Living with disability

Welcome to Wondercafe2!

A community where we discuss, share, and have some fun together. Join today and become a part of it!

Register Log in
@Kimmio that was a horrible experience. I like what @Pinga said that maybe it was a terrible attempt at humour - somehow wondering that makes me feel less like the world is full of jerks. Regardless I would be upset and I feel for you. I hope your body and mind feel better today.
 
Kimmio said:
So...I just want to vent a bit. I'll put it here.

I fell twice at work on Friday. Wasn't using my walker or cane indoors (parked my walker near the door), and my clumsy PMS fatigued self tripped over my clumsy, CP, feet. The first fall I got up fast. The second fall, I tried to catch on the way down and elbowed myself in the ribs. Third time in 3 yrs, I've done that. It hurts. Today, feels worse. But, it'll get better. No big deal.

So, tonight, getting on the bus - I was moving slower because of the pain of simultaneously moving and breathing. Something familiar to many people without disabilities. It'll take a couple of weeks to heal. I must've been wincing a bit. I sat across, in the courtesy seats, from a woman using a wheelchair. A man across from us proceeds to tell me how I could kill myself quickly if I wanted to. I kept my mouth shut. He was a few bricks short, maybe a few sheets to the wind...but it still bothered me - and I could tell by the woman's face that it bothered her too.

That's all.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about your injury Kimmio. Hope you feel better soon.

There was a time once I was walking along the sidewalk in downtown Toronto and had a seizure. As I lay on the ground, trying to recover, I hear someone say, "Stupid drug addicts."
 
Jae said:
Sorry to hear about your injury Kimmio. Hope you feel better soon.

There was a time once I was walking along the sidewalk in downtown Toronto and had a seizure. As I lay on the ground, trying to recover, I hear someone say, "Stupid drug addicts."
Click to expand...
Ouch. Yeah. That was mean. Before I had a walker or cane I was mistaken for someone who was drunk, while I was sober a few times - by some guys staggering out of a bar at 5 pm, once. That particular time, looking back now, was actually funny - because they said, "Whoa! She's wasted!" Oh, the irony. But, I get how it feels to be looked down on and have your disability misunderstood.

Injured ribs are injured ribs. I'm familiar with how it feels now. Nothing I can do but let my body heal in its own time.
 
Kimmio, I am curious. Can an employer say "you must use your walker due to risk of falling"?
Why do I ask? My Dad's retirement living made him use his walker due to risk of falling. At the time I didn't challenge them, because honestly he needed to use his walker in part for protection of others, but, was always curious if you could be made to use it.
 
Pinga said:
Kimmio, I am curious. Can an employer say "you must use your walker due to risk of falling"?
Why do I ask? My Dad's retirement living made him use his walker due to risk of falling. At the time I didn't challenge them, because honestly he needed to use his walker in part for protection of others, but, was always curious if you could be made to use it.
Click to expand...
Interesting question. Nuclear Energy Workers are required to tell their supervisor as soon as a pregnancy is 'diagnosed', unless things have changed since I was certified. They then have to follow the rules for the general public in terms of exposure amounts. That's the only thing I know of where the standards are different for different people.
 
Pinga said:
Kimmio, I am curious. Can an employer say "you must use your walker due to risk of falling"?
Why do I ask? My Dad's retirement living made him use his walker due to risk of falling. At the time I didn't challenge them, because honestly he needed to use his walker in part for protection of others, but, was always curious if you could be made to use it.
Click to expand...
It's not practical, really. I will be taking my cane in from now on (I can lean it in the walker basket). I don't think my employer would ever say, I must (they are very easy going, and give staff latitude to make their own decisions - I just can't see them doing that.) I mean, it's my choice if I feel I need it, or not. Places where I "know the indoor terrain", like work and home, I often don't feel I need it to walk 10 ft (which was literally how far I went away from my desk- even less. 6 ft even.). My cane, that is. I don't use the walker inside - just for walking outside. It was a dumb fluke, to fall, and fall twice, that day. It is wise - just for my own sake, to avoid hurting myself generally - to have my cane with me at all times though.
 
Last edited:
I don't know if you can be "made to". That seems like it's probably not legal. A person knows their general capability if they are self aware. But s**t happens anyway, sometimes, to everyone. I can see why they might encourage it.

It's not like requiring safety goggles for a welding job. It's an office. Normally, I wouldn't have fallen, but I had bad luck on Friday.
 
Waterfall said:
Do you know what caused the fall? Furniture placed wrong for example?
Click to expand...
Just the shoes I was wearing. They are stylish slip on sneakers. Fancy ones. They have a fairly thick sole, but are too flat and inflexible, even with orthotic style insoles. They were the wrong shoes for a cold day (no snow or ice but I was stiff) but I slipped them on in a hurry that morning, rather than taking time to lace up my ankle boots. And the rubber on the edge of the toes is worn a bit and sticks to carpet when I drag my toes. I was tired a bit (PMS clumsy), stiff when I stood up from my seat, and not paying attention to picking up my feet. It was nothing to do with work layout. But I will bring my cane faithfully from now on - just because it is no fun to fall.

If I were on an LTD return to work plan, an OT might recommend that I use an assistive device and I suppose if I was regularly falling and missing work, they could try to enforce it. But in this case, I think that would be a bit much.
 
It's just a common sense, good idea to take my cane, going forward - for everyone's sake. But I doubt they would tell me I have to use it or my walker.

There are some tight spots to maneuver that could be widened (if I were to use my walker indoors) easily by moving some furniture, and I could ask to have my workspace closer to the bathroom or front desk (it's 50/ 50, those are the places I walk to and they are on opposite sides of the office). My boss told me to tell them if there's anything that they could do that would help. They are really a great bunch of people to work for/ with.
 
Last edited:
Great to hear, kimmio that you are feeling better.
It makes sense that they couldn't force you, was more curious, as in retrospect, I am not sure they could have forced Dad either.
Your comment regarding a backtowork plan though also makes sense if it was a chronic issue.

I am notorious for falling.
I have fallen up & down stairs, when walking in shop, and on pavement.
it is just me. I am sometimes thinking of other things, etc.
I get the wrong shoes thing though. I had neat shoes on many years ago, with a hard wood sole, and took a corner too fast, feet went out from under me, and I did a head plant into the corner of a shop office. It wasn't pretty. I was young, dusted myself, off , said i was fine. left the building. had a concussion, and a rough weekend, but, back at work on monday, and didnt file an accient report. bad decision in retrospect, but i was yougn and embarassed.

curious, did you file a workplace accident report? you did hurt your rib. some places are more picky about this than others.
 
I think that it is required here for WCB records

Glad that you are feeling well enough to go back to work. Take it easy.
 
Pinga said:
I think that it is required here for WCB records
Click to expand...
Injuries that result in time off work need to be reported to the WSIB (as it is now known) for sure. If no time is lost, employers usually have documentation policies but I don't think reporting to WSIB is mandated by law. Does anyone know for certain?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top