[Gllug] Robot arms for the disabled

[Jim Bailey]

On Thu, Aug 08, 2002 at 06:23:53PM +0200, John Hearns wrote:
> Congratulations to Rich Walker on the BBC news item:
> 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2178226.stm
> 
> ps. can I have one for the next time I'm down the pub?
> I don't GENERALLY have a problem with raising the glass
> to my lips but it would be nice.
>
Congrats Rich and to the rest of your team there.

I am now going to stick my neckn out here and speak my mind about how
pissed off I am about the response from David Colley, chairman of the
British Council of Disabled People.

"It's unfortunate that disabled people are constantly used as a reason
for inventing new gadgets." 

As someone who helped nurse his Dad through terminal cancer and watch a
trim 50 year old man turn in to a 20 stone bloated bed ridden cripple
because of steroid treatments.  As the brother of 17 year old Michael
who has Cornelia de Lange Syndrome.[1]  As the son of a Woman (my
mother) who has serve Rheumatoid Arthritis, half her spine fused together
by surgeons and the other half crumbling away around it.  As someone
with a high percentage of friends who are care workers, with emphasis on
"care", under staffed and under payed (most earn little more than the
minimum wage).

May just say thank you for gagets, for simple things like the specially
adapted spoon my bro uses to feed himself and the specially designed
walker he uses to get around.  Thank you too for the numerous gagets and
devices that my mother uses to get out of the bath open tins, bottles
and packages.

I don't think the arm is going to be good enough for a while to take on
the task of cleaning dressing and when necessary feeding my bro  It may
just be smart enough soon to make a cup of tea for my mum after a hard
day when the tiredness and the pain are particularily bad.


It is kit like this that will free carers from the drugery of there work
and allow them to spend quality time with the people they assist,
whether they are doing it for a loved one or it is their job.

OT  That smug little shit Anthony Hilton buisness editor of The Evening
Standard recently did an editorial on how the government should be firm
with the pay demands of care workers and other public sector workers.
Bringing out the spectre of stag inflation from the 70s.  Where was he
when executive pay and pay in the city was going through the roof
driving up house prices and forcing ancillary workers out of the
property ladder and into sub-standard housing?

Fuck him and David Colley too who also seem to want a compliant
underclass willing to do the dirty work.

You can tell I am back on the long night shifts again, time to make a
nice cup of camomile tea swap the D' + B' for something mozarty and lay
off the caffine for a few hours.  I did apologies in advance a few days
ago.

[1] http://www.cdls.org.uk/information/2.htm

Peace Jim
> 
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