8BitDo Lite SE: Accessible Controller Review
The 8BitDo Lite SE is billed as a controller for gamers with mobility impairments. It lives up to that pretty well! As with any accessibility solution, it won’t work for everybody, but I’m always excited for there to be another controller option. And for only $35, you can’t beat the price! I’m reviewing this as someone with arthritis in my hands, and I often have a hard time gripping standard controllers, reaching the shoulder buttons, and generating enough force for buttons. I’ve had the Lite SE since it released last July, so this is a review built on hundreds of hours of use. What is the Lite SE? The Lite…
The Xbox Adaptive Controller Isn’t Accessible While It Costs Hundreds
The Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC) is revolutionary for disabled gamers. When it came out in 2018, it seemed to signal the end of expensive, cobbled-together, DIY solutions for adaptive gaming. But even 4 years after the release, Microsoft’s biggest gaming accessibility tool has two huge issues that make it extremely inaccessible: cost and availability. To start with, I love my XAC. I use it because I’ve had arthritis since I was a kid, and it makes my hands stiff, uncoordinated, and painful. I’ve also spent almost $500 to build my XAC to the specifications that my disability needs. Despite the hefty price tag, it still includes cobbled-together, DIY parts! Here,…
Hello again
Hi! It’s been awhile. I started grad school in 2020, and it’s been challenging. Not that grad school is ever easy, but then there was the pandemic on top of it. And the fact that I’m disabled and keep adding more health problems. As I’m wrapping up the master’s part of my PhD program, I’ve realized I miss having this place to write about things. Grad school is isolating. The pandemic is isolating. Having a disability is isolating. But writing helps make connections. I’ve been so busy with grad school, I forgot about that. So, what have I been up to for the past two years? Grad school, autoimmunity, speedrunning,…
Review: (In)Accessibility in Ring Fit Adventure
I started Ring Fit Adventure with high hopes. COVID had halted most of my go-to fitness activities, and I was optimistic that Ring Fit would provide an in-home alternative. I’d been taking fitness classes through my school to keep moving, but this would give me some motivation to exercise on my own time! When I found the accessibility settings, I was excited that they’d considered it at all. My shoulder makes everything that’s overhead difficult or impossible, but there’s a “shoulder assist” option! Unfortunately, I was disappointed by how limited the “assist” was. In the end, Ring Fit’s attempt at accessibility features left me frustrated and demoralized, but they may…
The COVID Vaccines and Autoimmune Disease
As the COVID vaccine rolls out, people with arthritis and other autoimmune diseases are wondering what this means for them. Is the COVID vaccine safe if you’re taking immunosuppressants, like methotrexate, Humira, Enbrel, and other biologics? Does it work? We don’t have all the answers to these questions, unfortunately. The vaccines are too new, and they haven’t been fully tested on immunocompromised people. That doesn’t mean we can’t find some guidance, though. So, what do we know so far about the COVID vaccine for people with autoimmune diseases? (I am not a doctor, and more importantly, I and others on the internet are not your doctor. Each person is unique,…
Review: Using a Vertical Mouse for Arthritis
Over the summer, I worked as a camp counselor in Minecraft. Probably more arthritis-friendly than an in-person camp, right? Still, I started getting horrible flares of hand pain and stiffness from keeping my hands in unnatural positions for so long. Eventually, I knew something needed to change, and I tried out the Logitech MX Vertical Mouse. Now that we’re all using our home computers more than ever, the equipment we use is critical for our physical health. I never paid much attention to my work and gaming station before it became my primary location throughout the day. Really, I should have paid attention to it much sooner. You’ll probably be…
First Biologic Medications Approved for nr-ax Spondyloarthritis
After years of waiting, patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) can officially be prescribed biologic medications in the US. Since the beginning of the year, three biologic medications have been approved by the FDA for people with nr-axSpA: Cimzia, Taltz, and Cosentyx. As someone who spent years waiting for diagnosis and treatment, I’m excited by the game-changing potential of nr-axSpA treatments being officially recognized. nr-axSpA? Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of autoimmune arthritis conditions that affect the spine, other joints, and entheses. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is the most well-known (and easily diagnosed) type, but it requires joint damage to be visible on imaging. This leaves doctors with a conundrum: how…
Acronyms of Arthritis 2: Types
Being diagnosed with arthritis can change a lot of things, but you’re not alone! Whether through organizations like the Arthritis Foundation, online forums like Reddit, or friends and family, there are so many options for finding support from others who understand what it’s like to live with arthritis. We deal with a lot of complicated medical terms, so we often shorten them to abbreviations and acronyms. In my last Acronyms of Arthritis article, I covered treatments (MTX, SSZ, DMARDs, NSAIDs). Here, I’ll be covering all the different letters you might hear people use when talking about their type of arthritis. Common arthritic conditions (alphabetical) AS Ankylosing spondylitis is the most…
We don’t know if hydroxychloroquine is safe for COVID
Hydroxychloroquine (and related drug chloroquine) has been in the news a lot lately for its supposed ability to cure or prevent COVID-19. These drugs are commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, especially under the brand name Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine). This leaves those of us with autoimmune conditions wondering: could I be taking hydroxychloroquine to both treat my autoimmune disease and prevent coronavirus? In a time when taking immunosuppressants is unnerving, is hydroxychloroquine a safe treatment? If I’m not on hydroxychloroquine, should I start taking it? The short answer is no. The long answer is that a lot of studies are showing contradictory results, and the small study…
Gaming gloves for arthritis: reviews
Hand arthritis can turn gaming from an enjoyable hobby into a painful chore. The pain and stiffness can also take a toll on performance in competitive games. I don’t want my arthritis to keep me from moving up the leaderboards! I’ve tried a lot of different controllers and gloves to try to make speedrunning more possible and enjoyable for me with my juvenile arthritis. I previously covered some tips and strategies for arthritic gaming, back when I was still figuring out how to competitively game with arthritis. Since graduating from undergrad, I’ve been lucky to finally have the money to try different compression glove options, so I’ll share what I’ve…
