Monday May 19, 2008
Dear Mr. Eaton
I am paralyzed from the waist down in a wheelchair, unable to walk. I am new to my condition having spent over 52 years as an able-bodied person.
I am grateful for the help and support that SCAP afforded me, enabling me to return to my
home.
However several major things were not attended to and were not installed correctly.
What seemed accessible was not.
I desperately hope that my disheartening and difficult experience will save others in need from the same heartbreak.
My ramps, installed in September of 2007 by Pyramid Ramps, appeared in pictures to be too steep. I expressed this concern and was assured they only "appeared" too steep.
They were. Neither ramp met ADA guidelines, including those for a foot per inch of incline. The boards warped. Some are spaced, frighteningly far apart. The front ramp, inexplicably and sloppily installed half on dirt and half on the sidewalk, began to sink into the spring ground. It is too exhausting to recount the numerous emails, calls and discussions and reassessments in an effort to get them fixed.
As of this date, May 18, there are still issues which i am left to resolve myself. The front and back are both too steep. I cannot go out my front door unaided.I can exit and enter the back, as long as I don't carry anything. Last week, I fell backwards as I returned home from grocery shopping, as too steep slope acted on the bag of groceries. Fortunately the bus driver rushed over to right me.
A 2.5 inch step was left at the front of my house at the end of the ramp. At the rear the too-steep ramp terminated in an un-level, mixed surface walkway such that only three wheels touched the ground.
What was the role of the so-called disability expert in this? How could you install a ramp and leave a 2.5 inch drop, which of course, means no access. How could you install a ramp and leave ground that i could not roll over?
I have spent hundreds of dollars on these fixes-- money I don't have. It would have been nice to have had this considered, discussed and explored by the so-called expert/advisor, so that the funds raised for house amendment could have been raised for this as well. It would have been nice to know that still un-useable front ramp was to be my "emergency ramp." I did not know this at the time of the rehab, and had I, it is something else I would have asked my fundraisers to consider.
My shower was to be a roll in shower. It has a hard lip and slopes downward in TWO directions.
I was once independent in my bathing, now I must engage someone to assist me as I cannot safely access the shower alone. This is what should have been done for my shower http://www.accessibleconstruction.com/services/bathrooms/25.html a collapsible, roll-over barrier.
What was the role of the so-called disability expert in this? I remember her saying that she was on site for much of this work and yet the shower is unevenly installed. It is still the wrong kind of floor....another thing i had asked about -- I had asked for tile-- and was told that this type of shower was a cost effective solution. Not for me as I now must pay hundreds of dollars for a home health care aid.
I had asked that the shower not have a pre installed chair. I had said no to the chair. This chair is emblematic of the failure to listen, consider or even understand. The fold down chair was against the wall of the shower, more than four feet away from shower controls!!!! How could a paralyzed person, were she even able to land on the too-small spot, turn on the shower? When I pointed this out I was told well, just fold it up. As I was told repeatedly that this project strained the budget why was money wasted this way? Insult to injury, when I attempted independent access using a shower wheelchair, the foldup chair got in the way.
The chair took two men hours to cut it off, as they could not remove it and to my horror, they contemplated breaking my new wall to de-install it. Can you imagine my frustration? Ugly
pipe pieces stuffed with silicone now protrude from my wall.
My options are bleak: reconstruction, which would require me leaving my home, which I cannot afford or even figure out how to manage, or to live, only able to shower, when i can hire assistance.
I bought a shower wheelchair in an effort to not have to hire assistance, I had to pay for the removal of the 2.5 inch step and for some paving so i could attempt to exit my house independently and I pay for a home health aide-- something I did not have to do before. Thus far, fixing the fixes has cost me a devastating and unexpected $1500 and the costs
continue to mount.
These costs could have been avoided if someone who understood even a little of what a paraplegic needs, had been employed.
That this was not so, is a travesty. There was a window of opportunity to do it right the first time, while I was not in my home. This has gone.
Again, I hope this helps someone else not suffer from failed expectations or be stuck in a home that doesn't work.
Regards,
Showing posts with label accessibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accessibility. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sad Affirmations
The SCAP lady returned on Friday with another crew-- Goldstar to screw down the boards on the ramps, as they are warping (visibly rising and curling after every rain)
I took her to task about the ramp guy and Shiela-- how could she approve things that weren't even in spec? Well John the ramp guy approved it That's like having the fox guard the hen house. I exclaimed!!! Well is he had to redo them, then it wasn't to his benefit. Sure it was I said, because according to you, no one else ever complained.
She wondered why. I said only stuff that wasn't even me kept me going, because the process wore me down and was painful. And this was all new to me. Each year gets harder so if i had been used
to being denied, it might be different.
Like her saying how the amendment was because it was "uncomfortable" and come to find out it didn't EVEN meet ADA standards.... so it wasn't about my comfort... it was out of spec!
The guys tried to take the seat that i said i didn't want, out of the shower. I showed them how i couldn't even fit in the shower with my wheelchair, because i had to pop over the lip and back in.
I refused to let them bust a hole in my wall to do it, i said get a saw and just cut the metal
i no longer care if it's not reusable---
and i got to say to the SCAP lady.... i told her ( the idiot sheila who insisted on the useless chair)
that i didn't want it and not to put one in... now we can't get it out....!
She said i know i know.
Anyway the Godlstar guy said that the shower was WRONGGG!!!!!
shit piss and corruption, of course i have a problem entering it, it shouldn't have the lip on it and yes it
down slope down (vs up like the bathtub) so sure i would have trouble getting in it.
I was glad the scap lady was there to hear him say it was the wrong kind of shower. though it has cost me tons of money and more, all my self sufficiency.
I took her to task about the ramp guy and Shiela-- how could she approve things that weren't even in spec? Well John the ramp guy approved it That's like having the fox guard the hen house. I exclaimed!!! Well is he had to redo them, then it wasn't to his benefit. Sure it was I said, because according to you, no one else ever complained.
She wondered why. I said only stuff that wasn't even me kept me going, because the process wore me down and was painful. And this was all new to me. Each year gets harder so if i had been used
to being denied, it might be different.
Like her saying how the amendment was because it was "uncomfortable" and come to find out it didn't EVEN meet ADA standards.... so it wasn't about my comfort... it was out of spec!
The guys tried to take the seat that i said i didn't want, out of the shower. I showed them how i couldn't even fit in the shower with my wheelchair, because i had to pop over the lip and back in.
I refused to let them bust a hole in my wall to do it, i said get a saw and just cut the metal
i no longer care if it's not reusable---
and i got to say to the SCAP lady.... i told her ( the idiot sheila who insisted on the useless chair)
that i didn't want it and not to put one in... now we can't get it out....!
She said i know i know.
Anyway the Godlstar guy said that the shower was WRONGGG!!!!!
shit piss and corruption, of course i have a problem entering it, it shouldn't have the lip on it and yes it
down slope down (vs up like the bathtub) so sure i would have trouble getting in it.
I was glad the scap lady was there to hear him say it was the wrong kind of shower. though it has cost me tons of money and more, all my self sufficiency.
Friday, February 16, 2007
my house is hurt
Last saturday my wonderful neighborfriend saw an alien ice formation on the side of my house while she walked the dog.
Soon she called Karen and Jinm, they had the fire department pump 2 inches of water out of my basement. A pipe burst....
and this despite paying $100s on gas heat each month..... WAHHHHHHH! okay so i called insurance who said call Service Master and the plumber..... the plumber said ahhh the furnace was damaged in the flood and needs fixing....
Wonderful Connie told me:
The CAC guy was no where near as resourceful and knowledgeable and just
plain willing as Jesse. Jesse not only came back, but got the CAC guy to
come back and together they fixed the furnace. (I stood there watching,
feeling like a girl. Sometimes I think I'd like to go on the job with Jesse
for like a month and learn everything I can.) They told me to leave the
heat up very high (around 80 degrees) until Tuesday morning when I will
bring it back to 65 degrees. That's what you had it on, right? This is to
make sure all of the pipes are thawed.
I know that Jesse has two suggestions for your pipes: 1) until you return he
suggests "winterizing" the pipes by putting anti-freeze in them. It may be
a cheap and easy solution for the meantime.
2) He expressed concern over some old cast iron pipes and suggested that now
might be the time to replace them since other repairs will be needed as
well.
As for the rest of the house - Service master gutted the kitchen and pulled
out the wall behind the sink, the sink itself, the cabinets, the ceiling and
the floor. They've also pulled out the ceiling in the dining room and the
living room. I have to double check about the room all the way in the front
of the house. They pulled up the carpet in the dining room but not the rest
of the downstairs.
They have not touched anything on your walls - no photos, no artwork.
The downstairs is very messy. There is plaster dust and some broken glass
on the floor. I will ask them to clean that up.
They did not put equipment up last evening to begin the drying process
because the heat was not on yet. (They left about 3 or 3:30 PM). But, they
said they'd be back this morning to set that up if the heat was on. I
called at 8 AM to inform them, but they haven't called back yet. I've got
to go in a minute but I'll be back in the late morning and will contact them
again.
Well, that's the whole picture. I don't think they've done anything
upstairs which did not get wet. I will double check later this morning.
My heart is with you and your precious and vulnerable house. I am aware of
all the artwork in progress in practically every space I've seen - the
basement, the dining room, the front room, all of it. I'll do my best to
preserve it.
_______________________
Prayers are welcome.
Soon she called Karen and Jinm, they had the fire department pump 2 inches of water out of my basement. A pipe burst....
and this despite paying $100s on gas heat each month..... WAHHHHHHH! okay so i called insurance who said call Service Master and the plumber..... the plumber said ahhh the furnace was damaged in the flood and needs fixing....
Wonderful Connie told me:
The CAC guy was no where near as resourceful and knowledgeable and just
plain willing as Jesse. Jesse not only came back, but got the CAC guy to
come back and together they fixed the furnace. (I stood there watching,
feeling like a girl. Sometimes I think I'd like to go on the job with Jesse
for like a month and learn everything I can.) They told me to leave the
heat up very high (around 80 degrees) until Tuesday morning when I will
bring it back to 65 degrees. That's what you had it on, right? This is to
make sure all of the pipes are thawed.
I know that Jesse has two suggestions for your pipes: 1) until you return he
suggests "winterizing" the pipes by putting anti-freeze in them. It may be
a cheap and easy solution for the meantime.
2) He expressed concern over some old cast iron pipes and suggested that now
might be the time to replace them since other repairs will be needed as
well.
As for the rest of the house - Service master gutted the kitchen and pulled
out the wall behind the sink, the sink itself, the cabinets, the ceiling and
the floor. They've also pulled out the ceiling in the dining room and the
living room. I have to double check about the room all the way in the front
of the house. They pulled up the carpet in the dining room but not the rest
of the downstairs.
They have not touched anything on your walls - no photos, no artwork.
The downstairs is very messy. There is plaster dust and some broken glass
on the floor. I will ask them to clean that up.
They did not put equipment up last evening to begin the drying process
because the heat was not on yet. (They left about 3 or 3:30 PM). But, they
said they'd be back this morning to set that up if the heat was on. I
called at 8 AM to inform them, but they haven't called back yet. I've got
to go in a minute but I'll be back in the late morning and will contact them
again.
Well, that's the whole picture. I don't think they've done anything
upstairs which did not get wet. I will double check later this morning.
My heart is with you and your precious and vulnerable house. I am aware of
all the artwork in progress in practically every space I've seen - the
basement, the dining room, the front room, all of it. I'll do my best to
preserve it.
_______________________
Prayers are welcome.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Another Loss, Another Tragedy For Me
a pipe burst in the wall
my kitchen cieling is on the floor
the fire dept pumped out 2 inches of water from the basement
i am blessed to have wonderful neighbors and friends
maybe this is a blessing in dissguise
i contacted homeowners insurance who said they may have an adjuster out tonight even -- Saturday 2/10
my plumber said he knows what to do and will come out tomorrow to make
sure there is water for heat as i have steam heating
sigh.... i was just chilling out and feeling calm after a day of work....
Sunday
O! I owe my frends so much--- Connie and Louise and Karen and Jim---- called the fire department who pumped water out of my basement. Connie has been a marvel of calm facilitation as I've been in touch with Service Master, to clean up and dry out, the plumber who has restored heat, Corning Applicance to replace a broken something on the furnace, and the insurance.
Jesse though i was being metaphoric when i told him I couldn't be there , that I was [aralyzed... i could tell so I explained how i cannot walk, cannot stand, and so cannot drive home or even, be driven home to oversee....
and this just as the possibility of assistance in rehab, making accessible has been found and this just as i felt a sense of hope and possibilitymy home my sweet home!!! i miss it so, my tools, my yard, my treees and bushes that i planted....
why am i ever exiled, made bereft?
my kitchen cieling is on the floor
the fire dept pumped out 2 inches of water from the basement
i am blessed to have wonderful neighbors and friends
maybe this is a blessing in dissguise
i contacted homeowners insurance who said they may have an adjuster out tonight even -- Saturday 2/10
my plumber said he knows what to do and will come out tomorrow to make
sure there is water for heat as i have steam heating
sigh.... i was just chilling out and feeling calm after a day of work....
Sunday
O! I owe my frends so much--- Connie and Louise and Karen and Jim---- called the fire department who pumped water out of my basement. Connie has been a marvel of calm facilitation as I've been in touch with Service Master, to clean up and dry out, the plumber who has restored heat, Corning Applicance to replace a broken something on the furnace, and the insurance.
Jesse though i was being metaphoric when i told him I couldn't be there , that I was [aralyzed... i could tell so I explained how i cannot walk, cannot stand, and so cannot drive home or even, be driven home to oversee....
and this just as the possibility of assistance in rehab, making accessible has been found and this just as i felt a sense of hope and possibilitymy home my sweet home!!! i miss it so, my tools, my yard, my treees and bushes that i planted....
why am i ever exiled, made bereft?
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