As the snow begins to fly, and holiday music is playing on every radio station, there is no avoiding that the holidays are here! We have made a holiday gift guide with the perfect gifts for your friends & family who use a wheelchair. Keep them safe and happy this holiday season with Braze Mobility’s accessible holiday gifting guide!
We have not tested these products for their usability, and advise that you do due diligence before purchase.
- Access Masks ($21 CAD)
These face masks made by the Como foundation, make communication accessible to all through the use of a window in the face shield. This allows for easy lip reading for the hard of hearing, and can help people with speech difficulties communicate all while staying safe behind a mask. The fun colours and designs mean you can choose the perfect mask for your friend or loved one, and maybe for yourself as well to make the world a little more accessible!
- Fun seat covers ($48 USD)
This website offers lots of wheelchair cushion covers in fun designs- with over 20 fabrics to choose from you can find the perfect one for a gift! The website custom makes them to fit any wheelchair, or if you are feeling crafty you could visit your local fabric store and make your own!
- Light up wheels ($39 USD)
These castor wheels are self-powered (meaning no need for battery replacements!) and will make a disco-party wherever you and your friend go! They come in a variety of sizes on the website.
- The Braze Sentina
The Braze Sentina is a blind spot sensor system that can turn any wheelchair into a “smart” wheelchair. These add-on devices easily attach to any wheelchair and offer visual, audio, and vibrational feedback to wheelchair users regarding the location and proximity of obstacles. They provide the freedom of improved maneuverability, increased spatial awareness, and increased safety.
More information about the Braze Sentina can be found here!
- Umbrella holder ($17 CAD)
Depending on where you live, it’s hard to escape the rain. Even harder is having enough hands to steer/propel a wheelchair and hold an umbrella! With the gift of this umbrella holder, every time your friend or relative stays dry in the rain, they will think of you and your awesome gifting skills!
Do you have any other accessibility gift ideas that you think would make someone’s holiday? Let us know in the comments!
From all of us at Braze Mobility, have a very safe and happy holiday season!
Read MoreTo mark Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, BMO Financial Group today announced the ten recipients of its $100,000 grant program. As part of its longstanding commitment to helping the advancement of women, the new grant program celebrates Canadian women business owners’ innovation and resilience during the pandemic.
To assist with the grant recipient selection process, BMO collaborated with key strategic partners to establish an advisory committee and judging panel consisting of leaders from GroYourBiz, Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), Women Get On Board, Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada), Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, and Deloitte.
Each business will receive $10,000 and have the opportunity to receive ongoing support through one of the bank’s partners, including a one-year membership with a peer advisory group for women business owners and a one-year certification with Women Business Enterprise Canada.
The BMO Celebrating Women 2020 Grant Recipients are:
- Ayanna Lee Rivears, Socacize Fitness: Socacize Fitness is a creative blend of Caribbean and African dance techniques, with effective fitness movements.
- Dr. Irit Van-Ham and Dr. Monika Yazdanian, ToeFX Inc.: Founded by two scientists, ToeFX is driven by innovation with a vision to create the world’s most effective foot care treatments.
- Kim Knight and Shanelle McKenzie, The Villij: The Villij creates an inclusive, accessible, and nurturing community for women of colour to connect, heal and expand. It provides health and wellness services, including yoga, meditation, walking clubs, conversations, and workshops.
- Meghan Peters and Kristin Verbeek, Lathered Cleaning Company Inc.: Established in 2013, Lathered Cleaning uses only natural cleaning products and is dedicated to giving time back safely and effectively to other busy people.
- Pam Fanjoy, Fan/Joy: Chef Pam’s culinary passion has led her to create a line of Gourmet To Go prepared meals, the junior chef culinary and life skills programs and the youth-run café and marketplace to help improve the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of local youths and families.
- Pooja Rao, got BALLZ Inc.: With a goal to produce high quality products, made with the utmost care from locally sourced ingredients, got BALLZ re-invents snacks and foods we love with a healthy twist.
- Pooja Viswanathan, Braze Mobility Inc.: Braze Mobility has developed the world’s first blind-spot sensor system for wheelchairs, which automatically detects obstacles and provides multi-modal alerts (visual, vibration, and/or audio feedback) to the driver.
- Rebecca Taylor, Ready to go Foods Inc.: With a passion for cooking and Caribbean flavours, Ready to go Foods allows those with busy lifestyles to enjoy healthy, Caribbean flavoured meals in their own kitchen.
- Robyn Ledoux, A Touch of Health: Launched in 2009, A Touch of Health began as a simple one-woman massage therapy clinic. Since then, the business has grown to employ 10 people and has diversified to include a health food café, A Taste of Health.
- Shehreen Zaman, Math Project: Math Project offers students the opportunity to strengthen their math skills through on-site and online interactive sessions with a qualified team of tutors.
“A large part of supporting the advancement of women is celebrating the contributions made by women leaders, entrepreneurs and mentors in local communities,” said Erminia (Ernie) Johannson, Group Head, North American Personal and Business Banking, BMO Financial Group. “We’re proud to recognize these women and their ability to innovate in their businesses and persevere during this difficult time. Congratulations to this year’s honourees on all their achievements.”
Since its inception in 2012, BMO Celebrating Women has honoured more than 180 women in communities across Canada and the United States. In addition to the new grant program, BMO has developed programs and invested in solutions to support women entrepreneurs. The bank committed to making $3 billion in capital available to women-owned businesses across Canada over three years, has embedded diversity-focused procurement programs, and has created a new women’s business directory.
“These women – who have clearly demonstrated unrelenting drive and resilience throughout this last year – are essential not only to our economy, but to the future of Canada; their achievements cannot be overstated,” said Linda Blair, Managing Partner, Ontario, Deloitte Canada. “Deloitte is proud to assist BMO in recognizing the value of these entrepreneurs, to elevate their success, and to help them thrive at every step along the way.”
To learn more about the grant recipients and BMO Celebrating Women, visit bmoforwomen.com and join the social conversation using #BMOforWomen.
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I took my first Wheel-Trans trip this past weekend, and had the chance to discuss the pros and cons of the system with someone who has much experience with it than I do. I will share some of those thoughts with you, and hope to hear your opinion as well! Have you used Wheel-Trans or a similar service? Leave a comment below about your experience and let’s start a conversation about what is working well and how we can improve accessible subway transit.
What Is Wheel-Trans?
Wheel-Trans provides door-to-door transit service in Toronto for people who have a disability that prevents them from using the wider TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) transit system. This includes both temporary and permanent disabilities. If you are unable to use any conventional TTC transit, or are unable to access certain services offered by the TTC, you may be eligible for Wheel-Trans services. For example, if you are able to use the subway but the location you need to go is close to an inaccessible subway station, you may be eligible for Wheel-Trans for all or part of that trip.
The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and costs the same as a standard TTC fare.
Where Is Wheel-Trans?
Anywhere the TTC goes, Wheel-Trans offers a door-to-door service.
How Can I Book A Wheel-Trans Service?
In order to book Wheel-Trans service, contact TTC at via phone (416-393-4222), book online, or use their automated phone booking service (416-397-8000). Bookings can be made 7 days in advance, but must be made at least 4 hours prior to departure (between 5AM and 11PM). The driver will pick you up from your home, and will drop you off at the designated location. The driver will help you to enter and exit the vehicle and safely strap your mobility device in. If you require additional support during your trip, bring a support person free of charge with a Support Person Assistance Card.
What TTC is Killin’ it on!
- Wheel-Trans is growing! The government announced a $41 million investment in the service. This will provide 120 new accessible busses, create 18 new access hubs, as well as improving the digital presence of Wheel-Trans, and making booking easier!
- In 2017, Wheel-Trans provided 4.1 Million rides.
- You might be traveling on a Wheel-Trans bus, or a contracted accessible taxi, all for the price of a standard TTC fare! Typically the system is fairly direct from origin to destination.
- Travel between Toronto and other transit regions is made easier by agreements made with Durham, York and Peel Region
Areas of Improvement
- Booking can be difficult over the phone. This is recognized as an issue by TTC, and they have begun to offer alternative services, such as an automated booking line and online booking. Phone services could still be improved though.
- The booking system is not good at determining optimized routes for the busses. Often, people traveling from the same location get sent separate busses, which adds unnecessary strain on wheel trans resources.
- When busses are running late, and or trips have been cancelled, the Wheel-Trans staff often call last minute, causing stress for the person relying on the ride.
Contact TTC and Wheel-Trans
- Booking (416-393-4222)
- Priority line (416-393-4111)
- TTC customer service (416-393-3030)
- Eligibility (WTEligibility@ttc.ca)
- Customer Service (wtcs@ttc.ca)
A group of ten startups will spend the next 13 weeks coming up with innovative caregiving solutions for aging adults.
Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures and Techstars unveiled the first cohort for the new Future of Longevity Accelerator, a program that supports startups building products and services for caregivers.
Companies range from device makers to software platforms. Seven of the 10 CEOs are women, and nearly half of the founders are Black or Latinx. See the full list of companies below, with descriptions from the program.
- Braze Mobility: Braze Mobility has developed the world’s first blind spot sensor system that can be attached to any motorized wheelchair, transforming it into a “smart” wheelchair. With Braze Mobility, users can more easily spot obstacles, helping to reduce the risks of injury and wheelchair damage and help users maintain their dignity and independence.
- Candoo Tech: Candoo Tech provides on-demand tech support and training specifically designed to help older adults stay safe, independent, and connected. The company provides one-off sessions, device setup, and ongoing support for members looking to use technology to connect with family members, attend telehealth appointments, and go online.
- Naborforce: Naborforce connects a network of community members, “Nabors,” to older adults for assistance with basic tasks and social engagement. These “backup” sons and daughters address the caregiver shortage while also helping combat loneliness.
- UpsideHōm: UpsideHōm offers the only fully managed, shared living option for older adults to address the problems of loneliness and cost of housing.
- ConnectCareHero: ConnectCareHero is an activities management platform that enables the teams supporting senior citizens to streamline state-required documentation, keep families easily connected, and provide a place where they can plan curated activities.
- MemoryWell: MemoryWell is a digital platform that uses storytelling to improve the care of older people. Using its network of professional writers, MemoryWell works with families, senior living communities, and home- and community-based providers to replace intake questionnaires with brief, intimate stories designed to build empathy and be poignant keepsakes for families.
- Rezilient Health: Rezilient’s robotic telehealth platform allows physicians to not only provide standard video visits, but also remotely control the positioning of medical devices that are located with the patient at another physician’s office, pharmacy, or nursing home, among other locations.
- Rubitection: Rubitection’s skin health and care management tool improves the detection, risk assessment, and care management of dermatological and vascular conditions with an initial application to bedsores and diabetic foot ulcers for seniors at home, in nursing homes, or in hospitals.
- Authored: Authored creates apparel that is thoughtfully engineered with discreet openings that adapt to body needs and limitations. The startup’s clothing promotes and prolongs independence, enables safer dressing, and reduces stigma and injuries.
- Wysefit: Wysefit is a fitness app created specifically for older people. Taught by certified instructors and health professionals, the app’s programs address the needs of people as they age—from stretches to help with arthritis to exercises to build muscle and reduce lower back pain.
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a wealth of changes, challenges, and anxiety for everyone. While it may feel like we are all helpless in slowing and stopping the spread of the deadly disease, social distancing has been effective in “flattening the curve” of infection, and relieving the pressure on the already strained health care system. In these times, it feels good to know the simple act of maintaining 6 feet of distance from others and staying home is helping those we care about, and those fighting the disease at the front lines.
For those who have a disability or have challenges with mobility, staying 6 feet away from others is difficult, if not impossible to follow. Personal care requires contact with other people, and the use of mobility devices in crowded areas is already often a challenge to navigate safely without the added challenge of maintaining distance from others. The following list contains some ideas for social distancing while using a wheelchair, but we would love to hear how you are keeping safe during this pandemic. Leave a comment below!
1. Have help to monitor distance from others in your blind spots.
Trying to navigate in tight spaces like hallways and stores is difficult enough, let alone when people aren’t respectful of the space you need to keep yourself and others healthy. One way to let people know they are getting too close is to use the Braze Mobility Blind Spot Sensor system. Braze systems can be set to customized distances, and auditory feedback can be activated at the flip of a switch. Before leaving the house, simply set your Braze System to a 6’ threshold, turn the audio on, and make sure people know when they are getting too close to your wheelchair, without having to turn around!
2. Avoid going out with your mobility device by staying in.
Where possible, use this time as an opportunity to leverage your community and stay home! Avoid the lines, fist-fights over toilet paper and general mayhem that is happening at the grocery stores. Ask friends to pick up the things you need and drop them at your doorstep. This also gives the added bonus of having a socially-distanced visit with your friends while they drop the items off! There are also lots of delivery services that can get you the things you need from the comfort of your own home. Just be sure to properly clean anything that gets delivered. If you are unable to clean things yourself, consider leaving a container of disinfecting wipes and clean gloves out for your delivery-folks to wipe them down with (and maybe an extra tip for them!)
3. Plan your trips out.
Grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential stores often have times for people who have special considerations to shop at a quieter time. This is often in the mornings so if you are feeling like an early-bird give your local stores a call or an email and ask about what kind of considerations they have in place for shoppers that need some extra space or some assistance to maintain their social distance.
4. Foster a virtual social network.
One of the best parts of this time is that it has given me the chance to reconnect with friends that live far away. Apps like Zoom, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger and HouseParty are great for making the social-distancing time feel like a remote-socialising time! Reach out to some old friends, maybe someone who moved away a while ago, and reconnect- you might just find a silver lining in the COVID-19 stormcloud!
5. Encourage anyone you are unable to socially distance from to follow all regulations.
We all have to work together during this time, and wherever you are not able to socially distance, you must rely on the people you interact with to keep themselves healthy. Having those who you do interact with follow guidelines is an important step in keeping yourself and them safe. Be sure to remind people who enter your home to follow the WHO and local health department guidelines for limiting the spread of the disease, such as wearing the proper personal protective equipment, following hand washing guidelines, and keeping a distance from others. Keeping yourself up to date with the recommendation from the WHO and other health departments is a great way to ensure that you are passing on the correct information to those around you!
All of us at Braze Mobility wish you all the best during this difficult time. Stay safe and healthy!
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All advice in this blog should not replace medical advice. Be sure to follow updates from the WHO and CDC/Health Canada for the most updated advice on COVID-19 management.
As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, the ability to go to stores, restaurants and other public places has been a welcome relief to many after months of isolation. Here in Ontario Canada, the opening of businesses has come with the requirement of all customers to wear a face mask or covering while inside the business (unless seated and eating). These laws are designed to keep everyone safe, while allowing a return to the lives that we have all been missing.
The Accessibility Challenges Of Using Face Masks
But, how do people with disabilities fit into these laws? The use of face masks may be a challenge for many people. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the people who may be limited in their ability to use a face mask includes:
- Someone who has low fine motor skills or spasticity in their upper body may find putting on or taking a mask off difficult
- Someone who relies on lip reading for communication may find it difficult to understand others while they are wearing a mask.
- Someone who uses a mouth-control for their wheelchair such as a sip-and-puff alternative joystick control would not be able to wear a mask while operating their chair.
- Someone who has speech impairment may not be understood while wearing a mask.
- Someone with autism may experience sensory overload when having a mask covering their face
- Someone with PTSD or claustrophobia may experience severe fear when wearing a mask
- Someone with COPD or other breathing difficulty
For all of these reasons and many more, people with disabilities may not be able to wear face masks in public. There is a requirement by the ADA to modify the rules around mask wearing to accommodate people with a disability. Some suggestions include:
- Allowing prompt curbside pickup from a safe social distance, using both telephone and internet orders
- Allowing loose-fitting face coverings when entering buildings, including face shields
- Allowing people to wait in vehicles for appointments, and calling them in when ready
- Providing phone or video appointments as an option
Overcoming Accessibility Challenges of Face Mask Wearing
All of these options are useful, however many of them do not reduce the isolation, or help return life to normal. People with disabilities have been greatly impacted by social isolation, and enabling a return to normal everyday life should be a priority. Some ideas for helping people with disabilities overcome the challenges of wearing masks include:
- Face masks with transparent windows have been made by accessibility-focused groups such as the Como Foundation to help those who are hard of hearing access masks that enable communication through lip-reading
- Face Shields are another more loose-fitting option. Although the CDC does not currently recommend using face shields in place of a mask, they recommend that a mask that wraps around the face, and descends past the chin may be used when a mask is not a viable option.
- Help educate others about the importance of wearing a mask. If you are unable to wear a mask, help others protect you by encouraging proper mask wearing and hand cleaning & surface sanitizing.
We would love to hear your ideas for staying healthy and returning to activities of daily living in the face of COVID-19. Leave a comment below!
Resources
COVID-19: Considerations for Wearing Masks. (2020, August 7). Retrieved August 08, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html Williamson, P. R., Morder, M. J., & Whaley, B. A. (2020) The ADA and Face Mask Policies [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from https://www.adasoutheast.org/ada/publications/legal/ada-and-face-mask-policies.php
Read MoreAlex Smyth learns about Braze Mobility, a company making blind spot detectors for wheelchair users, and chats with the CEO, Dr. Pooja Viswanathan, and a client to discover more.
If you have recently been prescribed a power wheelchair, there are quite a few things to consider. There are many different options when ordering a power wheelchair and ensuring that you are provided with a chair that is right for you is important. The following blog post offers some ideas about options that you have when choosing a wheelchair. Speak to your Occupational or Physical Therapist and your wheelchair vendor if you have any questions regarding your wheelchair order. The following post contains some ideas of things to consider, but is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all options available.
The optimal location for the drive wheels on your chair will depend on a few things. Often, once someone gets used to a certain location of drive wheels, any other location might feel weird. Each type of chair has different pros and cons, so there is no one best location. The Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service provides a full comparison of the wheelchair drive trains.
Rear Wheel Drive
Pros of Rear Wheel Drive
These chairs usually have the highest top speeds, and are very stable navigating rugged terrain.
Cons of Rear Wheel Drive
The turning radius is higher in rear-wheel drive chairs, making navigation in tight spaces more difficult. Additionally, the concentration of mass at the back of the chair makes tipping on uphills more likely.
Front Wheel Drive
Pros of Front of Wheel Drive
You will be able to turn your front end very quickly, making rounding tight corners easier! These chairs are also very stable, because they distribute the overall mass of the chair the most evenly. Additionally, you will be able to get close to workspaces or tables easily.
Cons of Front Wheel Drive
Going uphill these chairs have a higher chance of losing traction, as if the mass is concentrated on the rear of the chair the front wheels will have less ability to grip. When turning corners in a front wheel drive chair it may be difficult to maintain awareness of the rear of the chair. This could result in hitting more things with the back of the chair if you aren’t careful! At top speeds, these chairs have also been known to be difficult to maintain control.
Mid Wheel Drive
Pros of Mid Wheel Drive
These chairs are the most maneuverable of any chairs! You do not require any extra space to turn than that which you already have. They are also the most stable on a slope, because the mass is centered in the middle! Often, people find mid wheel drive chairs the easiest to drive.
Cons of Mid Wheel Drive
They can get stuck in uneven terrain if the front and rear castors suspend the middle wheels.
You can operate your chair using a few different methods depending on your abilities and preferences.
The Most Common Control Types
- The most common control used is a hand-held joystick controller. These are controlled by using your hand to move the control arm in the direction you wish to go. Operation of these requires motor control of your hand and arm.
- Chin control uses a chin instead of a hand to control the joystick. The controller will be mounted near your face, and you will use your chin to move the control arm.
- A head array is a control that you can trigger with your head. Pushing your head towards the sensors on either side will turn the chair, and pushing your head backwards will make it move forwards. To reverse, a switch is activated and then you can push your head back on the head array.
- Sip and puff users control their wheelchairs via air blown into or sucked out of a straw-like controller. For example a hard puff may mean forwards, and a hard sip backwards. Soft sip and soft puff may correlate to a left or right turn. This control method requires practice to drive smoothly, as the output is not intuitive.
- Touchpads do not require much force, but do require steady control of the hand and arm. Sliding your hand along a controller panel will move the chair in that direction.
Lights can be added to wheelchairs when ordering, however this option is typically quite expensive and often not covered by public insurance. Lights are important to ensure safety when driving, especially in traffic. This blog post discusses the importance of visibility in a wheelchair to prevent injury.
Affordable, DIY Solutions For Wheelchair Lights
If you do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on lights from the wheelchair manufacturer, many people create DIY solutions, including attaching battery powered lights to the chair. If you aren’t able to create a solution yourself, organisations like the Tetra Society may be able to help you make a custom light solution.
Many power wheelchairs are able to tilt, recline, and seat elevate electronically. These features can be especially useful for people who are unable to adjust themselves in their seats. Being able to tilt back is an easy way for care attendants to help someone adjust back in their seat. Being able to recline is important if you are going to spend a lot of time in your chair as it will allow you to stretch your back out. Elevation will allow you to rise up to eye level with people who are standing, and is useful to reach high cabinets, and to reach counters at cashiers, coffee shops, etc. These features may be funded depending on the need for them. Without funding, electric tilt, recline and elevate can cost thousands of dollars. Speak to your therapist about whether or not these features are right for you.
There are many different things that you can buy as odd-ons upon ordering a power wheelchair. Our Mobility Blog discusses add-ons, including those that increase safety, rear visibility, or have cool features. One feature that you can add on that fits into all three of these categories is the Braze Sentina, which is a blind spot sensor system designed for use with wheelchairs.
Bringing Your Wheelchair Home
When you first bring your wheelchair home, you may find it difficult to know what the footprint of the chair is, and as a result there is a high chance that you will bump some walls and doorways in your home. This can be avoided using various visual aids, such as blind spot sensors to monitor the environment behind your wheelchair. Braze Mobility Inc. makes blind spot sensors that can be added to any wheelchair, and provide the user with 180 degrees of rear view blind spot coverage.
I hope this blog post has given you an idea of some of the options available to you in ordering a power wheelchair. Your OT and/or PT and wheelchair vendor are there to answer all of your questions and support you in your selection. Make sure that you advocate for yourself, and know your options in order to ensure that the chair you get is right for you. Please comment below if there are any other features you think should be included!
Read MoreBraze Mobility from Toronto placed First in the Professional Division for its patent-pending blind spot sensor system that can transform a wheelchair into a ‘smart’ wheelchair that automatically detects obstacles and provides multi-modal alerts to the driver. Dr. Pooja Viswanathan, co-founder and CEO pitched the product. Other team members include Namit Sharma, Dr. Alex Mihailidis and Madeleine Rawling.
“The DMC Assistive Tech Challenge was a great virtual experience,” said Viswanathan. “It was incredible to see so many companies working on assistive technologies that will impact millions of lives. Braze Mobility will be using the prize money to help accelerate development of sensor technology that will enable safe and independent wheelchair navigation.”
Read the full article here: https://dmc.mn/bethel-university-students-toronto-entrepreneurs-take-home-top-honors-at-destination-medical-centers-assistive-tech-challenge-virtual-pitch-competition/
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The world is starting to open back up after COVID-19, however we can all do our part to reduce the spread by staying home during this long weekend. No better way to motivate yourself to stay home than a Netflix-marathon! Here are some ideas for shows that have people with disabilities in them! What are you binging?
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
This movie is an incredible story about the plight of those on the forefront of the disability rights movement in the United States. From it’s beginnings at a hippy-run summer camp, to sit-ins and protests and the community and friendship that sustained the movement all along the way, this movie is both incredibly powerful, moving, inspiring, humorous and overall a must-watch.
The Fundamentals of Caring
This movie is a fun and witty watch! It is about a man named Ben who suffers a personal tragedy, and quits his job to become a caregiver for Trevor, a teen with Muscular Dystrophy. The two embark on a road trip and chaos ensues. While the story centers around the client-caregiver relationship, it emphasises the human-ness in the relationship and does not leverage Trevor’s disability for cheap tear-jerking in the way Hollywood typically does.
Raising Dion
In this super-hero show, Sammi Haney, a 9 years old who uses a wheelchair, plays the main character (Dion)’s friend Esperanza. She is his wise friend, who helps keep Dion out of trouble (as much as she can!). This show is fun for the whole family and definitely worth a watch!
Switched at Birth
Looking to brush up on your American Sign Language (ASL)? Look no further than Switched at Birth! This show is about girls who find out they were switched at birth. One character is hard of hearing, and played by an actress who is deaf. Much of the show is signed in ASL, and gives viewers a deeper understanding of the deaf community.
Breathe
The story of a man who is unable to breathe independently, but refuses to live in the confines of a hospital for his life. Him and his wife embrace the technological innovations available to them to be able to leave the hospital, and embrace life together. This movie shows the importance of technology to destroy the barriers facing people with disabilities from living independently.
It shows how far adaptive technology has come. To learn more about adaptive technology and the importance of it to support independence, check out Braze Mobility Blind Spot Sensors for Wheelchairs!
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