Life on Wheels (92 page)

Remote—or cordless—telephones are very helpful. It can take some time to get to a fixed telephone set—for instance, if you are not in your wheelchair when the phone rings—and you might miss calls. (You can let people who call you regularly know that you might need more time to answer, and, if you have voicemail, you will want to specify a sufficient number of rings before voicemail answers for you.) A remote phone goes where you go, which is especially helpful in the bathroom. These products have improved a great deal in recent years. The sound quality is good, multiple channels are available in case you get static, and 2.4 GHz phones can have a range of 1,000 feet or more.

Intercom systems allow easy communication or monitoring and are especially useful for people who have very restricted mobility or who must spend a share of each day in bed or on a breathing apparatus. Intercom systems can be helpful for monitoring guests at the front door. Commercial systems are now available for the home with video capability, so you can see who is there and can speak with them as well.

There are two types of intercom systems. One uses its own wiring, usually threaded through the wall cavities—an approach that provides the clearest sound. Wiring is best done during new construction but is possible to install in an existing home; surface conduits can be used.

The other type of intercom system uses carrier current. The intercom is integrated into electrical wiring, which carries the signal alongside the electricity. Components plug into outlets to transmit the signals. Some static is picked up from the shared wiring. These systems are generally less expensive than intercoms with their own wiring.

There are home control systems that allow you to:

Control the volume of televisions or sound systems

Adjust lights

Lock and unlock or open and close doors and windows

Control heating and ventilation

Control appliances of all kinds

Use telephone systems

Turn on your iPod

Some systems are designed specifically with disabilities in mind. When you shop for a system, assess the details of how it operates. Operation should be clear, intuitive, and not demand much memorizing of commands. Controls should be easy to operate without fine dexterity or the need to apply much force. The controls for a home control system can be integrated into a power wheelchair’s control system, including puff-and-sip or head remotes. Some can be activated by voice control or blinking an eye.

Appliances you already own might not be compatible with some control products.

As with intercoms, there are hard-wired versions and carrier-current types of home control systems. The X-10 standard is an example of a carrier-current type of system. Modules are purchased that plug into power outlets, and then the appliances to be controlled. Such a system can be expanded over time, as your budget allows:

Ron Mace liked the product because it met his criteria for Universal Design:

The X-10 protocol continues to be available into the late 2000s, part of the increasingly wide and less-expensive array of environmental components available from a variety of suppliers of home control systems such as Smart Home USA (www.smarthomeusa.com) and Break Boundaries (www.breakboundaries.com).

Door openers are a sort of subspecialty, produced by companies that focus only on this particular solution. They generally don’t involve major construction. Examples are from Door Motion Technologies (www.doormo tion.com) and Power Access (www.power-access.com).

A loss of mobility implies increased risk in the event of an emergency. Early warning is critical for a person with a disability.

Warning alarms include smoke, fire, and gas detectors. The alarm design should consider a variety of sensory needs. A buzzer or siren for warning might not be sufficient for those with hearing loss. Products are available with strobe lights that can waken sighted people from a deep sleep and, thus, also serve people with hearing disabilities.

Check alarm batteries often. Smoke and heat sensors need to be placed high up on a wall or on the ceiling, since heat rises. Provide some means for a person with a disability to turn off the alarm, even if that is with a broom handle kept nearby. Some homes and apartment complexes have systems that notify a security office or the police or fire station in the event of fire or emergency. Be sure that everyone in the household knows the codes for setting and defeating these systems.

It is a good idea to inform building management or neighbors that someone is in the household who might need assistance in an emergency. Local police and fire departments might also keep such lists. Find out what kind of emergency assistance programs exist in your community. Put a wheelchair symbol in your bedroom window to identify yourself, and develop an escape plan with your family, neighbors, or personal assistant.

For those people who are unable to perform their own transfers to and from the wheelchair onto and off of places like the bed, the toilet, or the tub, there are a variety of lift systems that ease their being assisted—or these people may even be able to perform the operation on their own. Typically a sling is positioned under the person to be lifted, which then attaches to the lift arm. There are manual lifts as well as battery-operated ones, and there are lifts capable of lifting bariatric weights. Options include a lift on a structure that can roll, so you can be taken anywhere in the house. Hoyer is known for making this type of lift—as well as a reasonably portable one that can travel with you for use in hotel rooms. They also provide customized track systems that can be installed on the ceiling to take you from room to room and specific locations. The SureHands system (www.sure hands.com) does not require an assistant for those people who are able to use their arms sufficiently. It is specifically designed to be easier to get into and out of yourself. SureHands can also be configured on a stand or a ceiling track system. Says this man with quadriplegia: