Marcy’s Corner 2023
Dear Caregivers,
As many of you may know, in 2016, we moved back to Texas (from Hawaii). When we moved back, we borrowed a car from my parents; at that time, Jeff wasn’t driving, so it made sense just to have one car. After a couple of years, we ended up buying that car from my parents, and we still own it. However, over the last couple of years Jeff has begun to drive quite a bit, so he really wanted his own car. After a few months of looking, we found a small 2007 Ford Ranger truck and bought it. We had it modified for Jeff, and let me tell you…he loves the freedom! He can now go to HEB and the gym by himself. However, we ran into one problem. Jeff cannot read; therefore, he cannot go to the gas station and pump gas! I don’t know about your local gas stations, but at the HEB closest to our house, the gas pumps require you to answer a lot of questions before you can even get gas. Questions like: your zip code, do you want a car wash, what kind of gas do you want, do you want a receipt, etc. When did pumping gas become so hard?? So, of course, I had to fill up his truck the other day because it was on EMPTY! Many of the obstacles for stroke survivors are the unanticipated things, when the everyday seemingly simple tasks such as pumping gas become considerably less simple.
If you purchase a vehicle for someone with a disability, you can apply for a refund on your sales taxes for the vehicle! I did it; we will see how long it takes to get a refund. See website below for more information.
Information/Website/Articles
1) What does Adventure mean to you? If you and/or your loved one is interested in traveling, but you find it hard to navigate planning an accessible vacation, visit this website for all your travel needs.
https://adventuresbyjamie.com/
2) If you are interested in learning more about adaptive living spaces, be sure to listen to this interview with Julie and Allen Patterson who created a beautiful adaptive living space (that was even featured in Southern Living)
https://www.brainandlife.org/podcast/adaptive-living-spaces-and-how-they-improve-lives
3) Apple users can look forward to new features on their Apple products
4) Several Texas State Parks are rolling out the GRIT Freedom Chair, an all-terrain wheelchair that can handle rougher terrain than traditional wheelchairs. Currently, 10 state parks have the chairs or will have them soon.
https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2023/mar/scout4_parks/
5) Located in Austin, Professional Contract Services is a nonprofit that employs over 1,700 people—a majority of whom have disabilities—to fulfill support service contracts valued at over $145 million annually. PCSI integrates veterans and other people with disabilities into meaningful, customer-facing jobs with competitive wages and benefits.
For more information, please visit: https://www.pcsi.org/
6) If visiting Hawaii has been on your bucket list, but you just aren’t sure how it’s possible, visit Cory Lee’s website. He shares all his tips and tricks for traveling to Hawaii.
https://curbfreewithcorylee.com/2023/05/04/wheelchair-accessible-oahu-hawaii/
7) Buckle up and prepare for some big news! Delta Flight Products, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines that was “established to re-think aircraft interiors” has announced its backing of the Air4All wheelchair securement system on commercial jets — the company plans to unveil its design prototype at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany next week.https://wheelchairtravel.substack.com/p/airplane-wheelchair-space-hamburg-interiors-expo
8) Since losing her mother to cancer in 2018 and her sister to alcoholism less than three years later, author and journalist Dina Gachman has dedicated herself to understanding what it means to grieve, healing after loss, and the ways we stay connected to those we miss. Through a mix of personal storytelling, reporting, and insight from experts and even moments of humor, Gachman gives readers a fresh take on grief and bereavement—whether the loss is a family member, beloved pet, or a romantic relationship. No one wants to join the grief club, since membership comes with zero perks, but So Sorry for Your Loss will make that initiation just a little less painful.To read more information about this book (or to purchase it), be sure to visit Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/So-Sorry-Your-Loss-Concerns/dp/1454947608
Sincerely,
Marcy Thomas (808 428 4714)