Effective? Not really.

Enter the Etac Hair Washer from Manage@Home mobility solutions.

The hair washer can be used instead of fingers to apply shampoo and massage the scalp. It is one of a prize-winning range of body care products, ergonomically designed to provide maximum power with minimal effort or strain on hands, arms and shoulders.

I had mixed results with the hair washer. Whilst it is certainly an improvement on my current solution (and really, you can’t ask for much more from a product!), it’s not perfect. The bristles on the brusher are made of rubber, so it doesn’t really create much of a lather as you’re rubbing the shampoo into your scalp. It also seemed to take quite a lot of my hair with it!

That said, as far as cost-effective solutions go, it doesn’t get much better than the Etac Hair Washer. You won’t find it at any of the over-priced disability support outlets in New Zealand, but you will find it on Manage@Home’s website. They also have a huge range of other disability support products.

They happily ship to New Zealand – so what are you waiting for?!

Well, for a start I can say with confidence that it’s probably not the best phone for those of you who are blind or have a visual impairment.

Let it be known I am officially scratching that line from the record. I recently came across an incredibly emotional blog post from a blind guy who had just purchased his first iPhone, after having it recommended to him by a friend. He says it changed his life. Hear that? Changed. His. Life. A wee excerpt:

Last Wednesday, my life changed forever. I got an iPhone. I consider it the greatest thing to happen to the blind for a very long time, possibly ever. It offers unparalleled access to properly made applications, and changed my life in twenty-four hours… I have fallen in love.

Sounds incredible, right? He goes on to talk about how the iPhone is enabling him to see colour like never before. Check out his beautifully-written review in full by clicking here, and for those of you who are blind or vision impaired, maybe the time is nigh that you jumped on the iBandwagon!

Playstation Move, for the uninformed, is a little bit like the Nintendo Wii. You play games by standing in front of your TV, pretending to wack a golf ball or fight in a gladiator duel, and your movements are picked up by a camera sitting on top of your TV, allowing you to interact with the game with your body instead of a traditional gaming controller. Needless to say, as soon as I got wind of this revolution in gaming I sped down to my local electronics store and picked up a starter pack. I had one lingering question, however: as a wheelchair user, would I be able to use Playstation Move?

I won’t talk too much about pricing, features, or anything else that’s been covered in mainstream gaming sites, they do that far better than I ever will. But as a young man with cerebral palsy, the Playstation Move certainly presented its fair share of challenges!

The initial set up was fairly painless. My starter pack came with a ‘Playstation Eye’ camera, which I simply plugged into one of my PS3′s USB ports, and placed it (somewhat precariously) on top of my television. The other main component in the pack was what Sony calls a ‘motion controller’, which is kinda the main event. This is the wand (pictured left) that doubles as golf club, sword, and occasional bow and arrow set. Quite amazing stuff. So I turned it on, and encountered my first hurdle: “calibration”.

Calibration is basically the process by which you teach your Playstation about your body height, shape, etc., so it can track your movements effectively. When you begin the calibration process, you’re presented with an on-screen ‘frame’ that you’re supposed to stand in, with your head touching the top of the frame. My head reached abouuuuut the halfway mark. Uh-oh. I tilted the camera down a little bit, so I filled up a little more of the frame. An improvement, but not by much. Ah well, onwards.

It then asked me to hold the controller in front of me, and hold two specific buttons down at the same time, a trigger on the back and button on the front. Now, anyone who knows anything about cerebral palsy knows that dexterity often isn’t one of our strong points. As such, holding down two separate buttons on opposite sides of this bulky wand-thing isn’t an easy ask! Nonetheless, after a few practice goes, I succeeded. Next!

Here, it gets interesting. My Playstation instructed me to hold the motion controller up to my shoulder, and press the central button to confirm. It showed me a diagram of the approximate location within the frame that my shoulder should be (see image on the right). Of course, being in a wheelchair meant that my shoulder was nowhere near this spot. Sneakily, I held the wand as high above my head as I could, which was more or less where my shoulder “should have been”. Clicked the button. Success! My Playstation now thinks my shoulder is well above my head. Not sure if this was going to come back to haunt me. Onto the next instruction…

It now tells me I should hold the motion controller by my side, and click the same button. But my side is full of wheels, metal bars, and various sharp bits! I leant forward, held the wand down by my ankles and pressed the button (on the on-screen guide, my ankles equated to where my ‘side’ should be. Who am I to argue with the Playstation?)

Correct! Two tasks down, one instruction to go. It has asked me to place the motion controller upon my ‘belt buckle’ (disclaimer: I don’t wear belts. It’s hard enough using the toilet without having to undo a belt buckle! With these fingers, it ain’t happening). I do so, slightly wary that I no longer have any idea where any of my body parts ‘ought to be’. My side is down by my ankles, my shoulder is above my head, where the hell should my belt buckle be?! I guessed. Bad idea.

BRMM. Big red box. Exclamation marks. Warning signs. WRONG, it says, your belt buckle is not there! Calibration fail! Start again please!

Shit.

So I repeated the process. About four times, in fact, each time failing at the belt buckle stage, before I threw the motion controller on my bed in frustration. This wasn’t going to work, I thought, I’ll have to take it back. But would Sony accept a return based on disability? Through a lack of accessibility? One more go, I convinced myself.

This time, I made an effort to place the wand at a position relative to my ankle, where my belt buckle should have been, if I was ‘normal’. At this stage, my new toy was making me feel pretty bloody disabled! However I’m delighted to say, this time I got it! It worked! I succeeded in calibration, inserted my ‘Sports Champions’ game and set about playing some table tennis. Only one word can describe the next few hours: wow.

It was quite an incredible experience; smashing the ping pong ball across a table, performing back-hand spins, forehand shots, and overhead smashes, just as you would in ‘real life’. The angle that your hand ‘hits’ the ball with has a direct influence on the type of shot produced on-screen – it really is a deeply immersive, realistic experience. What’s more: my disability didn’t impede me from enjoying the game at all! As long as you have some movement in your arm (right or left), you can play the most realistic game of table tennis you’ve ever seen! It’s such an amazing feeling.

Once my arm tired of playing ping pong, I selected another sport from the main menu: ‘Bocce’. Now, some of you might know that I’m a bit of a dab hand at boccia, so I was stunned to discover that I could now play it on my Playstation! Honest evaluation: I’m a little bit better in real life

I tried some of the other sports: gladiator duel, disc golf, archery and beach volleyball. They were all great fun, however I struggled with beach volleyball and archery, owing to some over-your-head movements that I find quite difficult.

All in all, I shan’t be returning my Playstation Move, in fact my family are struggling to pull me away from it! After spending my entire life yearning to play sports, and having to settle for somewhat removed experiences by way of traditional gaming controllers, Playstation Move has allowed me to ‘play’ in a way I never thought possible. It’s changed my life for the better, and despite a few setup hassles, I can’t recommend it enough. Make sure you ask to test it out in-store before you lay down your hard-earned cash, just to make sure it’s the right fit for you!

You can see the great signage in the picture above, and let me tell you, these are an absolute treat to use. I fly with Air NZ quite frequently, and even though my visits require a trip to the special assistance counter to speak with airport staff, I always check in using the kiosks first, because it’s just such a wonderful experience. Sure, the user interface is great, and the process is simple, but the fact they care enough to put in a dedicated kiosk for those with limited mobility?

Well that, as they say, is priceless.

But this year – oh boy, this year – the BDO organisers had erected a platform in front of the main stages for the benefit of people in a similar predicament to myself (not that being in a wheelchair is a predicament, I’m just saying… oh never mind). This meant that for such class acts as Pendulum and Neil Young, my friends and I were treated to a stellar view, well above the heads of the other punters. Fantastic stuff. Props to the BDO organisers for finally doing something about the appalling state of accessibility at the festival. Now just fix the toilets, lack of curb cuts, over-zealous security…

Erin Gough has written a fantastic review of the BDO over at her blog.

View of Neil Young from “The Platform” as he sings Heart of Gold (credit to Erin for the choice video, too!):

The Rendezvous Hotel was great. It has an underground walkway to the Aotea centre which is why I chose it. I booked a twin disability room as I had a friend staying with me. Best thing was the parking, large disability parking close to the door to the reception, and it cost $10 a day. A very helpful concierge took my bag to my room for me. The room was huge. Plenty of space for the chair though the plug for the charger wasn’t in the best place.

The bathroom was huge and certainly a different design than any I have stayed in. It included a bath with the shower at the end and the toilet was just by the door so it was really good, if I was in the shower my friend could use the loo, didn’t have a seat though I don’t need one yet and I suspect you could sit on the end of the bath.

Once I had arrived I thought I would check out the walkway. The concierge said there were a few steps but not too worry he would show me and he was sure we could work it out. I was very sceptical however. Once I got down there I found six stairs and said no way and then notices to very large garage doors. Can you open them I said, so he check and he could so it was a simple matter of going back a level and going down the car park ramps, piece of cake. He left the door open for me and I said I would let him know when I got back so he could lock them. Any problems he said, lift the reciever and we will come. And come they did, if the doors weren’t open they would come and open them. My timing was bad, the parking area lift was being revamped and one day the lift was not available, however one of them would escort me down the parking building, walking in front in case any traffic came, it was great. Certainly the best treatment I have ever received. It certainly gets four and a half stars out of five from me.

• Official website: The Rendevous Hotel
• Average room rate: $100-$150/night

Aotea Centre wasn’t quite as good, what bozo, decided to build a huge building like that and only have lifts at one end. Five levels with disability ramps in out of the way places, and some of the disability toilets that were really too small. Went to one that was at the top of a flight of stairs so of course the AB’s (“able bodieds”) would use it. So of course I would have to find a lift and go to another floor. I found it really infuriating and was always worried I would run my battery down. And there were odd things, like no signage in the lift, if you forgot what floor you needed you had to guess and get out of the lift and go round the corner to read what was on the floor. Sorry, didn’t like it at all.

But did have a lovely time in the big smoke though struggled to find the disability access to some places, Sky City Cinemas was great once you found your way in whcih wasn’t easy, and I had to ask how to get down to the food court. because there were no signs.

Recently, my partner and I went for dinner at the Matterhorn restaurant in Wellington. As we are not located in Wellington, this was a special trip for us. The evening was enjoyable, despite several hiccups. The food was good, and its presentation excellent. The wines were very good. The accessibility was, sadly, far less than stellar.

The Matterhorn Restaurant
Located at 108 Cuba Street, the Matterhorn is wedged between two shops on a pedestrian mall. Don’t expect a wide facade, the restaurant itself is reached through a long (and dark) corridor. Had we not known for sure that it was open, it would have been easy to think it was closed! The Matterhorn’s website (in Flash, may not work for everyone, some browsers are having problems getting to it) offers the food menu and wine lists (downloadable as PDFs only). It also talks about the history of the place. The Matterhorn is a restaurant & tapas bar open seven days a week. It won the “2008 Supreme Winner” as well as “Best Casual Restaurant” titles in the Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year awards.

The Matterhorn Dining Experience
This did not begin particularly well… We arrived at approximately 8:45pm. The man at the reception informed us that we could not be seated, but that we could have tapas in the outside bar. It was very cold and windy, and we hadn’t travelled 3 hours to have tapas… We hadn’t made reservations, because two weeks earlier, in an email exchange with the Matterhorn, I was informed that they do not take reservations. I was further informed that the kitchen was open “until late”, so that it would not be a problem for us to come by. I had been assured that we’d have at most 30 or 45 minutes to wait.

We were obviously quite disappointed by having been told that we couldn’t be seated. We explained the situation to the man, and he finally agreed, quite ungraciously, to seat us. We were seated at the very first table on the left when you go into the restaurant. This seemed to us to be one of the worst tables in the place, right beside the utility bench for wait staff to collect menus and clean utensils. It is also on the path between the kitchen and the main dining area, and is right next to the corridor leading to the cash register and the outside door. My partner sat on the bench seat along the wall, I parked my wheelchair on the other side of the table. I was kicked in the wheels no less than ten times during the evening, four of them by staff, the rest by other patrons.

As we were seated, the guy who “welcomed” us informed us that he would have to inform the other people waiting for this table that they were going to miss out. This seemed like information we did not need to know about, and made us feel like we were not welcomed at all. My partner and I wondered why that might be and were concerned that our service and dining experience may be less than ideal. Of course, it could have been that they were genuinely unable to seat us – the place *was* quite busy. But considering that several people came in after us and were seated for dinner, it seems unlikely. My next thought was that we weren’t “the beautiful kind”, not the right kind of people for the restaurant. My partner thought otherwise. She suggested it was the wheelchair. She might well have been right considering the accessibility level of the place.

Click below to read more about The Matterhorn’s below-average accessibility…

We were glad that our waiter was quite pleasant. He was available without hovering. At one point about 2/3rd into our evening, the music was louder than it had been when we arrived, and it sounded like a stuck damaged CD, jumping back to the same spot over and over and over. After approximately 15 minutes of this, I flagged a staff and indicated there might be a problem with their CD. I was informed there was a live DJ! Well, if that’s the “in” thing with DJ’ing nowadays, I must be really getting old… This went on almost as is until we left.

The Matterhorn Accessibility
I must admit, met disapointment on that topic. I had specifically contacted the restaurant a few weeks before going and asked about accessibility. I was assured it would not be a problem. Well… I could not call the Matterhorn accessible, but I guess I could assign it the label “usable”.

It begins at the entrance. Long and dark corridor, approximately 10 meters long. Someone with a visual impairment would probably have trouble with such low-light levels. At the end of this corridor is a set of double swinging doors. Each panel is wide enough to let a wheelchair through, although only just. But as there are no stable handholds and the doors are quite heavy, it is not possible for a wheelchair user to manage these doors independently.

After the long dark corridor is a dark space with no obvious purpose, followed by another set of doors. Then, a long, narrow and dark, although gently sloped, ramp. Barely wide enough to have a wheelchair and someone walking being able to pass one another. The person standing has to flatten themselves against the wall and turn their feet so they are parallel to the wall. Not particularly useful. There is no handrail along the ramp – someone unsteady on their feet, using a cane or crutches, would likely have problems going up it.

Then, there is the dining room. The tables are mostly along the walls with benches on one side and chairs on the other. It is also very dark in the dining room. Each table is illuminated by a wee lone oil lamp. This gives very little light, and it is flickering. The lamp must remain in the centre of the table if everyone at the table hopes to be able to see what’s on their plate. A little more light would have been appropriate and helpful.

There is a cocktail bar, where I was told in an email we would be welcome to await a table. Except that this bar is long and narrow. The bar itself is too high, someone in a wheelchair would be well below the bar and unable to reach the top. Someone walking has the benefit of sitting on high stools. But there is not enough space between the wall and the stools when people are sitting on them for a wheelchair user to move around.

There also is a tapas bar, which is an outside area, which doubles as a smoking area for patrons who are so inclined. The door to the tapas outdoor bar area is too narrow to let a wheelchair through. It looked like it might be a double paned door and if both panes were opened, then a wheelchair could go through, but it was unclear if this is indeed the case. There is a sharp change in level of approximately 10cm between the internal floor level and the level of the tapas bar area, which is not ramped. The entrance is right beside the bar itself with little room for manoeuvering. In any case, there are so many tables in that area that it would be very difficult for anyone in a wheelchair to navigate that space.

Finally, the toilets… I asked where the toilets were. The staff pointed me down the ramp and to the left. So I went down the ramp and looked to the left. The only door was the women’s toilets. I went back up the ramp and asked for confirmation that the only accessible toilet is in the women’s toilets. This was confirmed. I went back down the ramp again, and went in the women’s loo as a woman was coming out, telling me “wrong one matey”. I quickly explained I had no choice as this is the only accessible toilet. She did not appear best pleased. I was not impressed. The doors make it very hard to get in by yourself. The main door to the toilet area opens inside, and the door to the accessible stall opens outside. Both doors are so close to one another that it is not possible to get in and hold both doors open by yourself, and there is not enough space between the doors for a wheelchair to be located in that space when trying to open one door after another. However, once inside the accessible stall, things are much better.

Plenty of floor space to turn around. Handrails that are the right shape, height and location. Proper hand basin. Of course, there is the ubiquituous and expected toilet paper dispenser nested in the inside of the handrails… When I pointed out to our waiter after my “adventure” that it wasn’t really appropriate to have the only accessible toilet in the women’s toilet, he asked “why, did you get scared?”, in a tone that felt somewhat patronising. No, I was not scared, but it was embarassing, and I suspect that women wishing to use the toilet at the same time I was in there would have thought it embarassing as well. At the very least, they should put the ISA on the door to indicate this is where the accessible toilet is.

In conclusion
Despite all the hiccups, we had quite an enjoyable evening. The food was good, the presentation excellent. We would probably go back to the Matterhorn, but certainly not on a Saturday evening.

The Lowdown

• Good to very good food. Some dishes overly complex in their flavour and texture mix.
• Extensive wine lists with selections from all over the world, both by the glass or the bottle.
• Not particularly accessible, although usable.
• Some staff gave us “attitude”, we suspect because of the wheelchair, but nothing specific nor tangible led to that belief.
• Crowded, dark and noisy.
• Bit on the pricey side.
• Overall Accessibility Rating: 2/5

The Matterhorn Food & Wines
The menu is quite interesting and offers a wide selection of trendy dishes. Our waiter told us about the freshness of all ingredients, which is reassuring, but should go without saying in a restaurant of that caliber!
Just after we received the menus, we were given one slice of sourdough bread each, with a small container of butter. The bread was very good – I could have eaten more than one slice though!

My partner selected a half dozen oysters on the half shell to start. I picked a terrine of wild rabbit to accompany her. We both selected the same main dish: Venison. Neither of us ordered desert, opting instead for a glass of Porto.

The wine list is long and impressive. It offers variety with wines from most major wine producing areas of the world. Many choices offered by the glass. This great selection is both an advantage and a disadvantage – it is excellent to have such choice, yet unless you are an expert on all the world’s wine, selecting the right wine to go with your meal could prove to be quite a challenge!

Freshly shucked oysters served natural with a white wine & shallot dressing ($20)
The oysters were from Coromandel, and served on the half-shell which was then arranged on a bed of coarse salt. Unfortunately, the oysters had not been detached from the shell and my partner had to work quite hard at separating the molluscs from their shell. At that price, I would have expected the kitchen to do that for the client, so we wouldn’t have to fight with our starters. At $3.33 per oyster my partner found it quite distressing to lose oysters to the salt bed!
The oysters themselves were quite tender. Coromandel oysters, unlike those from Bluff, tend to have a rather delicate flavour. The white wine & shallot dressing somewhat overwhelmed the flavour of the oysters.

Terrine of braised wild rabbit with a light carrot & cardamon custard & spanish sherry soused mushrooms ($17.50)
This dish was very nicely presented. The terrine was made of rabbit meat in a jelly. The jelly was of perfect consistency, which was a pleasant surprise as most jellies used in terrines are either too soft, or so hard that one might as well chew on rubber. This was just right, and the meat in the terrine was very tender. The terrine was excellent, with a subtle taste that I wasn’t able to identify, but which was quite pleasant. The carrot & cardamom custard was also quite good, and very light. I did not taste much cardamon in it, which is just as well, as I think the flavours would have competed too strongly with the terrine. The mushrooms were also quite nice, and offered a third texture. Unlike the terrine and the custard, the mushroom had a strong and bold flavour.

These three different flavours on the plate were not necessarily complementary. The mushrooms would have gone quite well with the terrine, but they overpowered it a little. Each element on the plate was quite good and despite the competition between each group of flavours, it was a dish I would gladly eat again.

Denver leg of South Island venison with red cabbage & juniper confit, parsnip purée & fondant potato ($32)
This dish was also very appealing to the eye. The portions were generous, yet there was not so much food on the plate that it turned your appetite off! The venison was cooked properly, just a tad on the rare side of medium-rare. The cabbage and juniper confit was tender, and supported the venison well, it was not overpowering. The parsnip was subtle, yet held the other flavours on its own. It was quite soft, however, almost the texture of soft baby food. I might have kept the purée a bit more rustic to go with the venison. The potato was small, although more wasn’t required. My potato was a bit on the dry side, but not enough to make a big difference. My venison was extremely tender, almost melting in my mouth. For some reason, my partner’s turned out to be a bit tough and very stringy.

Domaine Denis Bachelet Bourgogne 2005 (Gevrey & Brochon, Côte de Nuits) ($16.50/glass)
This French Burgundy was very nice. Woody, with complex tastes of spices and sweetness. It went with the venison very well.
It had been several years since I had enjoyed a French wine, having embraced Kiwi wines since my arrival here. Having this Bourgogne (Burgundy) brought the point home that New Zealand red wines have a character all of their own. Kiwi wines are very good, and very different from French wines. Perhaps I will return to French wines more often now, thanks to this Bourgogne.

Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port (Douro, Portugal) ($20/glass)
Graham is a Port that can be counted on to deliver an enjoyable finish to any dinner. This 20 Year Old Tawny delivered, with hints of almonds, licorice, orange, and brown sugar. It was smooth on the tongue, with a long after taste. Definitely not something to gulp down! Ok, so $20/glass is a bit extravagant, but it was most definitely worth it.

Nic Steenhout is a qualified French chef who worked for nearly 15 years in Michelin starred restaurants, private clubs and 5 star resorts. After needing a wheelchair to get around, he focused his energies on accessibility issues and disability rights.

We walked in and thought… no problem! I think there was a slight incline but nothing your average wheelchair can’t handle. Impressed by the roominess, too, for what seems to be a rather small establishment.

We ordered… Pikelets with raspberry jam and mascarpone, which is supposed to be pronounced fancily, I think, and my partner in crime ordered “Good stuff in a bun”, which was a dazzling array of pesto, mushrooms, and other vegetarian delights. Both were a roaring success, and the coffee was great too. See the picture on the right.

The ‘accessible’ bathroom… Got a solid ‘functional’ tick in my book, nothing too fancy, but easily manageable. The door was one of those pull-toward-you-on-a-hinge ones, which I find particularly difficult, and would take a sliding door any day. But other than that, because it’s a relatively new place it was in great condition and built to proper specification.

THE LOWDOWN:

• Easily accessible entrance, the place is small but not cramped
• Outdoor seating if you want
• Really friendly staff, I immediately felt like I was a ‘regular’
• Accessible counter – at a nice height for my wheelchair
• Good accessible bathroom, although the door’s a bit tricky and the hand-dryer is quite high on the wall
• Overall accessibility rating: 4 / 5

Website: shakyisles.co.nz
Phone: (09) 815 – 3591

• They have a toll-free number – 0800 025 999
• I especially liked the service as it was appreciating and was naturally friendly.
• ARTA’s Total Mobility swipe card is accepted.
• Easy to get in and out of vehicle.
• Saw that there was a first aid pack and a fire-fighting apparatus so that was reassuring!
• The best service that we have used yet but we used as a group (8 of us) but the cost was only okay as we had to pay an extra $100.

I checked upon their website www.relionus.co.nz so that I could find out more to boast about other than the service, and saw that that apart from their trained drivers and wheelchair lifts they had WAY more to offer. Take a look.

They also have a GPS system so that when we book a cab the nearest vehicle is booked for a faster and more convenient service – but I would recommend to book prior to save any hassle.

It can also be arranged for an air-conditioned vehicle, female driver, bilingual driver, and animal transport.

So for us, the only downside was the cost!