I just recently got a Kindle. For those of you who aren’t sure what that is, it’s a small, thin, electronic device sold by Amazon to which you can download thousands of books as well as subscribe to various periodicals. I like to read when I travel or am sitting in a doctor’s office (the only two times I get to read for pleasure), but I hate carting a book around. Worse yet, I hate to leave on a trip when I’m at the end of a book, because then I have to carry both the old one and the new one. My Kindle, even with its new black leather cover, is smaller than any hardback and lighter than most paperbacks. And the good thing is, if I finish a book, within a minute I’ve got a new one downloaded from Amazon. Cost of the books range from free to about $10 for NY Times best sellers.
You know what I like best?
It has a little button on the bottom that lets you change the font size. That means I enlarge the type and I don’t have to wear my reading glasses. (smile)
I absolutely hate glasses, but I’m finally of an age where reading glasses are no longer an option. I’ve taken to wearing progressive contacts during the week at the office, but on the weekends, or when I’m otherwise not working, I like to give my eyes a rest from the contacts, so that means reading glasses.
So I guess you could say that my Kindle, like my glasses, is an assistive device. It helps me keep up with current fiction in spite of my failing eyesight. And it’s a really cool assistive device.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy (www.rheumatoidarthritisguy.com) talks about thinking of his sleek new crutches more as a fashion element than an assistive device. Although like my Kindle they certainly are both. The difference is, my Kindle isn’t viewed as an assistive device. With my Kindle, I’m not an over-the-hill woman who needs her granny glasses to read. Instead, I’m an in-the-know techno geek with the latest gadget.
Now if they could just do something with the rest of the assistive devices in my future. Instead of canes and orthotics, perhaps they could invent some really neat jet-propelled or hover-craft shoes that would just let me zoom effortlessly wherever I wished. (Yeah, I know, still hung up on the shoes.)
Or maybe we just all need to work a little harder at perceiving those assistive devices as the super cool inventions they really are. I work in communications where perception is reality. And like RA Guy, we (and others) need to see our assistive devices as marvelous inventions that open the door to freedom and self-reliance. They liberate us and save us from being condemned to a life of isolation and dependence.
So twirl that cane, scoot that scooter, and smile with the knowledge that you’re members of a secret club of true super heroes with more gadgets and gizmos than Batman.
Have a good weekend. Thanks for checking in.
You know, I’ve gone from being totally repulsed by the idea of a Kindle (reading books on a screen rather than holding a real, old-fashioned book) to, after a year or so, not only warming to the idea but actually wanting to get one.
The reason? Since RA has chosen to attack my hands more than the other joints in my body for the time being, holding a book to read has become a painful endeavor and one that I avoid now. And I’ve always been a voracious reader. I love reading. I love disappearing into that other world in the pages of a book. So not being able to do this has been a mournful thing for me.
The Kindle could change that for me. And like you, I sorta like the idea that people would see me reading it and think I’m a TechnoDiva rather than the true small-t techo-novice that I am.
Great post, Carla. You have a wonderful weekend, too!
Good point, I would have never considered the Kindle or other ebook reader as an assistive device (even though my own experience has shown me otherwise) before you pointed it out.
A few years ago I purchased a Sony eReader (which I have absolutely love). Living outside of the U.S., this device allows me to quickly download and read new releases without having to wait weeks for it to arrive in the mail. Also, my home office is so full of books that I have to take the size of the book into consideration, as I no longer have any shelf space.
But I digress…when I am in a flare, and my hands and wrists are at their worst, I often find myself using my ebook reader instead of a physical book, for the same reason which Wren states – which is that the lighter weight is easier on the hands.
This past January I purchased a MacBook Air…once again, during my flares it’s the only computer that I can carry around with ease.
Lightweight continues to cost a “premium” in the technology world, but hopefully that will soon change (as everything continues to get smaller and more lightweight).
I adore my Kindle! I think it’s the best way to carry around 50+ books all at once. Because even one copy of Gone with the Wind … or something a whole lot smaller … can wreck havoc on my hands and wrists. And I agree about font size. By the later part of the day, I don’t want glasses on if they aren’t necessary!
All the best,
RAinPA
Definately happy about my Kindle! I have a thing about accumulating papers, cds, books in shelves, on desks and in drawers. I am not a minimalist by any stretch – but piles of stuff make me feel like I gotta do some cleaning. I like having a collection of books again! I am new member to the RA Club and was happy to find a book on the subject from the Hospital for Special Surgery – it’s not that recent, but for only $1.25 I have found it to be a great introduction to what’s happening to me. Best of luck on the post op recuperation!
oh goodness I wrote a whole hyper post about the top 7 reasons I love my Kindle on my blog too. It’s hard to go back to paper book reading. Although I’ve got to add another reason to my list, I was reading a paper book for my book club and always read in bed with lights off. Hubby suggested to turn Kindle light all the way up and leave it open so I can read my paper book. Worked like a charm, smart man I married! :)