Accessible Motorcycle

Every once in a while I see a trike motorcycle driving down the road with a wheelchair strapped to the side. Being a rider myself I find some satisfaction that people with disabilities get a chance to enjoy the thrill of a bike as well. The other day I was watching the show Orange County Choppers where they build amazing chopper motorcycles from scratch. Every time I watch them I love the amazing results they turn each bike into. On this episode they decided to make a special modification to the bike for the Christopher Reeve foundation. Christopher Reeve is an actor who is famous for his role in Superman who became a quadriplegic from a horse riding accident. This motorcycle was a bike that you could ride while sitting in your wheelchair. Basically it was a trike motorcycle with a platform you can strap the wheelchair to. Being a TR major and a motorcycle rider I was pleased to watch this episode on building an accessible motorcycle.

Animal Assisted Therapy

Animal assisted therapy involves animals to become a fundamental part of a person's treatment. AAT is designed to improve all areas of functioning in a group or individual setting. Any type of animal can be used ranging from a lizard to an elephant. The most common animal used for therapy is the dog. In class we met with two therapy dogs. One named Cooper and the other named Gus. They both seemed like nice loving dogs who can share compassion when dealing with individual clients. The class went well because we had something to play with however the tremendous amounts of dog hair we could have lived without. To be a certified dog the dog must sit politely, accept a friendly stranger, walk on a loose leash, walk through a crowd that includes wheelchairs, sit on command and stay in place, react well with other dogs and react well to environmental distractions. Animal therapy can be beneficial to all aspects of a persons life. They can provide a calming presence, pain relief, increase self esteem, reduce loneliness, improves interaction, provides entertainment and improves physical contact. AAT is a great way to provide therapy to clients, it provides a wide range of animals so any client with any interest in animals can enjoy it.

Goalball !?!

In class a group gave us a presentation on goalball. Now what is goalball, that's what I asked? Goalball is a team sport designed for blind athletes. Participants compete in teams of three and try and roll a ball that has bells in it across a court and into the opponents goal. To pretend like we had a visual disability we used blindfolds for this activity. At first I thought the game would be pretty easy because the ball had bells in it so you knew where it was, that wasn't always true. Sometimes if the ball was going fast enough you couldn't hear it until it was close. Also what I soon found out was protective clothing was a must. My first dive to block the ball resulted in a floor burned knee. Proper protective equipment consists of elbow pads, knee pads, and hockey pads to protect the hips. Goalball was an unusual but enjoyable game to play. Even though the class was short, it's definitely a game I would recommend to the competitive visually disabled.

Accessible Game Show?

So I've been kind of forgetting to post my thoughts to TR on a regular basis so I thought I should pick it up now. The other day before class I decided to watch the classic game show of The Price is Right. About half way through they call a name to come out of the audience and come up to the bidding table to name a price on the next item. They call a woman's name and then I see her wheeling down the isle. She was a middle aged woman using a wheelchair. I thought how cool it was that she was chosen and had a chance to go up on stage and actually play for a larger prize. As I'm watching the other contestants, I'm actually rooting for the woman in the wheelchair to bid the closest price to the actual cost so she can go up on stage. Before I know it she won the bid and had the chance to go up on stage with Drew Carey. Instead of running up on stage like the others, she was wheeled back up the isle and around the back side of the stage. Eventually she ended up winning a prize. Later when it was time to spin the wheel she gave it a try of her own but was unable to make the wheel complete a full circle. With the help of Drew she made her spin but was unlucky and did not get the chance to play in the final showcase showdown. After the many years of watching the show I have never seen anybody in a wheelchair get to go up on stage. What are the odds now of me witnessing that during my quest of a TR major?