We’re all just temporarily abled • Hacker News Board

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#341

Post by boppo1 » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 2:58 PM UTC

ekidd wrote: post #186

oarfish wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your experience is surely valid, but I wouldn't just generalize this to the population at large. When you say "powerlifters", are those people who compete or just people who train? I can imagine this to make a difference. And in any case, I wouldn't take Rippetoe as an example of good scientific programming these days. It's good for getting people into lifting, but Starting Strength has a powerlifting fetish for no g…

> and the advice to aggressively gain weight is also not appropriate for everyone (GOMAD etc.). Yeah, don't do GOMAD unless you're a 17-year-old teenage boy with a BMI of 18.5 who wants to be a linebacker or something. Some of the Starting Strength advice is... very situational, to put it politely as possible. Their coaching certification, however, means more than 95% of the "personal trainer" certifications you'll s…

How does one know when newbie gains are maxed out? I mostly do calisthenics because I actually got into working out because it was part of injury-recovery. I'm enjoying my gains and would like to push myself to get bigger gains, but lifelong fitness maintenance has always been #1 in my mind. I'd like to figure out how to identify what the "maximum maintenance point" is.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#342

Post by f0x3 » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 2:59 PM UTC

Story time?

I worked very hard to get into a very physical job and I made it. It was the beginning of my professional career, I wanted to do this since I was a kid. I was 22.

A few weeks went by, still couldn't believe they were paying me to do something I loved so much :) Of course, one regular day going to work on my motorcycle a distracted pedestrian crossed illegally and without looking. It jumped from behind a big truck, impossible to avoid.

Due to the collision I fell right on the corner of the curb. I was driving slowly, the height of the seat to the curb was high enough to break a vertebra and bruise my spinal cord. I became a paraplegic at that instant, for life. He got a small crack in his arm.

My professional career and all my dreams vanished. I watched my colleagues and friends move on enjoying life and the fruits of that effort. I was very envious, but nobody could do anything about it. I felt robbed.

Obviously I can't walk but it's so much more than that. Surveys among fellow paralyzed tend to show "walking" as the last "feature" we'd all like to have back. I can't feel anything from the belly button down either. Simple things like going to the bathroom are no longer simple. I enjoyed sex a lot, goodbye to any of that. I get regular annoying spasms. I hava to take a bunch of pills every 8h

I have severe chronic pain for which I have to take morphine regularly, which does not come without major side effects. I have to have surgery from time to time for adjustments and other stuff secondary to the injury.

Fortunately, I am happy. I was already a person who didn't grate at things out of my control, but learning stoicism cemented it. Just for the fact that I was born and have been able to look at the stars in our galaxy and others, I feel it has been worth it. I feel privileged.

I live with my amazing girldfriend, I enjoy stimulating hobbies and a day-to-day life that I don't take for granted.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#343

Post by kerkeslager » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 3:00 PM UTC

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #94

In terms of web UX, one disability that hardly anyone considers is intellectual disability - but really many people who work in development (design, project management, programming) are outliers in terms of intellectual ability (albeit probably not as much as they think they are) But we're all just temporarily smart as well, many people are not that bright before that first cup of coffee or if they are going through…

I friend of mine a few years back once said to me, "Some days ADHD is my most disabling condition." This is a person who often can't walk.

I was properly medicated (with non-stimulant medication) for ADHD a few years ago and looking back to my life before that, I realize how much ADHD has negatively effected my life. And yet never along the way did anyone look at me with any sort of compassion. It was always seen as a moral failing on my part, a "Why can't you do this? Everyone else can." And I had been given those messages so consistently that I came to believe them about myself.

It was really eye-opening to have someone with a visibility tell me that sometimes their intellectual disability hampered their life more than their physical disability.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#344

Post by ekidd » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 3:00 PM UTC

rip_netrunner wrote: post #311

ekidd wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I powerlifed for years, with a truly excellent coach for much of that time. For what it was worth, she was Starting Strength certified and a successful international masters competitor. She fixed a subtle problem with my deadlift using nothing but the wrinkles on my T-shirt; my recovery improved dramatically. At 40, I was stronger than I was as a high school wrestler. I loved lifting. I remember casually picking up a…

I think it's important to point out to people that are hesitant to lift due to the perceived risk of injuring themselves is that lifting has a much lower injury rate than most other activities (with proper coaching and programming). Citing from Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews, he points to a review of 20 studies performed by Bond University that found the average injury rates for the following activities…

> 2. Crossfit, Olympic Weightlifting, Powerlifting - 2-6 / 1000 hours

This seems about right? Let's say you powerlift 6 hours a week, 50 weeks a year. (This is believable after a year or so.) That's 300 hours. And you're picking up an injury every 170-500 hours. That seems... plausible?

What matters is how quickly and completely those injuries heal. If you tweak something, maybe you can just ice it, and maybe you're all healed up in two weeks, no problem.

But once you've been powerlifting seriously for a year, you're moving around real weight. Granted, you know you can handle the weight, you're moving it carefully, and you've got safety bars to catch anything you drop.

But some of the injuries you might pick up don't go away so easily. And over 40 years of heavy lifting, those numbers can add up.

> 1. Bodybuilding - 1 / 1000 hours

This represents a 2-6 fold reduction in injury. And you'll be working slowly with lighter weight, so physics probably offers fewer chances for disaster.

So I'd guess that bodybuilding has a lower baseline injury rate, and possibly less severe injuries on average?

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#345

Post by zer8k » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 3:01 PM UTC

mjmahone17 wrote: post #330

cogman10 wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. I have a child with autism. The American system is cruel beyond imagination. To qualify them for social security and Medicaid I have to leave them impoverished. They can't have more than $2k worth of assets in their name. Instead it's a complex lawyer game of trusts to give my child any sort of inheritance. Yet they are basically guaranteed to end up in a group home (Even though I own my own home) because a care…

I feel like the biggest thing the US could do is remove means-testing from our disability aid programs. Means testing usually does not feel like an effective way to distribute services. I want millionaires to be using government aid to help their children: just like with free education, when everyone who needs help uses it, the richer parents will demand, and ensure we pay for, higher quality for all. Everyone who is…

> I feel like the biggest thing the US could do is remove means-testing from our disability aid programs.

The problem isn't the means testing the problem is it's applied with broad strokes like all well meaning but inevitably awful government work. First, everyone pays into disability. So everyone should be able to get their share when necessary. Second, means testing includes things like housing, retirement accounts (which will be penalized severely if accessed), assets, and other things than just raw cash available. Just having a half decent computer is enough to make you fail means testing. So people who are on disability are almost universally forced to be poor. Don't try to hide your assets either. Shifting money/assets/etc to a family memory will still disqualify you.

In a practical sense we also need to prevent the exploitation of disability programs. For example, self-inflicted disability (morbid obesity for example) should be subject to a different test of means than birth defects. If you're only disabled because you eat too much and can't be bothered to exercise I question whether you're actually disabled. Every "class" of disability is not equal and so we shouldn't treat them exactly the same. But, like all things, because the government runs it disabilities must be treated this way and as a result everyone suffers.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#346

Post by RankingMember » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 3:01 PM UTC

ekidd wrote: post #316

RankingMember wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are always negatives to PEDs- some of the impact can be mitigated, but you're taking a long-term risk for a short-term result. If your goal is healthy longevity, I would steer clear. That said, one supplement (not a PED) that is widely used and well-studied in the body-building world is creatine. Just make sure you drink enough water, as it causes you to retain a bit of water (I learned this the hard way, wakin…

Creatine has the advantage of being well supported by science, and safe for most people. But for a beginning lifter, I wouldn't bother. Early on, literally every single workout will bring you bigger gains than creatine will. Do your 3x5 or 5x5 sets, go back a few days later, add 5 pounds. Easy. Creatine makes the most sense once you've been lifting for a few months, and once you've figured out your diet, and your pro…

Agreed on all counts- those gains when you first start on a 3x5 or 5x5 are exhilarating and, short of making sure to eat enough, I wouldn't recommend anyone waste effort complicating that magical phase.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#347

Post by mgkimsal » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 3:01 PM UTC

mjmahone17 wrote: post #330

cogman10 wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. I have a child with autism. The American system is cruel beyond imagination. To qualify them for social security and Medicaid I have to leave them impoverished. They can't have more than $2k worth of assets in their name. Instead it's a complex lawyer game of trusts to give my child any sort of inheritance. Yet they are basically guaranteed to end up in a group home (Even though I own my own home) because a care…

I feel like the biggest thing the US could do is remove means-testing from our disability aid programs. Means testing usually does not feel like an effective way to distribute services. I want millionaires to be using government aid to help their children: just like with free education, when everyone who needs help uses it, the richer parents will demand, and ensure we pay for, higher quality for all. Everyone who is…

> I want millionaires to be using government aid to help their children: just like with free education, when everyone who needs help uses it, the richer parents will demand, and ensure we pay for, higher quality for all.

Beautifully summed up.

I don't want people to have to impoverish themselves, burning through entire life savings, to 'qualify' for small assistance. IME, it reinforces a 'why bother trying' attitude amongst people struggling on the lower end, and reinforces an 'I got mine, I'll protect it at all costs' attitude from people who've managed to save more.

Money saved from reducing means-testing from the administration of benefits/services might not be massive, but it would be a move towards "more efficiency", something many folks claim to value/support.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#348

Post by Tade0 » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 3:02 PM UTC

tempaway41114 wrote: post #257

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #94

In terms of web UX, one disability that hardly anyone considers is intellectual disability - but really many people who work in development (design, project management, programming) are outliers in terms of intellectual ability (albeit probably not as much as they think they are) But we're all just temporarily smart as well, many people are not that bright before that first cup of coffee or if they are going through…

My daughter has a very serious learning disability and she loves to swipe through home photos or videos on an android phone or on an ipad. She can mostly get on OK but when you look at it from her point of view, its _amazing_ how complicated 'swiping through pics' has become. Swipe from the top? that brings the notifications Swipe from the bottom? Brings up photo options. Press on one of those by accident and you end…

Insisting on just one button for basic interactions and swipes for the rest was a mistake.

On top of that apps (looking at you, Instagram) are often simply buggy. You can have the same video play or not play depending on how the winds of load balancing blow. No graceful degradation or anything.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#349

Post by JeremyNT » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 3:03 PM UTC

tastysandwich wrote: post #6

One of the best things I ever did was get strong through a basic barbell training program called Starting Strength. Squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, chinups, eat, sleep. It really is that easy. Highly recommend it for anyone interested. 1. Any back pain I had disappeared completely. 2. When I have to lift something awkward (eg, furniture), I don't injure myself. If you can deadlift 200KG, awkwardly leani…

This is advice HN tends to trot out periodically, but I find it off-topic at best here.

The point of this blog post is to elicit empathy, something often lacking in healthy people who cannot envision themselves suffering from some ailment. Eventually everybody's bodies and minds will fail. Whatever specific mitigation strategies you deploy will eventually become ineffectual and your capabilities will degrade, either by means of age or disease or accident or all three.

We can and should do more to make things better for people who have differing levels of physical and mental capabilities because it is the right thing to do, but if that isn't enough, we should also do it out of our own self interest.

I'd suggest that bringing out "just get strong with these easy steps" as a response to a person who suffered an injury is particularly missing the point.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#350

Post by cogman10 » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 3:03 PM UTC

mjmahone17 wrote: post #330

cogman10 wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. I have a child with autism. The American system is cruel beyond imagination. To qualify them for social security and Medicaid I have to leave them impoverished. They can't have more than $2k worth of assets in their name. Instead it's a complex lawyer game of trusts to give my child any sort of inheritance. Yet they are basically guaranteed to end up in a group home (Even though I own my own home) because a care…

I feel like the biggest thing the US could do is remove means-testing from our disability aid programs. Means testing usually does not feel like an effective way to distribute services. I want millionaires to be using government aid to help their children: just like with free education, when everyone who needs help uses it, the richer parents will demand, and ensure we pay for, higher quality for all. Everyone who is…

At very least, it'd be nice if the means tests were tied to inflation rather than being increased based on congressional whims.

I'm certainly pro universal health care, it would GREATLY simplify mine and my son's life. Private insurance is simply garbage when it comes to services for people with disabilities. With that in place, a much simpler trust system would work for my kid. It wouldn't be this complex system of checks to make sure they stick in line with current legislation standards. I wouldn't have to spend a large chunk of my child's funds on lawyers and trust administrators just to ensure legal compliance. I could cover basically all my kids needs other than medical, that stuff is just too expensive for anyone to afford.