Kestrell

Kes: Ironically, I spent this morning talking to a healthcare consumer group about failures in healthcare, and one of the things I mentioned is that actually, yes, health insurance groups do consider smart home tech, including something as inexpensive as an Alexa, a luxury, and are always turning down requests for these technologies, although the companies themselves do not seem to employ assistive technology professionals who are qualified to conduct evaluations of consumers's needs and make appropriate recommendations.

How Smart Home Tech Is Making Tasks Easier, Improving Accessibility
November 17, 2020
https://www.boia.org/blog/how-smart-home-tech-is-making-tasks-easier-improving-accessibility

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, smart devices keep getting smarter. Consumers can now find affordably priced smart speakers, smart locks, video doorbells, and even smart window coverings — and for the
61 million American adults living with disabilities,
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html
smart home devices aren’t mere novelties. IoT tech has significantly improved accessibility by opening up new ways to interact with devices, often at a fraction of the cost of traditional assistive technologies.

And because smart home devices can be programmed to interact and change based on conditions, users have considerable control over the way that they function. Exploring a few real-world applications of smart home technology provides some insight into the way that real people live — and how new technologies can promote accessibility.

Some smart devices tend to follow the principles of accessibility by default
Smart gadgets cut down on labor and make many tasks easier, and because the devices don’t rely on a single set of controls, they can remove some challenges for people with disabilities. People with vision disabilities can use voice commands, while people with speech disabilities can input commands via smartphones, tablets, or other devices
(Google’s Assistant app,
https://www.androidcentral.com/google-assistant-finally-same-phones-and-google-home

...for instance, now provides the same functionality through text as the Google Home, the company’s voice assistant technology).

In the smart home ecosystem, people have options. Tasks can be automated, controlled remotely, or scheduled to the user’s preferences, which opens up thousands of possible accommodations.

That’s important because people don’t follow a script. For a smart home device to be truly "smart," it needs to be adaptive, capable of changing to meet the needs of the consumer. By virtue of their design, smart home devices fulfill many of the
goals of accessibility
https://www.boia.org/blog/what-are-the-four-major-categories-of-accessibility
— they’re operable, adaptive to different types of users, perceivable in their functions, and robust enough to adapt to future technologies.

From a known contact at Mass Health:

We want to share some information about the Governor's announcement yesterday regarding pop-up testing sites for those who have participated in large gatherings and protests in recent weeks. Free testing will be available on Wednesday, June 17th and Thursday, June 18th at over 50 sites across the state for those who have participated in these gatherings.

The Administration is urging anyone who attended a large gathering or protest in recent weeks to get tested for COVID-19 at one of these sites. Test results will be provided to each participant confidentially, and participants are encouraged to share their results with their health care providers.

You can find a testing site near you at http://www.mass.gov/gettested.

Please share this information with any family, friends, or loved ones that have participated in large gatherings, and encourage them to get tested.

The hospital caseworker gave a hard sell for Alexx going to a rehab center, almost presenting it as the only choice (someone less knowledgeable about healthcare rights might have read it that way), but Alexx was unmistakenly vocal about going home, and I presented all the reasons why he would be better off at home, so the caseworker finally had to back down and admit that visiting nurses and physical therapists could work with him at home. But it was a fight.

The past year of advocating for healthcare rights for PWD really served us well today.

Also, hearing stories of personal experiences from disability rights advocates regarding their treatment in rehab centers persuaded me that few ppl are better off going that route.

But, yeah! Alexx is coming home! No solid details yet--I get the feeling the caseworker has to refill all the paperwork--but he will be delivered by ambulance, hopefully later today.

Also, Alexx is walking by himself, at least the short distance to the bathroom, without a walker and without assistance.

I feel as if all I post here anymore are complaints, but it is just one of those years. Last week I had a really painful arthritis flare up in my right hip, which is a new thing, and my GP basically said, Let's wait and see if it goes away, despite my trying to explain about how much pain I was in. She recommended taking ibuprofen, because, hey, I never thought of trying that on my own, as it didn't help at all. I've ordered a mattress topper, in hopes that that might at least make it less painful to lie in bed. Also: lavender-infused mattress topper, ooooo.

Anyway, while at the health clinic, I asked for a code so I could log onto the online healthcare Website that allows for tracking appointments and communicating with doctors, only to find out once I tried logging in that it seems to be totally inaccessible. I mean, all I can find for my screen reader to read is the copyright info from the company who made the software--good to know they prioritized the important things.

This Motley Fool article explains how SS has come to benefit the wealthy far more than the average income retirees it was originally intended for
https://www.fool.com/retirement/2018/10/01/donald-trumps-social-security-benefit-is-probably.aspx

As the article mentions, one reason Trump may be reluctant to release his income tax information is that he may be collecting his not-insubstantial Social Security benefits along with that measley White House paycheck.

But remember, this is the man who claims he is saving Social Security from the Democrats
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/09/19/donald-trump-weakening-social-security-medicare-not-saving-column/1340839002/

Now if we could only train the drivers to park near the blind people instead of parking across the street and expecting the blind person to find them
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/d3m4ax/uber-and-lyft-are-officially-part-of-the-health-system?utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=70252576&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8k61U3mp81IESzn4c8mq3avvePf9NOML151w2EFD991ic2Jn8IaqNYzoM9HGAN269KU7X8t5pbrVOc0QH95Hh1wUBpng&_hsmi=70252576