Fresh Perspectives

Leveraging Limitations

To most people, the physical limitations of using a wheelchair are obvious.  But I can tell you from experience that some of the limitations are much less obvious.  In overcoming the trade-offs involved, there are 3 basic choices; a) adapt the wheelchair, or b) adapt the surroundings, or c) all of the above.  Today, I want to talk about these trade-offs.

Because of changes in my body, I’ve had to transition to a high-end “rehab” type wheelchair with customized seating.  This wheelchair has the ability to elevate, tilt and recline, plus it has leg rests that elevate as well.  All of this is done with high-end electric motors, and I have the ability to raise my legs well above my heart to alleviate leg swelling.  For the most part, the transition to this wheelchair has been positive:

• The high-end brushless motors are quiet, very reliable and strong. They provide more than adequate power to traverse most inclines.
• The ability to tilt/recline adds to my stability on ramps and long inclines.
• The seating, although restrictive, fits my body giving me better seated posture and greater leg comfort.
• The wheelchair frame and seating is rock-solid. This provides a modicum of security for me. This is indeed a very high quality wheelchair.

These are the trade-offs;

• The chair seats me about 2 ½ inches higher than I was before. This makes eating at a table of normal height more challenging given limited arm strength. Where possible, I’ve adapted my surroundings accordingly with platforms.
• Because I drive, the wheelchair lock-down receiver (a pin mounted under the wheelchair), which is needed to lock the chair in driving position, is about ¾” from the floor. As a result, I need to be careful about the transitions in doorways and on ramps. One way around this is to enter and exit ramps at a slight angle, although this is impossible when going through narrow doorways. Also, the pin impedes the chair from rolling on anything but somewhat solid ground. Grass and gravel surfaces become a problem.
• This chair is large, much larger than my old one. It is also rear-wheel drive, making it less maneuverable than my old wheelchair which was mid-wheel drive. I drive a minivan, and getting to the driving position behind the wheel is tight. I need to back up the ramp, and the room inside the van is adequate but tight.
• The large size of the front turning wheels plus the weight of myself and the wheelchair combine to make this chair a “rug eater”. Wall-to-wall carpeting isn’t a problem, but any other kind of carpet gets tangled in the front wheels.

Moreover, although great strides have been made in providing greater mobility for the mobility-impaired, there is room for even further innovation.  I agree with Matt May; limitations provide opportunities for innovation.  I can tell you that people with disabilities are by necessity some of the best at improvising, adapting and overcoming many physical limitations.  But some of these limitations need to be addressed at the design level using “design thinking”.

I would love to hear ideas and feedback from readers.  Let’s try to get some discussion going on this issue. 

A Student of Human Moves

Dan Pink’s book Drive is outstanding! 

Dan’s ideas about intrinsic motivation aren’t new.  People have talked and written about these ideas for years.  Years ago, Dale Carnegie wrote about these ideas in How to Win Friends and Influence People.  More recently, Matt May nicely illustrated the workings of intrinsic motivation and autonomy in In Pursuit of Elegance.  These ideas are not new, yet, they are largely unapplied in the world of business, education and government.  Dan Pink tells us why.  He provides many examples and scientific studies in support of the benefits of intrinsic motivation.  Then he shows us why people are reluctant to rely on it!  He clearly shows us why the “carrot and stick” mentality we are accustomed to, and which is so engrained in our thinking, needs revision.

This book gets to the core of human nature.  It makes me think about the line in Color of Money where Fast Eddie Felson tells his protégé that he needs to learn to be a “student of human moves”.  This book underscores the significance of understanding human moves.

Many times, people look for the breakthrough idea in a book.  Drive is not a book with a breakthrough idea, rather it is a fervent call for actionable change.  The real breakthrough is in Dan’s vision of how best to apply this knowledge.  And like his prior book A Whole New Mind, it fleshes out how we might best survive and thrive in a new world. 

Dan Pink is a modern “student of human moves”.  He might just be the “professor of human moves” as well.  His book is compelling!

Getting it Right

I just finished the book "The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right" by Dr. Atul Gawande.  Dr. Gawande outlines the fact that although our base of knowledge is expanding, our abilities to make that knowledge actionable is not keeping pace.  His main emphasis is the field of surgery, but he delves into other areas such as finance, aviation and construction.

Checklists make sense, yet people sometimes have an aversion to using them.  Dr. Gawande shows us how the act of making a simple checklist can further communication and effectiveness, and he offers plenty of examples from many disciplines.  His book is a reminder that even the most intelligent of us can have a lapse in our thought process, and the checklist is a simple tool to keep our minds on task.  He also emphasizes how checklists can further collaboration and team effectiveness when used right. 

One aspect alluded to in the book is the idea of ego.  The book is a reminder that collaboration and teamwork require that everyone on the team have their ego in check.  To me, out of control ego is one of the biggest hindrances to positive change.  One short saying keeps rattling in my brain; "It is amazing how much can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit".

This book is a must-read!

Windows 7

Microsoft got it right this time!  I did a Windows 7 upgrade from Vista.  It's obvious that Microsoft concentrated on making everything work, not just adding features. 

Windows 7 boots much faster and works more consistently than any prior version, even XP.  Finally, they got "lean" and tightened up the code making the features it does have work well.  To me, that is much more important than simply adding features.

Skills National Competition

As a follow up to my prior post, 4 students from the CTC of Lackwanna County, a career tech school in Pennsylvania, competed in the national Skills USA competition in Kansas City.  These students did very well, and scored in the top 10 nationally.  Of note here too; they had a problem with the overhead projector, and the team leader improvised and turned the laptop around instead.  They continued with their presentation.  Now THAT is impressive!  Congratulations, girls....Great Job!!

Driving with a Disability II

In my prior post, I gave you a summary overview about driving with a disability.  Today, I'd like to expand on that.

Again, primary driving controls are gas, brake and steering while secondary controls include everything else.  The systems I will be using come from 2 companies; Drive Master and EMC.  As you might imagine, there are not many companies around that manufacture products like this.  It is a specialty, and I'm sure the liability exposure, hence the cost of insurance, is considerable.  That applies to the dealer network as well.  Installing these systems requires specialized expertise, and generally the dealers offer driver training and evaluations as well as installation.  The company I'm working with locally has been doing this for well over 20 years, and they are indeed experts.  

I'll be using mechanical horizontal steering which connects to the steering column.  It can be adjusted on all planes.  Drive Master also retrofits steering boxes and rack and pinions for reduced and zero effort steering.  Among other innovative products, they offer backup steering systems as well.

I'll also be using the gas/brake system from EMC.  Their entire EMC system is called AEVIT (Advanced Electronic Vehicle Interface Technology).  They also offer secondary interface controls and "drive by wire" steering.  Their website is extremely informative.  This page gives a very nice overview of the AEVIT  driving system. 

Another very innovative company in this arena is MPD, Mobility Products and Design.  The hand control in my current van is an MPD product.  It is amazingly reliable, even after 11 years of use. 

Learning to drive with these devices is a little challenging and will require over 10 hours of training.  Mr. Keller has an older trainer van and is in the process of outfitting a new one.  You can imagine the expenses involved in such a specialty, hence the reason for the high cost at the consumer level. This is indeed a very specialized business, and the companies and dealers involved are indeed quite innovative.

I'm enjoyed doing this research.  I hope you enjoy it as well. 

Driving with a Disability

I'm going through a process of a new wheelchair, new van, and home modifications to accommodate my current and future needs.  Today was interesting!  Unlike my current situation, I'll soon be driving from the wheelchair.  And in order to accommodate my needs for the next 10 or so years, I'm converting to an electric brake/accelerator system, and horizontal steering with zero effort.  These are known as "primary" controls.  As a result of the change in primary controls, the "secondary" controls will change too.  I'm looking at a computer controlled modular system to handle things such as lights, turn signals, gear changes, wiper controls....all of the secondary functions. 

The picture above left shows the hand control I currently use (past 11 years).  It is called a right-angle hand control, and is basic and simple.  The new system is similar, but involves electric assist and is mounted to the immediate left of the driver at arm level.

Today, I did some real on-the-road driving using this system in a training van.  Jim Keller, owner of Keller Wheelchair Lifts, is the driving teacher and an expert in the systems available today.  After a series of adjustments, we developed placement criteria for equipment, and I got to drive with the controls.  It went very well!

If any of you readers are going through something similar and you are apprehensive, please do get in touch with me.  What I'm doing comes down to one mental aspect; the ability to accept and embrace change.  I've learned the hard way, folks.....NEVER let fear lead your life and learn to love change.

GM - A Lesson Learned?

General Motors is now officially "Government Motors", no longer listed on NYSE.  The reasons are obvious...GM remained an old company whose management style remained in a 1950's mindset.  In the 1980's, W. Edward Deming predicted what is happening now to GM and other companies in the same situation.  And Bob Sutton clearly reflected this mindset in a blog post.

When will we learn?  The learning is happening in the auto industry at Ford Motor Company.  They operate lean in much the same way as Toyota, and they have trimmed down their vehicle offerings.  Ford is now setting the pace for American business.  They are learning to compete globally; GM never learned that! 

Having spent 30 years in public education I can tell you, however, that American public education will learn more slowly.  Education, and more specifically career/technical education, needs to be reflective of the direction industry is taking.  That happens slowly because public education is an extension of the government bureaucracy that created it.  Education remains in the "top down" management mindset where the customer (student) isn't always the priority.  But in this time of unprecedented change, I see a glimmer of hope for public education....the mindset is beginning to change.  Because for public education to survive, it must change!  I hope to be part of that.

In Pursuit of Elegance

Matt May's book, In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing, is being released tomorrow.  I read an advanced copy a few weeks ago, and could not put the book down!  Matt traveled the world to find cases where something was made to be elegant through subtractive means.  He strategically uses stories to drive home his ideas. 

This book is incredibly easy to read, even though it tackles some deep subject matter.  Check out his blog by the same name.  Mark Graban of Leanblog.org has posted a video podcast with Matt.  This work is entirely different than any business related book I've ever read.  It is a book about elegance written elegantly.

W. Edwards Deming

Mark Graban of Leanblog posted 3 videos about W. Edwards Deming.  I watched them twice.  Although Deming's methods involved statistics and measurement of production, all of his ideas revolve around people.  For those new to his work, he provided the main ingredients in rebuilding Japanese industry after WWII.  One quote of his stands out.  "The Japanese were in trouble; We are in worse trouble because we don't know it."

These videos are worth watching.  And Mark's blog is worth checking out.