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From: Bill.Baughn@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Baughn)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Amputee Information
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Date: 4 Jun 90 15:53:08 GMT
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Dear Ringo,

Thanks for your reply I will get what information and videos I have
on hand in the mail and will start looking for other resources
which may be useful.

I am ignorant of conditions in Hong Kong and the ways your culture
differs from mine.  I can only make suggestions which I know have
worked for people with similar limb loss in this country.  If I
suggest something which is unworkable in your environment please
accept my apologies.

First you must stop thinking in terms like can't and impossible,
and start thinking in terms of how to make these functions
possible.  If everyone,s arms were like yours you would have no
disability because our world would have been designed for the
functionality they offer.  You must learn to become a designer and
modify your environment for the arms you have.  If when you say:
"It is impossible for me to become a driver." you mean the state
will not allow it, I can only suggest that you fight them by
learning to drive and then demonstrating your ability.  If on the
other hand you mean it is physically impossible you are wrong.
Cameron Enns Company, 13637 S. Madsen Ave., Kingsburg, California
93631 installs foot controls on a variety of automobiles, many of
which are available in Hong Kong.  There are many bilateral above
elbow amputees in this country who drive with body powered
prostheses with split hooks.  The addition of a steering wheel knob
with a cup replacing the knob. By inserting your stump into the cup
you can safely steer.  I have seen several automobiles in England
which have been modified to allow thalidomide survivors to drive
without legs and only deformed fingers on their shoulders.

In this country people who have trouble manipulating change on
public transportation often put the correct amount in a small
envelope and carry it in a shirt pocket.  They them simply ask the
driver or a fellow passenger to drop it into the fare box.

At this point in time you are like an infant learning to do things
for the first time.  If we decide to learn a new skill we
understand that we will not do it well the first time it is
attempted, but when we must relearn things we have done all our
lives we expect to do it well the first time or accept that we can
no longer do them. It is extremely difficult to struggle to
accomplish thing that were so easy, but it does get easier.  You
will reach the point where you don't have to think about each
motion you make.

Try not to let public ignorance impose limitations you don't have.
If you are wearing long sleeves to conceal your scars, start
wearing short sleeves.  Your stumps look worse to you than to
anyone else and a smile and friendly disposition tends to make
scars disappear.  Your sense of touch and the friction between your
skin and an object are your greatest assets.

All The Best,

Bill Baughn

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