Q&A: Cooking With Disabilities

[ingridsf]

It's really hard sometimes when you think you're in an enlightened environment and -- ZING -- somebody says or does something that you would have sworn would never happen there. Like the national disability services org I was considering of joining the board of. Surely this would be an exemplar of progressive attitudes and equal access! Nah, not so much. The all-day retreat didn't have accessible bathrooms. The disturbingly few of us with disabilities who were there were casually told to raise our hands when we needed to go so someone could take us and assist. I didn't know a soul in the room and wasn't expecting to get to know them while I sat on the potty. I asked if we could all follow the same procedure, to at least level the field a bit. Nope. And taking a pass on that board was an easy decision.

Being an activist is SUCH a joy.

It's hard to find information about our lives with disabilities -- I generally feel like I don't exist demographically. Very little is out there that talks about what it's like for women and girls with disabilities. A wonderful, warm-hearted researcher named Harilyn Rousso has a study, "Strong, Proud Sisters," on the Women's Policy Research website in DC. Here's the link to the publications page:

http://www.centerwomenpolicy.org/reportsca...cfm?ProgramID=9

Corbett O'Toole, teacher, disabled, mother of a disabled daughter, will make you feel positively excited about life in general: http://www.centerwomenpolicy.org/leg.cfm?StatementID=5

The on-line magazine The Ragged Edge publishes a whole range of writing on what it's like to live with a disability: http://www.ragged-edge-mag.com/

On the print side, there's Mouth magazine. Uppity, in your face and a real kick to the backside when such kicks really are called for. http://www.mouthmag.org/

If you're not just annoyed/momentarily disheartened but think some legal muscle needs toning, check out the Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund: www.dredf.org.

Need for a disability-related class action lawsuit getting you down? Check out Disability Rights Advocates: http://www.dralegal.org/

Hope you don't mind links that aren't about food/cooking. Just that it took me a lot of effort to find these, and never know who might use them. Back to our regularly scheduled program!

Ingrid

[lovebenton0]

It's really hard sometimes when you think you're in an enlightened environment and -- ZING -- somebody says or does something that you would have sworn would never happen there. Like the national disability services org I was considering of joining the board of. Surely this would be an exemplar of progressive attitudes and equal access! Nah, not so much. The all-day retreat didn't have accessible bathrooms. The disturbingly few of us with disabilities who were there were casually told to raise our hands when we needed to go so someone could take us and assist. I didn't know a soul in the room and wasn't expecting to get to know them while I sat on the potty. I asked if we could all follow the same procedure, to at least level the field a bit. Nope. And taking a pass on that board was an easy decision.

Being an activist is SUCH a joy.

It's hard to find information about our lives with disabilities -- I generally feel like I don't exist demographically. Very little is out there that talks about what it's like for women and girls with disabilities. A wonderful, warm-hearted researcher named Harilyn Rousso has a study, "Strong, Proud Sisters," on the Women's Policy Research website in DC. Here's the link to the publications page:

http://www.centerwomenpolicy.org/reportsca...cfm?ProgramID=9

Corbett O'Toole, teacher, disabled, mother of a disabled daughter, will make you feel positively excited about life in general: http://www.centerwomenpolicy.org/leg.cfm?StatementID=5

The on-line magazine The Ragged Edge publishes a whole range of writing on what it's like to live with a disability: http://www.ragged-edge-mag.com/

On the print side, there's Mouth magazine. Uppity, in your face and a real kick to the backside when such kicks really are called for. http://www.mouthmag.org/

If you're not just annoyed/momentarily disheartened but think some legal muscle needs toning, check out the Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund: www.dredf.org.

Need for a disability-related class action lawsuit getting you down? Check out Disability Rights Advocates: http://www.dralegal.org/

Hope you don't mind links that aren't about food/cooking. Just that it took me a lot of effort to find these, and never know who might use them. Back to our regularly scheduled program!

Ingrid

Ingrid, what a true learning experience they passed up on that one! They want to help people with disabilities, but they are not willing to experience even the slightest bit of what many of us live with daily? They need to start with an ADAtude sensitivity course for all their members. The daily dignities we all deserve as human beings should not be discounted as unimportant because there is no monetary value attached to them.

That would have been an easy pass for me, too! Better to join with others that have some concept of what helping really means.

It is a hit to get "zinged" where you least expect it. A couple of years ago -- I was still working and still driving, trying to maintain a regular life as much as possible, not walking with a cane all the time as I must now -- I had a severe vertigo attack in my family doctor's office. No one even said a word to me as I was thrown off-balance against the wall and fell to the floor, right in front of the receptionist. She just glanced at me and looked away. I couldn't even speak and knew that I was going to vomit any moment. There was no way I could stand up; I proceeded to crawl out the door to my car -- no I didn't drive. I must say that was one time I was very grateful that someone (a patient) just opened the door for me. The bushes got blessed instead of the carpeting. I felt a bit like a sick puppy down on all fours heaving into the greenery.

Thank you for the links. We have quite a few in the Resources section that are not directly food related. We appreciate you sharing those with us.

[TrishCT]

I was a complete political neophyte several years ago when I ran for a high municipal public office. I disclosed to the nominating committee that I had MS (it was not a secret, but since I was not in the public eye, it was not something most people knew). They said as long as I felt I was able to do the job they supported me.

The campaign was contentious because no incumbents were running and it was a free-for-all. My opponents, who were the majority party in town, had not held this office in more than a decade and they were gunning for me. Right before the start of the candidates' debate I was told that my MS might be brought up by one of my challengers. I never expected to become an MS poster child but if that was what this was going to boil down to....so be it....

At that point, I no longer cared about winning an election. I did care that someone thought MS was a political weapon to be used to injure an opponent. How dare they think MS is political "mud"? Bring it on! The issue was not brought up at the debate, later I was told my opponent said it just to psych me out beforehand. GAH! I won that election and was also re-elected.

Having an illness or disability is a challenge... and during my time in office I spread the word that we can overcome these challenges through our own self-determination and the cooperation of others. Although some of us may face more limitations than others, working together as a team we can achieve the best quality of life for all.

Ingrid, keep on keeping on ! Sadly, that group could not see the forest through the trees, their loss .

This EGCI course was truly inspirational on many levels. Thank you.

[snowangel]

To return this thread to food.

A close friend, Melissa, has MS. She has good days and bad days. She is married and her husband, Doug, is a great help, but teaches and some of his classes are evening classes. Melissa loves food, and really misses being able to cook on her "off" days.

So, for her birthday and Christmas every year, I give her food-related gifts. "Gift Certificates" good for many things like either taking her to the grocery store and assisting her, helping her prep food, or shopping for her. Certificates offering to assist in prep for a special meal she may want to cook for Doug. While they dine, I retire to another room with a book, and take care of the clean-up. Frozen meals, portioned in one-person portions -- if it's she and Doug, she can take out two portions; if she's alone, she can take out one portion.

Judith mentioned in a recent e-mail that someone had given her 30 lbs. of peaches, which she is fighting to take care of. I would not only have given her the peaches, but spent the day with her helping to prep, can, make cobbler, talking.

These little things are greatly appreciated. Gifts to people with disabilites do not have to be stuff they have to dust or won't use. They don't have to cost a lot. If the friend/relative enjoys good food, think of ways to help that person enjoy food.

[dumplin]

I have a disease called Interstitial Cystitis. When I was first struggling with it 3 years ago, I was very limited with what I could do around the house without pain. My husband loves to cook, so between the two of us we managed to stay fed. I would cook when I felt like cooking, and just store the food in the fridge for dinner.

I now feel better thanks to an implant that controls my symptoms. My husband still likes to help with dinner preparations. I would leave cutting to him...things just happened to me.

I really appreciated the part about nausea. I've had medicines that give me nausea, and its hard to eat...or even think about food. Sometimes I would think about a comfort food that I could stand and eat that. Right now, its broccoli rice casserole. Not high brow, but its tempting me at least.

Snowangel, I love your suggestions for your friend. I loved getting great food items, but it was often a struggle for me to take advantage of a gift. My MIL brought me fresh peaches from SC when I lived in Michigan. She helped me peel and freeze them. I've had produce go bad because I've gotten sick before I could cook it. You're a good friend.

I want to thank all of you for this wonderful series. I still love to cook when I can, its an outlet.

[snowangel]

I should add that when I help her shop, and I also go home with her and help her get things washed and in the fridge, things in the cupboard, and help her do some initial prep. She said she appreciates that almost more than the help in shopping.

[srhcb]

From Part 3. "Lack of the olfactory sense is another circumstance that connects issues of texture and eating. The less one can smell and taste food the more important the feel of food in their mouth may become."

I have a friend who was born without a sense of smell. He can remember when he was a child being confused when people talked about smelling things, but it wasn't until he was around twelve years old that his mother took him to a doctor who figured out the problem.

Since he'd never had any sense of smell he didn't considered it a disability. In fact, when he was in the janitorial business it was actually an advantage at times. He could perform unpleasent cleaning jobs without having to deal with the nausea associated with bad odors.

He was a pretty good eater, and being a single parent he had even become a fairly passable cook. He relied a lot on feedback to make up for his own dificiencies in the area of flavor distictions. Italian food was one of his specialties and favorites, and he had even worked in the kitchen of a local Italian restaurant.

I don't recall anything else unusual about his eating habits, other than that he had a remarkable affinity for chocolate milk.

[JennyUptown]

Interesting and informative - just wonderful!

[lovebenton0]

To return this thread to food.

A close friend, Melissa, has MS. She has good days and bad days. She is married and her husband, Doug, is a great help, but teaches and some of his classes are evening classes. Melissa loves food, and really misses being able to cook on her "off" days.

So, for her birthday and Christmas every year, I give her food-related gifts. "Gift Certificates" good for many things like either taking her to the grocery store and assisting her, helping her prep food, or shopping for her. Certificates offering to assist in prep for a special meal she may want to cook for Doug. While they dine, I retire to another room with a book, and take care of the clean-up. Frozen meals, portioned in one-person portions -- if it's she and Doug, she can take out two portions; if she's alone, she can take out one portion.

Judith mentioned in a recent e-mail that someone had given her 30 lbs. of peaches, which she is fighting to take care of. I would not only have given her the peaches, but spent the day with her helping to prep, can, make cobbler, talking.

These little things are greatly appreciated. Gifts to people with disabilites do not have to be stuff they have to dust or won't use. They don't have to cost a lot. If the friend/relative enjoys good food, think of ways to help that person enjoy food.

Susan, come down to visit me! Your friend is very fortunate to have you. The gift certificates is a wonderful idea.

Some communities, unfortunately not all, do have service orgs that provide help for people with disabilities to go shopping. Some even provide more personal help such as helping one with the put up and prep of the groceries you bring home, or changing the light bulbs in your home. You can go to your state's web site to find a link to your Disabilities Commission or Dept. In the Resources section you will also find a link for web sites listed by state that may provide some help for you.

In all fairness to my dear neighbor -- she also has disabilities and had a mountain of peaches to deal with herself. Her husband helped her with theirs -- he is also dealing with disabilities from severe back injury -- and I told her how to freeze some. We wanted to meet here -- she is a little more mobile than I am (I could not have gotten the peaches to her if our situations were reversed!), and I have the set up here -- so we could make jam together, which she has never done before. Our good times during the day were not matching up so she went the freezer route. Their grown children help them quite a lot in the garden, they are lucky. We help each other when we are able. We trade garden goods, share recipes, and check on each other when we haven't seen that smiling face over the fence.

My husband finally realized what a task I was tackling and sat down and prepped about 10 lbs of the peaches in the time it takes me to get everything set up. sorted, and started on mine. I cooked jam after midnight when I was feeling better after spending most of the day down on the couch or in bed and by then the kitchen was cooler anyway. Canning is a difficult chore for me -- dealing with sterilizing jars and moving them and the hot product in and out, up and down, is pushing my safety envelope to the limits -- but I'm not going to give it up. The pleasure that it brings to me to "put up" homegrown food, or neighbor-grown in the case of the peaches, is too great.

Discovering the right tools that work for you, help make the job safer for you, when attempting kitchen tasks is essential. We can find a way to do many things, to cook and be part of the world we enjoy. Everyone has limitations, whether due to disabilities or to the availability of options in their lives, so I just keep trying new ways to work around mine.

The jam is still worth it. I have one more batch to go.

[jeniac42]

I'll admit I haven't had time to read through all the Q&A, so maybe some of this has been covered.

I work in a bakery and one of my coworkers is deaf. I'm not sure if he was born this way or if it happened later in life (though, at a guess, I would say born that way; when he writes things down they come out in ASL grammar instead of English grammar). He doesn't seem to have balance problems, but it's made me think about how difficult it must be to cook without hearing. He can't hear his timers going off, so we all pitch in to let him know. As you probably know if you've been in a professional kitchen, moving around with so many people can get frustrating, and even more so if you can't ask someone to move out of your way easily or hear them saying "behind you" so you can anticipate having to move out of their way. As an aside, he still manages to do more work in a day than almost anyone there. I am trying to learn some basic ASL signs (I've got "thank you" down, anyway) so I can talk to him better. So far it's mostly pidgin signing, which he usually understands.

[specialteach]

Balance is not a problem with everyone who is deaf. Judith will be able to speak more on this issue, but I know from my own professional experience that some deaf kids have as good a sense of balance as you or I.

To understand what your coworker goes through every day, try cooking at home with ear plugs. It is amazing how much we use our sense of hearing while cooking without even realizing it.

Buzzer and timers are useless, frying or sautéing takes on a whole new meaning and you can't hear the phone ring if you do not have a special device (or phone) while cooking.

Your coworkers concentration skills are not a surprise. When you studied, did you do a better job surrounded by people or in a quiet room. He has fewer distractions than you or I. The information your brain is deciphering while cooking is not a factor for him since his brain does not have to block it out.

It's fantastic that you recognize that ASL has a different grammatic structure than English. ASL is a foreign language, with it's own syntax and grammar. Most people do not realize that those who speak ASL have to read and write in a foreign language. Kudos to you!

[snowangel]

jeniac42, I will have dinner this weekend with my cousin, deaf since birth, and working in a chaotic environment, and will pose your questions to him.

However, from spending a lot of time in Heidi's classroom, I can second what specialteach has said. It would probably be a good idea for everyone in your kitchen to spend a short "not too chaotic" time working with earplugs. Part of it can be clues to this person. My cousin who is deaf lived in our house for quite some time, and he and I had a signal -- a tap on his left shoulder for me -- to let him know that he really needed to look at me (he reads lips).

I will let you know what Brian has to say about "hearing" things in a noisy environment.

[jeniac42]

This guy's been working there for three years, so he's got a reasonably good system, I think. Or at least a tolerance level, anyway. I doubt I could get everyone there to go in with earplugs, but I'll certainly try it at home sometime soon. I think I kind of rely on my hearing a lot. I don't like to work when there's a lot of noise and it's hard for me to focus if I'm in a loud environment. I can't drive with loud music on because I feel like I'm not adequately aware of my environment. So I think the earplugs would be a good experiment for me.

About the ASL for "thank you" - I thought I had it and did two things today, silly. First I was all flustered and my coworker put the paddle on the Hobart for me, while I was carrying a bunch of stuff. So I tried to sign "thank you" with a bench scraper in my hand, which I think is probably a faux pas. Plus I got it wrong, so he corrected me. I'm not sure what I said, exactly, but I know it was something I've seen him do.

This is a little off the topic, but related to the conversation. I was a linguistics major for a while so it's always cool for me when I've got people using different languages around me. I've taken a lot of language classes, including ASL (but only for six weeks, and that was ten years ago, so I don't remember any of it). I also worked with a guy whose parents were both deaf, so he was fluent in ASL. That's why I know about the different grammars.

[lovebenton0]

Deafness and vestibular (balance) disabilities are not related except in cases when disease or injury affecting one system also affects the other, or there may be two separate causes. In my case, I was deaf for about a year before the vestibular symptoms of the Meniere's disease appeared. I do have some severe problems with imbalance that affect my general coordination and grip as wll as my vision. Thankfully not everyone with imbalance disorders has this degree of difficulty; unfortunately for some it is much worse.

The addition of balance disorder to deafness makes the experiences of everyday life a new challenge. In my case, with cooking, it means that I not only have to concentrate on the food more attentively, but also on myself. Am I standing straight? Do I have a grip on the container? Can I see the floor to walk while carrying something? I am a disaster in the kitchen when more than one other person is in there with me. I have a cochlear implant (CI) but layers of noise can be very difficult to decipher and usually just become a background of waterfall proportion without directional capabilities. Often I cannot wear the CI, so I am just "deaf girl" then (as my husband signs to me).

Concentrating on work while deaf may sometimes be simplified by the fact that one is not distracted by environmental sounds. However, there is an awareness that has to develop -- a sort of "watchdog" -- to allow a deaf person to remain safe and functioning in an environment with hearing people. Deafness is not a disability that jumps out at you unless you see someone speaking in sign in public, otherwise, we look just like everybody else. So hearing people are not watching out for us, are generally not aware we are in their midst. We don't mean to be "in the way" and do not want to be considered rude, but the watchdog can't keep track of everything all the time. It is frustrating for others as well as the person who is deaf, and I try to keep that in mind, letting people know I am deaf and not ignoring them.

I understand what you mean, jeniac, about the flow of movement in a professional kitchen (I've been there). However, think also about the other side, your co-worker's view of that. He does not know when to get out of the way for someone, or if someone is trying to get his attention from a distance, outside his view. That is frustrating at times. A good thing for you to try in order to understand this a little bit more personally:

Go to the grocery store during a peak shopping period (ugh! in itself!) with your ears plugged tight. I think that experience alone will be enlightening. Come back and tell us what you experienced -- I would be interested to have your view on the exercises suggested by Jenna and myself.

Kudos to you for wanting to understand, and I echo more kudos from Jenna about your sensitivity to your co-workers situation. Learning ASL does entail a different way of thinking about communication. I am out of practice -- my vocabulary in ASL is probably only about 400 "words" right now as I do not use it as often as I did when I was out working. My husband never connected very well with the ASL and has devised his own sign language, and I have to keep track of his as well. We probably sign to each other (ASL and "Chuckism") an average of an hour a day now since I have my CI and can hear most of the time. However, when we are out in public -- grocery store, restaurant, out walking in town, or at a party our sign communication is essential. Tapping a deaf person on the shoulder to get their attention is fine, if you have OK'd that with him. When I was working people would reach into my office and flick the light off and on. That's great as long as I wasn't standing up at the time -- being in the dark without support for even a moment could cause me to fall down! So it is important to make an arrangement with the person for ease of communication.

[jeniac42]

Oh, just to be clear: I don't really get frustrated that he doesn't know to move out of the way. He doesn't mind if you tap him on the shoulder on the side you're passing on, so that's how we let him know not to back up suddenly or turn around while holding a bowl because we're standing there, etc. It's actually quite nice for me because I am not very loud when I speak and a lot of times hearing people don't hear me when I say "behind you" so I was pretty much down to tapping on shoulders anyhow :grin: He does the same to have us move out of his way.

With my wrist acting up I'm not cooking at home right now, but as soon as it's better I'm going to try the earplug exercises. I'll be sure to report back.

[andiesenji]

Ironically, our society often treats those with greater than average limitations with callousness, impatience, or indifference. And yet many not only transcend those limitations in their personal lives but can achieve in their public lives eminence denied to most of us. 

You better believe it.  The numbers are troubling.  Just in California, there are 6 million people with disabilities. 

Best,

Ingrid

Your post touched a couple of nerves with me. This is OT I know. I have friends who have children with problems and one friend is fighting a monumental battle with a school board in No.Calif. to keep her son and his aide in regular classes. He communicates via computer, he can type but has difficulty with verbal communication. He has difficulty getting about because he is uncoordinated, thus the need of an aide. The school board has spent far more in legal rangling than it would have cost to cover his expenses.

The other thing is this: I have worked for my boss for 36 years, I saw his children grow up. His middle child, a daughter is deaf from infancy. However she had the advantage of parents who would not settle for less than the best and after a brief time at a "special" school she was "mainstreamed" and excelled. She is a graduate of UCLA Medical School, is a practicing dermatologist and is an extraordinary individual. She is featured in Living Legends III

Dr. Lisa Woolf

http://www.buttepublications.com/biographies.asp?SessID=13

I think the more people that know what someone with a "disabilty" can achieve, the better the future will be for the young people coming along.

Edited June 5, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[lovebenton0]

Oh, just to be clear: I don't really get frustrated that he doesn't know to move out of the way.  He doesn't mind if you tap him on the shoulder on the side you're passing on, so that's how we let him know not to back up suddenly or turn around while holding a bowl because we're standing there, etc.  It's actually quite nice for me because I am not very loud when I speak and a lot of times hearing people don't hear me when I say "behind you" so I was pretty much down to tapping on shoulders anyhow :grin:  He does the same to have us move out of his way.

With my wrist acting up I'm not cooking at home right now, but as soon as it's better I'm going to try the earplug exercises.  I'll be sure to report back.

I wasn't pointing a finger at you, jeniac! I was speaking to the general situation of people not realizing who the deaf people are in the crowd, not knowing that someone can't hear them or even if they have some hearing not being able to understand words or know which direction the noise is coming from. Not all deaf people have the ability to read lips, or do ASL, and many who are "new deaf" like myself find it very difficult to function out in a hearing world when suddenly cut off from speech and the sounds of life. It takes practice. I do speak some ASL (although as I've said I'm woefully out of practice and need to correct that by doing more work on it), and I can lipread some. I do lipread more than I realize and have plenty of opportunities to practice that! But all this takes a concerted effort and time. You are doing well with your co-worker and seem to be attempting to build a broader base for communication. Hey, "thank you" is a great place to start. There are web sites available for learning some basic ASL. I will try to locate at least one and post here for anyone interested.

I do use a cane all the time now even at home for my safety, but when I'm in the grocery store, for instance, it is easier and safer for me to hold onto the cart and stash my cane in the basket. So this makes me not obviously disabled to people coming up behind me or coming at me -- and even so they do not know I am deaf. It is an impossible situation and actually painful to wear the CI in the chaotic loudness that a grocery store produces. Even the times I have tried it isn't much help as the noise just balls up into a wall of noise and I cannot pull out any particular thread of sounds. This problem is common for many CI wearers. The busy butcher/deli counter/bakery helper can become impatient with you -- but once they become familiar with you and know you are having a difficult time most will be very helpful and accomodating. The same applies to restaurants as well, causing many a busy wait person to look at you like "how did I get this dummy anyway?" It is just a build-up of frustration on both sides and can be alleviated to some degree by informing the wait person you are deaf at the beginning.

Ironically, our society often treats those with greater than average limitations with callousness, impatience, or indifference. And yet many not only transcend those limitations in their personal lives but can achieve in their public lives eminence denied to most of us. 

You better believe it.  The numbers are troubling.  Just in California, there are 6 million people with disabilities. 

Best,

Ingrid

Your post touched a couple of nerves with me. This is OT I know. I have friends who have children with problems and one friend is fighting a monumental battle with a school board in No.Calif. to keep her son and his aide in regular classes. He communicates via computer, he can type but has difficulty with verbal communication. He has difficulty getting about because he is uncoordinated, thus the need of an aide. The school board has spent far more in legal rangling than it would have cost to cover his expenses.

The other thing is this: I have worked for my boss for 36 years, I saw his children grow up. His middle child, a daughter is deaf from infancy. However she had the advantage of parents who would not settle for less than the best and after a brief time at a "special" school she was "mainstreamed" and excelled. She is a graduate of UCLA Medical School, is a practicing dermatologist and is an extraordinary individual. She is featured in Living Legends III

Dr. Lisa Woolf

http://www.buttepublications.com/biographies.asp?SessID=13

I think the more people that know what someone with a "disabilty" can achieve, the better the future will be for the young people coming along. 

I could not agree with more! All around people need to know what we can accomplish -- not just the big things, but the everyday life tasks that we enjoy doing as much as the next guy! We need to know it ourselves.

It is incredible in this country that even today there are so many parents who still have to fight for their child's education. I hesitate to bring up Stephen Hawkins like he is the only lighthouse in the night -- certainly he is not -- but what if someone would have said to him after his disability left him physically deteriorating in his early twenties -- nah! you've done some good work, may be brilliant but you're just not worth the effort. Bravo for all the tough parents out there, and all the determined people who just deal with disabilities as part of life, in all their everday tasks and pleasures.

I'm on a waiting list for a hearing/balance dog through an assistance dog provider org in TX. I hope that will give me a greater sense of autonomy, to be able to go places on my own, including just outside in my own yard and gardens many days. One of the people who has a hearing dog now has said that before she often wished her deafness was more obvious to people so they would understand, in situations like we were discussing. With her hearing dog aide it is now more obvious as the dogs wear a special patch with a pouch on their backs that states this is a working dog (of whatever type) when in public. She says this has made it easier for her to deal with those situations -- and nothing like a cute well-behaved dog to break the ice with new people. The dog alerts her to timers and other sounds important for her to hear. I am eager to be part of a dog team -- anxious to have my life in the physical world expanded once again without the need of another human to aide for me.

Something as simple as standing to perform a two-handed kitchen task -- when no other option is available or when I just want to -- will be much easier and safer for me when I can depend on the dog to help me keep my balance and to alert me to timers and other sounds out of my range. This is part of my new kitchen equipment. Now if I could just train the doggie to do the dishes . . .

[Samhill]

Reading all this has been very enlightening for me, thank you.

[Samhill]

OT: About those dogs (I love hounds), I watched a show about a writing project for 20 to Life women prisoners, a lot of those hounds are trained in prisons by prisoners. One anecdote the director of the project had was a woman who hadn't seen a dog for 20 years was approved to be a trainer, she walked out, saw the dog, and fell to her knees weeping. I bawled.

Just thought I'd add that...

[andiesenji]

The dog alerts her to timers and other sounds important for her to hear. I am eager to be part of a dog team -- anxious to have my life in the physical world expanded once again without the need of another human to aide for me.

Something as simple as standing to perform a two-handed kitchen task -- when no other option is available or when I just want to -- will be much easier and safer for me when I can depend on the dog to help me keep my balance and to alert me to timers and other sounds out of my range. This is part of my new kitchen equipment. Now if I could just train the doggie to do the dishes . . .

I have friends who have Hearing Ear dogs. One is a Westie, and small as she is she is able to help by alerting Sonja to the phone, doorbell and of course timers, although she recently got some that have flashing lights.

I have trouble standing for long periods so finally broke down and bought an electric scooter with an elevating seat. It helps when I simply can no longer stand. The seat swivels so it makes it easier to work at a counter.

[ingridsf]

I've been meaning to post a follow-up thank you for this course. Going about my business the last week or so, it was on my mind quite a bit. I've actually been cooking a bit more, despite having an even more hectic schedule than usual -- I've even had to curtail my e-g activities. As far as I'm concerned, there are so few opportunities to gab/exchange information with a wide circle of foodies w/ disabilities (or who are involved with such), that I don't mind if someone goes OT. Like I do, heh. Here's my thought of the day: Let's rename "special education," "equal education." And "special needs," "equal needs."

You know, the internet was pretty invented by a man who is deaf. We could all be interacting with flesh and blood people RIGHT NOW if he had been able to hear. Not a pretty picture is it?

Ingrid

[snowangel]

Here's my thought of the day: Let's rename "special education," "equal education." And "special needs," "equal needs."

BINGO!

All of us have special needs. Heidi's special needs are different than mine. They are different than those of Diana's and Peter's. Different thatn Paul's. Her "special" needs are no more or not less important than anyone elses. Nor is her education.

Thanks, Ingrid, for this reminder.

I'll get off my soapbox before I go into the education thing.

[lovebenton0]

for myself, I had a vertically banded gastroplasty last year and am on a permanent pureed diet, weetabix morning, noon and night (unless I get all crazy and have a protien shake) so ideas for smooth textured (but flavourfull, I'm so sick of bland food) foods are always more than welcome!

This is a little long in coming, but to add a recipe to your pureed meals, without neglecting your tastebuds, try this Central Mexico Mushroom Soup.

The recipe is based on mushroom soup I enjoyed quite often while living in central Mexico several years ago.

[Mottmott]

I've been able to do more shopping and cooking lately as I've found yoga has made a big difference in the way I feel and how long I can stand in one place (though I still keep a stool near the counter).

There are some yoga teachers that specialize in working with people who have arthritis, ms, etc., and I was able to find one where I live (my teacher gives a class specifically for people with ms which I believe is sponsered by the ms society) . After trying acupuncture and various medicines to no avail, I was only expecting to get some exercise from this. To my surprise, this has worked wonders for me, and I have been able to cut way back on meds which weren't doing much for me anyway.

My online research on arthritis suggests that yoga might also be of use to others with fibermyalgia, chronic fatigue, etc., as well as arthritis, back or knee problems, etc.

As this is OT (beyond reporting that it has freed me to do more cooking) I'll be glad to share more info if you PM me.

[lovebenton0]

The dog alerts her to timers and other sounds important for her to hear. I am eager to be part of a dog team -- anxious to have my life in the physical world expanded once again without the need of another human to aide for me.

Something as simple as standing to perform a two-handed kitchen task -- when no other option is available or when I just want to -- will be much easier and safer for me when I can depend on the dog to help me keep my balance and to alert me to timers and other sounds out of my range. This is part of my new kitchen equipment. Now if I could just train the doggie to do the dishes . . . 

I have friends who have Hearing Ear dogs. One is a Westie, and small as she is she is able to help by alerting Sonja to the phone, doorbell and of course timers, although she recently got some that have flashing lights.

I have trouble standing for long periods so finally broke down and bought an electric scooter with an elevating seat. It helps when I simply can no longer stand. The seat swivels so it makes it easier to work at a counter.

I know that was a bit OT of me to bring in the hearing/service dogs topic. However, the point is really that there are many different ways people with disabilities can try to achieve what they want and need to do in their lives.

The flashing timers/alarms/alerts are a great way to go when you know what you are waiting for. My phone flashes for me, and if I'm facing in that direction -- in that room -- at the time it always catches my eye. At least I know someone is calling and can check the caller ID to see if it may be important. Kitchen timers would be especially helpful as your attention would be focused on the coming alert to some extent. In Part I there is a link to a web site for many such devices.

  I've been able to do more shopping and cooking lately as I've found yoga has made a big difference in the way I feel and how long I can stand in one place (though I still keep a stool near the counter). 

Yoga has also been shown to be of considerable help for some people with vestibular disabilities, much in the way the vestibular therapy is -- to help re-train your brain/body communications to accept new ways to process balance information. This, of course, is different for each individual. I have also been helped to a small degree by doing yoga, which makes it safer for me to function in the kitchen as well. The exercise is not bad for us either as it helps build up our stamina and endurance. Working on ways to make my kitchen time as pleasant and safe for me as possible helps me to enjoy my cooking time with less stress, less injury, and less oops! in the meal completion. Keeping a stool or chair handy is always a good idea (part of that "making a safe place for yourself in the kitchen") for anyone with standing or balance problems.

I have used the electric "go-carts" at the grocery store for shopping a few times when I got there and realized that I could not do the job even hanging onto the grocery cart. They can be helpful when needed -- you just have to realize that you will be making new friends at the store when you need those items on higher shelves.