problems for wheelchair users with extreme functional limitations.
Isolating several small movements that the user can perform in a consistent and repetitive fashion has always been a problem. Add to this the need to attach switches or controls to the wheelchair in a way that will accurately align them with those small functional movements and then keep them aligned while the user gets jostled and shifted around within the wheelchair. It’s almost impossible to maintain accurate alignment over the long haul without constantly having to reposition the wheelchair user. Devices such as e-macc may go a long way in resolving these problems and increasing wheelchair usability and user independence.
From Finland, a four wheel drive rough terrain powered wheelchair. The Chasswheel Four X combines four wheel drive with suspension and shock absorption to get through and over obstacles.
The Four X has a flexible chassis structure that allows each wheel to respond to contours in the terrain. This keeps all four wheels in contact at all times. The wheels themselves are each driven by an independent motor The entire package is fitted to a suspension system with shock absorption.
An adjustable seating systems allows for moving the seat backward or forward 25cm for adjusting center of gravity. This is particularly handy when going over rough time, negotiating steep slopes, or dealing with difficult weather conditions.
I have really learned to appreciate technology. If you dig around these pages it won’t take you long to figure out that I have a soft spot for wheelchair technology. Yet, I am the first to admit that dogs are cooler than technology. This is especially true when it comes to service dogs.
I have known, worked with, worked on, and palled around with people who are spinal cord injured my entire adult life. I knew many of these people before and after they partnered with a service dog. I gotta tell ya, the after the fact package was much more together.
Jordan & Zoey of Retrieving Independence
The up-front benefits were obvious and easy to spot. The service dog was a partner and a care giver of sorts, lending a paw and a mouth, contributing native and acquired smarts as well as some muscle to help get those tough and tedious activities of daily living done. They kick in to help you up the independence ladder. Some of the other benefits were not as obvious unless you knew the before and after of the person.
Many of the pre-service dog people that I have known were not only SCI but they were people with other issues as well. Paralyzed veterans trying to cope with PTSD as well as with SCI. Young newly injured quads trying to cope with SCI and just life itself. Aging SCI who were loosing function or whose spouse of 40 years had just passed away. Many were thought to be loaners, misfits, oddballs, or otherwise lost souls. Many were offered help on a small white piece of paper with RX written boldy at the top. Few found relief there.
You probably know where this is going, but it’s true. You could see the changes in the post service dog people. There was much less stress. The liquid emotions of the past had trickled off to some unknown place. They got things done, joked, and talked about things other than their personal woes and misfortunes. They had been re-humanized.
So, why are service dogs cooler than technology? Because they give! They don’t need an opportunity to give back. They will do it first. You can work them or scold them and they will still love you and help you. They are vitale and alive and so they make their partners feel that way. They have been trained for success and they want you to succeed with them. It’s an emotional union of kindred spirits and a physical combination that makes things happen. Try and get that from your shiny red wheelchair.
A little about the dogs in the images above: Those two are Jordan and Zoey. They are Collies who will be breeding pups for training as service dogs at the not-for-profit Retrieving Independence. They caught my eye after founder Karen Langer invited me over to check out the Retrieving Independence web site. Actually, I just fell in love with them. I never realized that Collies were trained as service dogs??? Karen says that they have the perfect temperament and size and they are smart to boot.
Obtaining repairs and service on wheelchairs and mobility scooters seems to be an ever increasing problem. This is especially true when it comes to powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
We receive loads of wheelchair reviews and emails on the USA TechGuide side of the works. A very large number of these reviews include comments regarding slow or no service from wheelchair dealers and manufacturers.
The problems seem to be numerous and diverse. Here are just a few that are commonly mentioned:
Won’t repair because wheelchair was not purchased from there.
Repair service will not honor warranty because wheelchair was not purchased there.
Parts can take weeks to get.
Repair did not solve problem.
Parts and repairs extremely expensive.
Multiple repairs for the same problem.
New problems arise immediately after a repair.
Repair services are difficult to find.
Wheelchair is tied up for long periods of time.
Technicians do not appear to be competent.
Many people are aware of the problems in getting a wheelchair these days. They are very expensive. Most good manual wheelchairs will cost thousands of dollars over the counter. Sophisticated powered wheelchairs can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Medicare and Medicaid may not be an option and even if they are a wheelchair user may not get the wheelchair they really need.
The kicker in all of this is in the reality- Obtaining a new wheelchair is only part of the problem. Once it has been obtained, by whatever means, the user may spend a number of weeks per year without use of the chair due to repair problems or waiting for parts. To add to this they may also spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a yearly basis for repairs and service.
It’s a bad combination- hard to get and hard to keep rolling. There may be a solution to all of this but I haven’t heard it yet.
Some out-takes from wheelchair and mobility scooter users.
"I had the chair for a year and in total it has been sent back four time for certain anoying problems."
"Very unhappy with company purchased from, will not honor warranty."
"the repair shops don’t always want your business, they won’t service any chairs that they don’t sell. seems to be a trend"
"it’s very difficult to get parts from the company. they tend to give you a run around"
"I started out right off haveing it in the shop It will not run most of the time I go out for a ride and my husband has to end up pushing me back home."
"it was in the shop more than at my house you buy one of these to make life easier especially when you cant walk due to spinal injury and you wind up with more problems."
"Scooter was defective when delivered and more than 6 months later we have no satisfactory resolution to the many problems."
"It went through extensive testing with the service center all about called me a lair after three tests both district manager and sales center followed me around and actualy watch problems but still service center claimed it was ok. finally had to replace it."
"Constant mechanical/electrical repairs. I spent $900.00 last year to keep this scooter running."
"just replaced my Motors and controller after only two months of Use. The chair just died again yesterday with the replace upgraded Motors and controller."
"I find it interesting that you can order a motor and pay cash for it, but if it is to be fixed under warranty, the motor is on "back order". Seems to me that the warranty is only as good as the paper on which it is written."
“the controller and something else quit. cost me $2078.25 to fix!!!!"
"My friends have had to become chair techs, contortionists, and I’ve learned how to be completely helpless. It stops working for no reason whatsoever…"
e-macc translates small tongue movements inside the mouth into commands that control the wheelchair and ancillary devices. Acoustic sensing technology picks up the signals created by speech and tongue movements. The signals are then transmitted to a small processor on the wheelchair where they are translated into pre-defined commands. 
