Why Donations to the Spina Bifida Association Between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Will Be Particularly Fruitful

by Treadmarkz

The World Congress on Spina Bifida Research met on March 14, and attendees vowed to match all donations to the Spina Bifida Association between May 13 and June 17. Everything you donate during that time will be doubled.

More inspiring information on what was done at this historic meeting can be found at:

http://www.kintera.org/cms.asp?id=3092139&campaign_id=148258&tr=y&enString=x

Two-Thirds of Americans Agree – Stay Out of the Handicapped Parking Zone If You Don’t Need It

by Treadmarkz

A new survey reveals that 2/3 of Americans say that “able-bodied” people parking in “Handicapped” parking spaces is amongst their top driving pet peeves. Surely a hefty percentage of that 2/3 are not people who would have needed that parking space. Surely most of them are able-bodied. So this, to me, is a great sign of the expanded consciousness of Americans – a sign that we as a country are looking out for each other. I assume we always have been but when much of the news reveals the selfishness and consumerism of Americans, this is really refreshing to me.

 

 

Nazis Got Their Ideas on Forced Sterilization From The U.S.A.

by Treadmarkz

It is a very sad thing to see that your country was the inspiration for one aspect of one of the most horrific acts of “ethnic cleansing” in human history. But it is true. As Anderson Cooper reported tonight on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360″, the Nazis took inspiration for their program of forced sterilization of Jews from the United States Government. The U.S. reportedly sterilized many thousands of people who were considered weak or not fit to procreate, including many with various types of what we would today merely call disabilities, but back then they were just defective quasi-humans, apparently. See the full story here.

Requiring Voters To Have Photo ID Would Exclude Disabled?

by Treadmarkz

In my local paper today, I read an editorial on the debate over requiring voters to have a photo ID. It claims that 10% of eligible voters with disabilities, (27,000 people in Minnesota where I live) would not have photo ID and would therefore be excluded from the electoral process.
Okay, my first questions is why is this? Though I do not myself have a driver’s license so I have no right to question this, I do know that it is not too expensive to get a photo ID which can be used for every occasion except for operating a motor vehicle. I understand the economic problems disabled people face in the competitive work force, but if 10% of disabled adults in this state cannot afford to get this ID card, a one-time expense, then this state, this country really, has more problems than I thought.
If this is the case, then let me propose a solution, and then we can debate why it is not plausible so we can make sure nothing ever gets done about it. My solution is we reissue Social Security cards to all adults, but make it a photo ID rather than the flimsy proto-cardboard they’ve been using since the time of Plymouth Rock! Every legal citizen has one. In switching over from the old to the new version, we might just be able to weed out some of the illegally held Social Security numbers in the U.S. as well.
Tell me where I’m wrong.

How Pain is Like a Bad Axle

by Treadmarkz

In my studies of the Sanskrit language I have found several words that, when translated into English, are made up of some literal profundities. One example struck me as particularly pertinent to this blog, so I’d like to share it with you. The word for pain in Sanskrit, duhkha, literally means “bad axle” or “bad axle shaft”.
When you look at pain in this way, pain becomes a very different experience, especially for a guy in a wheelchair. If I had to deal with a bad axle on my wheelchair, I would have two very distinct choices. A) I could take the necessary actions to get the axle repaired, or B) I could live my life with my back side dragging on the ground.
And so, when considered from the Sanskrit point of view, pain is a problem which logically leads one to its own solution.

Couple of Links To Peruse

by Treadmarkz

Just stopping in to drop a couple of links to my other blog. Normally I would keep the two blogs separate because of the wide gulf in subject matter. But these two posts, while related to my spiritual life, also have a lot to do with disabilities. So you may be interested. Have a look:

 

The Greatest Disability in the World

Yoga At the Pharmacy

I Think I Found My Boundaries In Messing With Walkies

by Treadmarkz

I feel like rolling around town wearing a sweater that says “Texting and Driving Put Me In this Chair” But I won’t. Because I haven’t found a shirt like that yet. Nah, just kidding. The reason is because it is distasteful. And not true. If it were, I’d make a cause out of it. I know a lot of people actually ARE in chairs because of texting and driving. But I don’t know if really outspoken appeals to emotion like that even work. Its kind of like that picture that some of you may have seen floating around the internet of a handicapped parking space with the words “Every 9 minutes Someone Becomes Eligible To Park Here.” Does that work?

What is Santorum REALLY Saying About His Feelings Toward Disabled Children?

by Treadmarkz

Prenatal testing encourages abortions? I don’t know, Rick Santorum, I think you’re a bit off the mark on this one. I think, first and foremost, it gives parents-to-be the opportunity to know what they are up against when their baby comes if he or she does have a disability. It gives them the opportunity to plan financially and prepare themselves emotionally for all that is going to be required of them to give the baby the best life they can provide.

And second, I think that by saying prenatal testing encourages abortions, Santorum is showing us his true feelings toward people with disabilities. I believe him when he says he is 100% anti-abortion. But to suggest that when a parent finds out their child will be disabled that they should for some reason want to terminate the pregnancy, well, that tells me something about Santorum’s mindset, to tell you the truth.

Liberals who consider themselves “pro-choice” are not “anti-life”. They are not going around looking for a reason to have an abortion. That seems to be what Santorum is trying to suggest here. But it doesn’t add up.

Enough Outta Me, Let’s Have Some Discussion: No Child Left Behind

by Treadmarkz

Since I am starting to re-develop a following here at “Leaving Treadmarkz Across the Universe” I’d like to pose a question to kind of get to know the readers a little better. So, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. So here is my question:

How do you think the discontinuing of “No Child Left Behind” in 10 states will affect school age children with learning disabilities?

Yoga Update: Episode #1

by Treadmarkz,

I posted last night that I am pursuing Hatha Yoga, so I wanted to follow up on that. I do not intend to research the subject and provide a list of good sites or DVDs I have seen on the subject because anyone interested, you can find that for yourself. I intend to advise by experience only, as that is all that is important.

I have already stumbled upon something very simple yet extremely valuable. I have been working with two very basic yoga poses which we in wheelchairs can use in order to tighten those abs. Try these out and see how effective they are. I was amazed.

1. Sitting up as straight as possible, without consciously arching your back too much, extend both arms straight out in front of you, palms down. Bend one hand up, fingertips reaching for the sky. Bend the other hand downward. Fully extending your harms, press the upward hand forward against the downward hand, each hand resisting each other. Remember to keep the back straight. Don’t rest on your back rest. You don’t need to do this for very long. The very act of trying to keep sitting up straight will work out those abs.

2. Classic yoga pose, but very effective: Behind your head, place your left palm on your right shoulder. Then place your right palm on the left elbow. Again sit up as straight as possible, no leaning on the backrest. This one may be a little harder to keep your balance but go for it! Then when both arms are in place, press the back of your head in the cradle you’ve formed. Again do not arch the back. just press the head back, and before long you will start to feel the abs stretching. Do this for as long as you can tolerate.

Okay that’s good for now.

Go for it!