For World Usability Day, I am choosing to be vulnerable and share my experiences with temporary and permanent disabilities gained this year and tools I’ve used to adapt.
In January 2023, I suffered a catastrophic injury that drastically changed the course of my 2023. While indoor bouldering, my grip failed on the top hold and I fell off the wall. Unexpectedly I landed with my arms extended behind me, dislocating my right elbow, tearing the ligaments, and fracturing my radial head.
After two reductions in the ER to put my elbow back in, I was referred to surgery. Almost two weeks later, I had an open reduction/internal fixation (ORIF), where the surgeon placed two screws into my radius and reattached my ligaments. Many months and 60+ physical therapy sessions later, I’m at a point of being able to use my arm to do many things again, but I now know that I’ll never have my full range of motion or strength back again.
The loss of your dominant arm completely and suddenly is life-altering. It requires you to adapt, remix and reuse your tools and technologies, and persevere through moments and situations that seem impossible in the moment. As someone who lives alone in an apartment and thrives on being independent, I needed to find solutions that would allow me to live my life in a way where I could support myself and still feel independent. In this post, I want to share with you the five tools that helped me through hard parts of this year.
Magnetic Chip Clips
Without a doubt Magnetic Chip Clips are and were the MVP of my 2023. Need to wear a coat because it’s February but can’t close your coast over your cast? Chip clip it! Need to carry your medical papers and keep them organized? Chip clip them and then stick the clip the fridge! I used the chip clip for showering, for keeping my sling in place, for getting dressed, and for gripping and picking things up.Hair Claw Clips
1995 called and said “I told you so!” When you have long hair and want to keep it, but can’t pull it up or braid it, the claw clip is your best friend. If, like me, you worry about claw clips not holding long/thick hair, there are new ones on the market that are super helpful for this scenario. My advice is get several, you never know how many you may need.Trash Bags
Need to take a shower and live alone? Can’t get any of the fancy covers from Amazon or can’t find anything that fits? Trash bags are your friend! Combined with the chip clip, showers are now possible.Chisel Tip Sharpie
Gripping things with weak muscles or when stabilized in particular positions can be extremely difficult. Imagine being asked to sign contracts with in the ER after surgery on your arm? Impossible! The large form factor of the chisel tip sharpies lets you sign things when you need to or write when voice-to-text is not an option.Folding Platform Truck
I originally bought my cart from Harbor Freight for moving by myself. I knew from this experience that it was possible to push and turn this truck with my left arm only. Having this item allowed me to move my groceries from the car (or from a helpful friend’s car) and move things around the apartment and then fold it up (using a foot and my left arm) and keep it stored out of the way.