Info-Mac 3/Info_Mac_1994-01.iso/Periodical/General/RSI Network Newsletters/RSI.Network2.etx

Text File | 1993-01-02 | 6KB | 133 lines

RSInetwork#2/August 91
======================

  For People Concerned About Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and
  Other Repetitive Strain Injuries

  Produced by:
  Caroline Rose, 970 Paradise Way, Palo Alto CA 94306
  ([e-mail])
  Apple Computer is in no way affiliated with this newsletter.

  This document is in setext (structure-enhanced text) format.
  To index, browse, and copy from collected setext documents,
  use Easy View, written by M. Akif Eyler, Bilkent University,
  06533 Ankara, Turkey
  ([e-mail]).

  Setext formatting by:
  Craig O'Donnell, Assistant Sysop, MacWEEK Forum on ZiffNet
  ([e-mail]).

  Other issues of RSInetwork are available through ZiffNet/Mac
  and Compuserve, in the "Reference" file library at location
  ZMC:DOWNTECH. Easy View is in the "Applications" library at
  the same location under filename EASYVW.SEA.


Contributions Needed
--------------------
  Now the pitch for contributions to the material: How much can I
  come up with on my own?! Eventually I'll run out. So please call,
  write, or e-mail me whatever you want to know or think might be
  useful to others. My phone number is [phone] and my Internet
  address is [e-mail]. By the way, specify if you
  don't want something published in here, or I'll assume it's OK.


Questions From Readers
----------------------
Disability Insurance
  Marty Orgel asks whether anyone has any experience with anyone
  getting disability insurance in spite of having RSI. He works at a
  company that doesn't offer disability insurance, so he's looking
  to get it on his own, with some sort of exemption for his current
  condition. He is finding this very difficult to do. Can any of you
  give him a lead?

The TONY! Keyboard
  One support group member wrote to me expressing extreme frustration
  over Tony Hodges' "split" keyboard not being a product yet.
  He blames Tony's "tough stand on manufacturing" (his insistence it
  be manufactured entirely in the US), and expresses his temptation
  to build his own prototype of the keyboard, thus violating Tony's
  patent. Several other people have been asking me, when will the TONY!
  keyboard be a product?

  I can't say when it will be a product, but I did speak to Tony
  recently and this is what he says you can do to help: Call him at
  (415)969-TONY; he will probably recommend that you write him a
  letter expressing your desire to buy the keyboard. Apparently
  having a lot of these letters will help his case; you'll have to
  ask him for the details. I may not agree with Tony's position on
  manufacturing, but I have great respect for what he's trying to do
  in general, and I think we should support him as best we can. I
  personally don't think relief of your pain is a good reason to
  violate someone's patent. Perhaps there is another solution.
  Tony's an approachable person; talk to him about it in a
  nonconfrontational way, and you may be able to get what you want
  without breaking the law.

How Am I?
  Rich Huggins asks me how my RSI is. I'll answer this with an
  excerpt from a recent testimonial I wrote for Visionary Software,
  makers of the LifeGuard program I mentioned last time:

  I was referred to the Stanford Pain Clinic, where I learned a
  completely different way of looking at my problem, from a
  psychologist who specializes in treating people with chronic pain.
  I learned that this problem is not one that has a "cure" that will
  make it go away, but one that can be increasingly tolerated
  through a careful maintenance program. The psychologist stressed
  the importance of pacing myself - closely timing my repetitive
  motions so that I stop not at the point of pain, but before  it.
  He assured me that in this way, the amount of time I could do
  these motions would increase very gradually. The best tool for me
  to pace myself in the recommended way was LifeGuard. It has indeed
  helped me to be more productive, at the same time that it has
  slowed down my sometimes frenetic pace. By taking more breaks I
  can get much more typing done in a day.... I've also found that
  using a trackball with a foot pedal relieves a lot of strain for
  me.

  The above, combined with the fact that my current job (as Editor
  in Chief of Apple's technical journal) doesn't require a whole lot
  of typing, means I'm doing fine, thanks. But I have to constantly
  be cautious and observant about my behavior. By the way, the
  psychologist is Dr. Andrew Gottlieb in Palo Alto, and I recommend
  him highly.


Long-term Disability
--------------------
  On the subject of disability insurance, you might be interested in
  knowing my own story regarding that. I'm collecting small long-
  term disability payments from CIGNA, the company insuring NeXT
  employees for this. I developed the problem at NeXT but am now at
  Apple. Even though I never lost a day of work, I'm receiving these
  payments. It took a lot of paperwork and patience, but it finally
  was approved. You need to make abundantly clear that your
  disability prevented you from doing the job you were doing at the
  time you got that disability. So if you're doing a different job
  at with the same company or another company, or are unemployed,
  you can qualify. Just remember to file before you leave the
  original company where you developed the problem, or it will be
  too late. I'll receive payments for two years. I'd receive them
  past that point only if my disability prevented me from doing any
  job at all; I'd venture to guess that very few people qualify for
  that. If you have further questions, write and ask!


How To Earn A Living
--------------------
  I'd like to hear from you on what you've figured out regarding
  what else you can do besides whatever caused your RSI problem. A
  lot of people ask me about resources to help them with this. Most
  of us know about the book, What Color Is Your Parachute?, but what
  else is there? What have you found in the way of other resources
  or alternate employment?



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