Posts (page 2)
Since I have recently switched back to VOX as my primary blogging platform, I thought I'd give a brief summary of what has happened so far.
Currently I have a 13 year old Ministry of Health (MOH) funded chair. Over the past 13 years I have been very lucky that I have had no major problems with it. Now with it getting slightly more rusty every year, it's about time to upgrade.
Under the current system, for a wheelchair to be replaced, your chair has to be assessed and found to be beyond reasonable repair. Once this happens you get put in either Priority 1 or 2. If your chair can be repaired, you have to live with your current chair, no matter how old it is. I think this is really bad, as patients on ACC get better equipment when needed. There is someone who has been fighting for equity for a while, and she has set up a website at Equity for Illness. Walking is Overrated also has a good post on the MOH vs. ACC debate.
Got in touch with the Disability Resource Centre a couple of months ago, and because I haven't seen a wheelchair therapist or occupational therapist since leaving school, they told me to get a referral through the Taikura Trust.
After getting the referral, I had to get another needs assessment before anything could happen. The assessment went well and I had a visit from an OT a few weeks later. When she came, I assumed from what she said, that I would get a chair very similar to my current one, only newer. While waiting for it, my OT changed and she turned out to be very good.
I finally got the chair, but it wasn't what I expected, the OT then said that I should have been referred on to Mobility Solutions. She took the chair away and has done that for me.
Now we wait...
Look what William Shatner is doing now! Even the well known actors need some pocket money!
William Shatner as the Priceline Negotiator.
The security conscious who use the internet can breathe a sigh of relief now that software has been developed that can make information you post on the internet (including e-mails, social messaging posts and chat messages) become unreadable after a set period of time. You highlight the text you want to be turned into gibberish, activate the "Vanish" Firefox extention and text will become unreadable after a set period of time. It works in a very similar way to e-mail encryption in that both the sender/poster and the recipiant have to have the software installed.
I can see that itr has the potential to be a very useful tool, with parties wanting information to be kept private, being able to exchange the information thay need, withouut the fear that the information will be intercepted.
You can also read about this software here.
What a library! I'ts one that you can only dream about!
Who would have thought!
What's with this Government! I am totally appalled that there has been a $2.3 million funding cut in school therapy services that will affect 23 schools, including the three I went to (Roskill Primary, Intermediate, and Grammar).
These schools need the extra funding, otherwise therapy time for the students involved will be severely restricted. The Education Minister (Ann Tolley) wants the $2.3 million which has been cut, to go into a general pool of $51 million to enable more children with special needs to qualify for a special needs grant (referred to as ORRS - Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Scheme). Ann Tolley wants this, as she says that the new funding model would be a fairer system, as at the moment, some schools receive the extra special funding. The drawback to this change will be the cutting back of therapists from schools like the Roskill schools where they are needed the most.
In my mind, this is a case of back to the future, as when I first attended Mt Roskill Primary School in the mid 80s, there were only three therapists between the three schools! (A Physiotherapist, an Occupational Therapist and a Speech Therapist.) This only changed gradually so by 1989 (my second year at Intermediate) there was a therapy team for each of the three schools. I hope it doesn't get back to that, it will become really hard for the schools involved, as there are more disabled students in each of the three units now, compared to when I was at school.
From where I sit, this is but one area the current government is cutting and reallocating funds to by stealth. Some examples include the funding for community education, the Training Incentive Allowance (anything above certificate level is ineligible now), and worst of all, the $35 million being given to private schools. That's right, PRIVATE SCHOOLS! To me, that stinks.
Hopefully soon the average NZer will wake up to what is happening and start something like what happened over the foreshore and seabed issue. Somehow I don't think so. As long as John Key keeps smiling, everyone will think he is doing a good job.
I wonder what will be cut next?
I've just taken a quiz at Facebook, "What does the week you were born say about you?" and here is what it said:
"You assume a commanding role in your family and social group. You are a natural leader, and are a dynamic individual. You are a good planner, capable of organizing an effective plan of attack and seeing it through. You can be aggressive and know what you want and how to get it. Sometimes you can be less compassionate to those around you and lack consideration for their feelings. You are capable of inspiring loyalty, respect and love in others. You see yourself infallible and have tremendous faith in yourself. You are greatly imaginative and creative. As long as you are honored and respected by your mates you will be generous and kind to them, sometimes to a fault. In love you are subject to sudden, explosive, violent, and passionate displays of emotion. You can often be overbearing, combative and unforgiving. Strengths: Commanding – Heroic – Creative Weaknesses: Dictatorial – Selfish – Insensitive."
I don't think so!
This is a totally ridiculous, but funny take on Swine Flu!
A version of this ad is currently playing on TV One and I think it is really cool. I did a search on Youtube today and found this full version, which is even better!
If you have noticed black squares invading profile pictures on Facebook and Twitter over the past week and were wondering what they were all about, it has to do with copyright and freedom of speech in NZ. It is a protest against the amendment to the Copyright Act which has gone into force over the weekend.
The whole problem with this amendment is that it has been interpreted as meaning that your ISP will terminate your internet connection if you are accused of downloading copyrighted materials without any hard evidence. Thus taking away a person's right to be innocent until proven guilty.
But...
Due to the ambiguity of the wording, there is some disagreement as to what constitutes an ISP. Many think that they include libraries and internet cafes. If this is the case, it would mean that they would have to keep the details of anyone using their services. I really don’t think this is right and this part should be made clearer to distinguish the definition of an ISP as they will be the ones policing the new law.
The most contentious part of the amendment is the fact that many people do not like the word termination in the context of the act. But according to the recording industry they will get four warnings before any drastic disconnection takes place.
In my opinion this amendment is fair, but I can see why there is a movement against it. It seems to be unfairly skewed towards the recording industry without much thought for the common man. Remarkably, it has even got international attention with Stephen Fry speaking out over it, and blacking out his profile picture on Twitter.
Hopefully this will be sorted through soon, and the sooner the better I say.
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