Trick or Treating is getting a lot of attention this year as people decide how to go about it safely. Honestly, it was always complicated for some of us. I never knew more about the accessibility of our neighborhood until we started taking the girls out for Halloween in their wheelchairs. Rocket ship Wheelchair cover I may be late to the game here, but I just discovered that Target offers some ready-to-to Wheelchair costumes. This would have relieved some of the stress for us, so I thought I'd pass it along. (I can't be the only one that takes it on the day before...or can I?) I see they are currently taking 20 percent off once in the cart. Pirate costume for wheelchairs Looks like Disney got in on the act, too! They are advertising new markdowns: Cinderella wheelchair costume Enjoy! And share a photo in the comments if you have a great Wheelchair costume idea! Continue Reading
How to print a pictorial grocery list in minutes…it’s a game changer for our daughters.
The girls always enjoy having a purposeful trip to the store. Coincidentally, I always have trips to the store...not necessarily enjoyable. Over the past decades we learned to head inside with a deep breath and a prayer. I know that the girls will want to assist with the task. They will want to find certain items to add to the cart. Subsequently, I can guarantee they'll go rogue when it comes to the list. Next they'll get distracted in the aisles and take out a few people with their wheelchairs when they lose focus. As a result, I have ten extra gray hairs when we leave. But we do it anyway. Life skills. Entertainment. The Pandemic of 2020 changed how we do our grocery shopping. For a few months I was the only one, the designated shopper, who went into grocery store. Thankfully, the girls understood the fears and stopped asking to join. By early summer I realized that my attitude towards getting groceries had changed and I dreaded the whole ordeal. Although a little late to the game, I finally tried ordering groceries online for curbside pickup. I love Continue Reading
How to buy a great gift for friends and family with special needs.
Gifts bought with the receiver in mind is always best! It is inevitable that, as a holiday or celebration approaches, someone asks me to share gift ideas for our daughters. Of course it is a sweet question. The trouble is I am often at a loss myself! And once I come up with the best present it's a big dilemma to share my idea...or not! But if I don't? Well, we have a stack of fleece blankets and a drawer of nail polish to show for it. However, I have finally gotten where I can make some good suggestions to keep everyone happy! But just like my oldest daughters' gift lists would not look the same... or my spouse and I...each person with special needs would have different things that make a great gift FOR THEM. That doesn't mean we are left with wrapping (another) soft blanket and tying on some polish. Instead, there are some good paths we can take to arrive at a great gift that's meaningful for our friend or family who has a disability. You can first begin with the obvious...ask them. Maybe they do have a wish list that they are just hoping to have fulfilled. Continue Reading
5 things items we love for accessible travel to add to your wish list
I have discovered a few things in our travel life that we rely on. Some we have had forever and some are relatively new to us. Some of the links in this article are "affiliate links" and should you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. (The price of the item is the same whether or not it is an affiliate link.) I only recommend products or services I find beneficial.By using the affiliate links, you are helping support our Website-thanks for your support. But the thing they have in common is that I don't want to leave home without them! One thing I stumbled upon last year as we packed for our Texas vacation to San Antonio and Morgan's Wonderland. (Part of the trip excitement is the planning and prep work.) So as we browsed through travel accessories we discovered infinity scarves with hidden pockets. We knew right away that they're winners due to their multiple functions. They have the practical application of hanging on the wheelchairs for quick wipe ups AND allow us to stash hotel keys, tickets, cash or Continue Reading
3 tools to increase speech recognition for independence
At it again. Some of the links in this article are "affiliate links" and should you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. (The price of the item is the same whether or not it is an affiliate link.) I only recommend products or services I find beneficial.By using the affiliate links, you are helping support our Website-thanks for your support. I get so weary of my daughters and the fighting. Not with each other, mind you, but with Siri. It seems that Siri, while offering a wealth of information, first needs to understand the question. Not always an easy task for someone with a disability. Specifically, Cerebral Palsy. This new age of technology continues to open doors for our daughters! But it also brings some disappointment. It didn't take them long to hone their skills at navigating their iPads. They started with Skyping and moved to Facetiming and calling through Messenger and never looked back. The visual photos allows them to get things right despite the inability to read. Well, almost right. (Sorry to your Continue Reading
DAFOs for Dolls free for Cascade customers
I wish I had know this before! Thanks to a mom looking for matching orthotics for her daughter's Christmas gift doll, Cascade brand orthotics is offering FREE doll DAFOS to their customers! We understand that sticking to a brace-wearing plan can be challenging for kids, but having a look-alike companion who shares your daily routine can be a game-changer. We're happy to announce that our shelves are now stocked with mini-DAFOs that fit most 18-inch dolls. Our complimentary Doll DAFOs can be ordered with any of our strap colors. (Available in the U.S. and Canada, for Cascade Dafo customers only.) https://cascadedafo.com/news/2018/exclusively-for-dafo-wearers-doll-dafos In other words, you can choose the strap color to match your child's DAFOs! How fun is that? You just need to mention it to your practitioner and have them add it to the "special requests" notes. Or, if you are like me, you will forget. After all, in the hype of the moment, we are not thinking about our gift lists! I rarely find myself chatting about dolls as our kiddos are slightly non-compliant at Continue Reading
