Archive for July, 2012

Addendum: Eigude Shame XVIII

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Sorry, this entry is only available in Deutsch.

Eigude Shame XVIII

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

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Inconceivable…!!!

Passing prohibited for wheelchair users

As born-and-bred citizen of Frankfurt I am proud of my hometown, but too much is too much!!

I have read in the internet forum Rollingplanet  that a new underpass was built at the train station in Rödelheim (a district in Frankfurt Germany). Looks a bit like an amphitheater.

This underpass is such a political issue that meanwhile a citizens’ initiative has been formed. The “WutbĂĽrger” (enraged citizens) are on their way from all directions…

Amongst other things it was discovered during a job-site inspection upon almost accomplished completion of the underpass that the brand new mighty concrete ramps on both sides of the tracks have 10% gradient.

Ramps in the public area always have to be built with maximum 6% and without transversal slope according to DIN 18024-1 und DIN 18040-1 (source: barrierefrei bauen mit nullbarriere.de)

The result is that the ramps are very steep not only for wheelchair users, but also for rollator users, cyclists and people with strollers.

The city of Frankfurt has proven creativity and has hung up a prohibition sign without further ado, which prohibits the passing of the ramp for all wheelchair users.

You could use the lifts, which is basically right if it would be ensured that these lifts would always be running. I don’t know any wheelchair user who wasn’t standing at least once in front of a defective lift.

Words fail to describe the prohibition sign!
Inconceivable… How can you globally prohibit the passing of the ramps for all wheelchair users!

Passing prohibited for wheelchair users

This sign has no other reason for the municipality except to escape responsibility from an insurance perspective if something should happen to someone.

This is just the start. From now on bad planning will be compensated with prohibition signs.

We met yesterday at the train station with unfortunately only three wheelers to have a closer look at the ramps and to duly celebrate the introduction of this new prohibition sign with a glass of sparkling wine.

Highly illegal, the ramps were passed on both sides. We came to the conclusion that a fit wheeler, somebody with an electric wheelchair, a motor-supported active wheelchair or the help of a companion can surmount the ramps.

The sign does not comply with the road traffic regulations and is mounted so high that no wheelchair user will see it anyway.

An acknowledgement letter and a few flowers were fixed to the new “favourite wheelchair user sign”.


Thank you city of Frankfurt

for the successful introduction of this new

 Prohibition Sign!!!

 This sign is forward-looking.
We wheelchair users
hope to see this sign more often in the city in the future!!!
Thanks again that the municipality is
so much concerned about the
physical integrity of us wheelchair users!!!

We thank again the city of Frankfurt for the duty of care which is shown to us wheelchair users with this “Passing prohibited” sign.

With best regards from Steffen Löw and Jens Maspfuhl

Kontakt: rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

Crazy Flash XV

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

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Through the website as pretended comments to the blogposts I am continuously bombarded with “Spams” from the entire world.
This website of the

Pest-Control-Las Vegas

you have to see!!

La cucaracha, la cucaracha… ;-)

Translator BL

Wheelchair Excursion Mallorca Part V

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

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In Palma Nova there is a very long promenade which is dragging on over three beaches.
Good floor plates, the wheelchair is rolling and rolling and rolling…

On two of these three beaches there is a special roofed

beach area for handicapped like me and …ehhh… babies…

There is a

beach wheelchair

on each in which you get transferred from your own wheelchair by two nice helpers from the Spanish Red Cross and pulled across the beach into the water.

I knew these special wheelchairs already from Tenerife see older blogpost, but with a water temperature of 15°C I deferred a test series of these models for an indefinite time.

If you are only allowed to use this beach area as wheelchair user when you have got a baby with you???

Translator BL

Addendum article Cooling Vest

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Sorry, this entry is only available in Deutsch.

Addendum Technical Aids Tips and Tricks VII

Thursday, July 12th, 2012

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I have already reported on 01.04.2010 about a

vertical magnet key holder

(see older blogpost).

It is nothing new that a wheeler is wearing a couple of key chains every now and then.
Slowly this technique gets a little annoying and a bit out of hand…!!!

(picture is not faked!!!)

If the chains are collectively lying around, for no apparent reason a Gordian knot is formed again and again. I explain this by the momentum.

Therefore I have meanwhile established a key chain

hanging board parking place.

Maybe I should sort the key chains by spectral colours.

Translator BL

Wheelchair Excursion Mallorca Part IV

Monday, July 2nd, 2012

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The hotel complex Ponent Mar in Palma Nova is definitely recommendable. It has 3 accessible one room apartments and plenty of ramps with the known

Spanish 6° gradient.

(see older post)

Rampe

The hotel is up on a hill on a steep coast from which you have a great view to the beaches of Palma Nova.
A wheelchair tractive like my Minitrac to climb the hotel hill is beneficial.

Alternatively it should be considered to take along a well-trained human wheelchair pusher before booking. The hotel is approached by taxis as well which are available within short time.

Mallorca

Mallorca

Someone has really put good thoughts in the furnishing of the accessible rooms:

On grade shower with separable shower screens, adapted kitchenette, extra wide sliding door with extra ramp to the balcony, clothing hooks in hobbit height and even lowerable clothes rail in the closet.

Mallorca

After we have noticed on the first evening in the hotel restaurant that the tables were not high enough for my wheelchair I was routed on the next day by the good-humoured waiters with several holas:”

Without further ado they had placed a slightly higher table strategically well and reserved it for us for the duration of our stay.

You can quickly start a conversation with the other hotels guests in the languages Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch and English. German is rather uncommon.

I have been to Mallorca for the first time, but not one of my stereotypes was fulfilled:

The Sangria was only available in glass carafes and even without colourful straws.

Unfortunately I had to do without the battle with the English for the sunbeds at the pool, there were more than enough sunbeds available. Furthermore the other guests were deeply relaxed…

Not even the English rocked the corridor each night until 3:00 h.

Malloca

As single wheelchair user I was unasked “totally included” in the hotel, even though most of the hotel staff and guests probably never heard the word inclusion before 8-)

To be continued…

Translator BL