Started watching a wheelchair YouTuber & she's testing an accessory called the LapStacker. It's a strap to keep things from falling off your lap, retractable, etc. It's 120 damn dollars. The little electric motor I'm looking at? 4,250. I'm poor ffs ppl
Right now I'm still mostly trapped in my house. Most of that is a structural issue: my home is not accessible, my block is not accessible, the only public transit route I can take to my kid's school is inaccessible and there's no alternative, but I could still go out more if I could use my chair!
But I can't use my chair as much as I need, bcuz I'm not strong enough. I can't use it bcuz I have joint & nerve pain that's worsened by pushing, & nobody wants to help me build strength, stamina or make sure my technique is correct, they just want to take my chair from me bcuz I'm still ambulatory
Meanwhile, my joints are getting worse, my pain is getting worse, and I don't go out and socialize, work or exercise, because it's too painful and exhausting. I still think about going to the museum with my kid & nephews & the difference next day between using my chair for 1 trip & not the other
And getting insurance to pay for these things is usually more trouble than it's worth. For one thing, the specialists that would argue my case are not doctors I trust. They're fatphobic, saneist & racist & their negligence & arrogance is the primary reason I'm suffering so much as it is
It's just frustrating. I've tried fundraisers before, they never worked. There's not nearly as many resources to help people get mobility aids etc as abled people think. It isn't a straightforward process to get on disability either and that's a pittance anyway.