New Issue

Finding Attendants Has Gone From Crisis to Catastrophe

It’s getting harder and harder to secure personal care attendants thanks to a combination of low wages, challenging work conditions and rising demand. For wheelchair users who rely on services, the consequences of America’s caregiver shortage can be dire, or even deadly. Advocates say that unless we overhaul the systems that pay caregivers, things are only going to get worse. 

Products

Testing Abilitease Gripping Aids as a C5-6 Quad

In hopes of finding products to make life easier, Michael Franz tested out Abilitease Adaptive gripping aids — including a drink holder, a can opener, cord adapters and more — that are designed and 3D-printed by a quad. Apart from a few kinks, he came away impressed with the real-world functionality of the products, and shares his recommendations.

Caption Contest

Submit your best caption. We’ll run submissions through our admittedly subjective LOL-test and share the funniest ones in the next newsletter.

Health

Doctors Still Have No Idea How To Treat People with Disabilities

New research confirms what most of us have already experienced: Medical equipment is widely inaccessible, and doctors have little knowledge or willingness to provide disabled patients with quality medical care. Tim Gilmer digs into the reasons — including a lack of disability-specific training and outdated attitudes about disability — and talks with experts about how we can demand better. 

Bully Pulpit

Simple Pleasures

After months of medical issues and accompanying exhaustion, New Mobility editor Ian Ruder recently found himself with the energy to relax with a novel for a few hours before bed. The simple pleasure of enjoying a good book was enough to remind him that sometimes a little normalcy is enough to keep you moving forward.“It may not have been the light at the end of the tunnel I was looking for,” he writes, “but it was the light I desperately needed.”

Pro Tips

Tips for the First Year of Parenting as a High-Level Quadriplegic

Two high-level quads were worried about how they’d connect with their infants because they didn’t have the arm strength and hand dexterity for many typical parenting tasks. But with a little adaptation, both found that closeness and connection came naturally. We share how they’re navigating the first year — and the products that helped make parenting a little more manageable.