What Reviewers say about One-Handed in a Two-Handed World
ISBN 09652 80500 by Tommye-K. Mayer:

Index

Abilities, Canada's Lifestyle Magazine for People with Disabilities
ABLED
Accent on Living
Advance for Occupational Therapists June 8, 1998
Advance for Occupational Therapists August 11, 1997
Be Stroke Smart
Boston Globe Magazine
Connections
Different Strokes-Brighton & Sussex, England Stroke Support Group Newsletter
Disability Resources Monthly
Enable Magazine
GeriSource, the multidisciplinary clinical bulletin for long term care

Morning Edition with Bob Edwards on NPR, National Public Radio . Need RealAudio Player? Download it free.

NCRTM News (newsletter of the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials)
National Lymphedema Newsletter (NLN)
OneStepAhead
OT Practice, April 1998
OT Practice, May 1998
OT Week
Physical Therapy, Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association
Stroke Connection
TBI Challenge
Update (Family Caregiver Alliance)

National Lymphedema Newsletter, October-December 1998

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World

by Tommye-K. Mayer

People who are suddenly unable to use an arm or hand for any reason can experience frustration when trying to perform what used to be simple daily activities. Such was the case for Tommye-k. Mayer, author of "One-Handed in a Two-Handed World." After losing the use of her arm following a stroke when she was twenty-three years old, Mayer wrote the book for people who are experiencing difficulties with adapting to one-handed activities.

The book is easy to read, with the author providing anecdotes from her own personal experience and that of her one-handed grandfather. Ms. Mayer's strategy is to be able to perform tasks by utilizing what she calls the three secrets: body positioning, four fingers and a thumb, and gadgets. Many tasks can be performed by positioning the body in such a way that other parts o the body can assist in the task. Utilizing four fingers and a thumb as separate units rather than one hand, also can help accomplish more tasks effectively and independently. Many gadgets (what we in the rehabilitation field call assistive devices) are available to perform tasks. Some gadgets are complex; others described are household items used in a different way. For example, a rubber spatula can be used to spread suntan lotion on your back.

Ms. Mayer provides ideas, strategies, and inspiration for maximizing independence with one hand as she covers such subjects as personal care, dressing, eating, dining out, cooking, cleaning up, household chores, office work, traveling, household repairs, activities outside the home, leisure activities, sports, and sexuality.

Although lymphedema is not specifically mentioned, some people with lymphedema, especially with severe cases, may find the book helpful. For most people living with lymphedema, unless it is a severe case, function may not be impaired to the extreme described in the book, although these individuals may experience temporary limitation while performing some tasks when bandaged during treatment. For those with functional limitations or limited use of an arm or hand due to lymphedema or other causes, this book is a great resource for ideas on managing various activities.

The author describes strategies for performing tasks without gadgets or assistance so you can choose to ask for help, knowing you can manage on your own, if necessary. Some of Mayer's step-by-step directions on how to manage a number of difficult one-handed tasks appear to be confusing while reading, but easier to follow while performing the actual task. I experimented by showering and dressing with only one hand (and of course, I chose my dominant arm to be the one unaffected). I used too much shampoo and had a minor mishap with the razor, but managed fairly well. Suggestions from the book helped me modify my techniques, sparing the excess conditioner.

REVIEWER Joanne McGillicuddy, PT


Stroke Connection (The bi-monthly publication of the American Heart Association) September/October 1998

In this issue, Stroke Connection Magazine will begin to feature tips on daily living from four guest columnists. Our first expert, Tommye-K. Mayer, authored One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, ISBN 09562 80500 :

Technology can enable you to function effectively with one hand in business and for pleasure. If you plan to return to work using a computer, probably the most difficult step will be convincing your employer you can manage the computer single-handedly. The best way to do that is by practicing. You can get this practice this in a variety of ways: by owning a personal computer and software, by taking classes, by using a friend's equipment, or by using computers often available to the public at many public libraries and community colleges.

Just as you don't need to be familiar with carburetors and spark plugs to drive a car-you need only be familiar with the ignition, knobs on the dashboard, steering wheel, and pedals- you don't need to know much about how your computer works. You only need to know how to turn it on and get data into it (by operating the keyboard, modem, and CD drive) and then how to get data out of it (via printer, modem, disks) as well as how to operate software that will help you.

You'll need a nodding acquaintance with the basic broad areas of computer components (What are hardware and software) and an understanding of what a computer can do for you in order to get the experience you need and the enabling assistance technology can provide. For example:

Hardware

Basically, hardware is the physical components of your system-the parts and pieces you see on your desk. Hardware includes the "tower" (CPU-Central Processing Unit), the monitor, the keyboard, the hard drive, the floppy disk drives. Hardware also includes the "peripherals" (the stuff plugged into your core system, like printers, modems, and scanners. If you want to send e-mail or explore the Internet, you need a modem.

Keyboards If you find working with a full-sized QWERTY keyboard difficult single-handedly (I continue to use a standard keyboard) there are products such as the BAT Personal Keyboard from Infogrip, Inc. which is designed for one-handed use. The BAT Personal Keyboard consists of only seven keys. When using this keyboard, your palm rests comfortably on an ergonomically correct support. Your thumb roves between three keys while each finger is responsible for a single key. Letters, numbers, and symbols are entered by pressing a predetermined (or self-programmed) combination of keys called a chord.

Foot Pedals Another way to help manage keying-in data single-handedly is to add Step On It computer control foot pedals-to the hardware on your machine. Such a foot pedal can be used to activate frequently used Ctrl (Control) Alt (Alternate) or Shift functions while you type single-handedly.

Software

Software is the part of computing that instructs your computer hardware in performing the tasks you bought it to do. The software is the computers capability. Beside standard applications such as Word-processing, Spreadsheet, Database and Desktop Publishing software, you'll want to explore:

Utilities are add-ons that enhance an applications performance. A Sticky Key utility enables you to input computer instructions that require depressing two or more keys simultaneously when those keys are outside the span of your one hand (two-handed typists use both keys to execute these instructions.) For example, the PC "reboot" command, Ctrl + Alt + Del. "Rebooting" is computerese for shutting down everything and starting all over.

Personal Information Managers also known as Contact Management Software help you to computerize your "to do" list, your appointment schedule, and your address book, as well as to segregate phone call lists, task lists, and a master plan list. Inputting this information into your computer helps you become more efficient because you no longer have to rely on your memory or dozens of hand-written notes.

Voice Recognition

Computer Voice Recognition capability, a combination of hardware and software, enables you to input data into your computer just by talking to your machine. This equipment, a combination of hardware and software that is added to your computer, is becoming more affordable and can help if you find your typing speed is your limiting factor. It won't be long before you'll be able to talk into your computer as easily as you now talk into a tape recorder. Ask your computer dealer about the voice recognition that is currently available.

Tommye-K. Mayer, a 17 year hemorrhagic stroke survivor lives independently and manages all her activities single-handedly in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Mayer's book, One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, ISBN 09652 80500 is the step-by-step guide to managing just about everything with the use of one hand from personal care to work to leisure activities.

Source: Excerpted with permission from One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, Tommye-K. Mayer © 1996 Gallison Press, Boston, Massachusetts


Connections July 1998

Practical approach to improving our lives, by Jill Dobriner

"ONE-HANDED IN A TWO-HANDED WORLD: Your Personal Guide to Man-aging Single-Handedly" by Tommye-K. Mayer; Prince Gallison Press, Boston.

With media coverage of disability issues emphasizing the heroic feats of certain role models who have a disability such as winners of wheelchair marathons, the smaller but no less significant accomplishments of people with disabilities tend to get lost or pushed off to the wayside.

While I admire athletes who have a disability and win competitive events or performers who are deaf and dance or act on stage, I am equally admiring of ordinary individuals with disabilities who have created satisfying lives despite the daily inconveniences a disability may bring.

Tommye-K. Mayer's "One-Handed in a Two-Handed World" is just the kind of book that the disability rights movement needs right now as it empowers individuals with disabilities by offering concrete and practical advice on the simple matters of living in a world where everyone expects you to be abled.
Probably the strongest element of the book is the spirit with which it is written.

Mayer provides the roadmap on practical living that some disability experts tend to ignore. As the title indicates, the book is a how-to on navigating two-handed activities if you can only use one hand, and it offers a plethora of good suggestions.

Mayer has been one-handed much of her adult life, after she suffered a sudden aneurysm while driving home from work. The experience, while undeniably painful, seems to have opened her vision to identifying what is possible rather than what is off limits.

Her book covers issues important to anyone who wants to get out the door, go to work, meet friends for dinner or cook a meal at home.

The "three secrets" to managing a two-handed world are body positioning (figuring out the right series of movements to accomplish a task, using four fingers and a thumb (using fingers and the thumb as flexible tools, rather as a single instrument), and gadgets (devices that make one-handed living easier).

While Mayer underplays gadgets and emphasizes movement and using fingers, she does include recommendations for creating a specialized cutting oard for meal preparations and provides myriad ways to use common household items for adaptive instruments in daily activities.

Probably the strongest element of the book is the spirit with which it is written. Mayer has a grasp of the hardship of disability, but she also has a sense of accomplishment and a witty style. While she extols the merits of a particular kind of knit tube hat, which can be on and off and can also look stylish wrapped around the neck, I have the impression that Mayer does not associate being disabled with denying pleasure and forming relationships.

"More convenient yet, once you get to your destination, you can simply slip the cuff down behind your head to the nape of your neck so the tube rings your neck like a cowl-neck-black compliments almost any cold weather outfit-long after you've arrived, even if you stay indoors. Wearing this tube hat, while inside, means you're not confronted with the awkwardness of peeling off a hat, scarf, along with a coat, a glove, and mitten, and perhaps even boots, at the doorway-all single-handedly while trying to keep all of this paraphernalia together-and then trying to find it all again, to reassemble yourself when it's time to leave. With a tube hat, you never have to take off and risk losing your hat and scarf. You wear it out, and don't take it off 'til you're home."

The how-to information includes navigating the office environment and participating in sports activities. After Mayer has shown us how to manage basic additives, the reader is inspired to find out more.

I hope Mayer is up to the challenge of writing another roadmap soon.


TBI Challenge (The monthly newspaper from the Brain Injury Association) June 1998

Survivor's VOICE Excerpted with permission from the introduction of "One-Handed in a Two-Handed World" ISBN 09652 80500 by Tommye-K. Mayer.

In June 1981 a blood vessel in my head burst while I commuted home from work. I was only twenty-three years old when this happened, and I am told it was such a serious bleed, no one was certain I would survive. Looking back, to that day, things were touch and go for a while.

However, I did survive and when I awoke from the coma a few days later, it was to discover I was partially paralyzed… Fifty years ago, being different meant not being accepted, and probably no being able to be "successful" in the world. There has only been an Americans with Disabilities Act since 1991.

There are many of us trying to manage being single-handed in a two-handed world. For example every year:

Whether you find yourself one-handed temporarily or permanently, this book is the source for you. If a doctor has prescribed immobilization for a damaged arm or hand, this book will help with that loss… Not only that, the tools and methodologies identified in this book help you enjoy full participation in life, despite the loss.

At one time, I also wondered if I'd ever live independently again. The hemorrhage and subsequent hemi-paralysis took me to an acute-care hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, then back to my parent's home. While my parents do have a lovely home-it's their home. Still single-handed a decade and a half later, I no longer live with my parents. I don't even live in the same town, although I do often visit.

While many of the ideas in my book might be easier if tried with assistance, each suggestion is based on experience and has been accomplished without help... In my book I share with you a mindset that I've found helpful in managing with one hand. In fact many benefits arise from managing single-handedly. The experience can open up new options in life and establish self-sufficiency. ..This self-sufficiency can lead to self-assurance, self-reliance, improved self-esteem, and a more positive outlook on life.

…Every individual has two of the most critical tools for successfully navigating this two-handed world single-handedly…. I call these tools the "Three Secrets." The First Secret to managing single-handedly is Body Positioning, understanding how you can arrange yourself to accomplish what you want… The Second Secret is remembering you do not have just one hand. Look again. You have Four Fingers and a Thumb… Many people might think the Third Secret is the most important. This is nor true. While Gadgets may be the key to accomplishing specific tasks, they can also be limiting.. As long as [an individual] has has the gadget needed at the right time, that's great. But if [someone] travel[s] a lot, you might want to focus on adaptations that enable you to manage using Body Positioning and Four Fingers and a Thumb.

The following excerpts from the Personal Care" section are taken from Tommye-K. Mayer's book. To order One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, individuals should send $18.95 (shipping & handling included) to Prince Gallison Press, P.O. Box 23, Hanover Station, Boston, MA 02113-0023.

…Losing the use of a hand or arm can dramatically affect your sense of balance. Grab bars-stall handrails designed for the bathroom-come in several lengths and can be in stalled into most bathrooms and showers with a minimum of fuss, especially in these post-ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) days. Many carpenters or handymen/women have experience with installing Grab Bars. Consider having a Grab Bar installed in you shower or bath area even if your injury is temporary.

…Maybe you have already discovered that washing under the arm that you use isn't easy. You're one hand just doesn't want to bend that way. You can resolve this problem with a bottle sponge. You can resolve this problem with a bottle sponge…You'll find it where you buy dish washing liquid and other sponges. Or you can try a long-handled sponge.

…While most of what you do in the shower or bath only requires one hand, or one hand at a time, you'll find a shower brush indispensable for the back and legs, and just about all-over washing.

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World has been well received by one-handers, professionals, and family members alike. Former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop had this to say about the book, "an inspirational read for anyone with a handicap to overcome, be it permanent or temporary" A registered nurse praised the book saying, "This is the cookbook for getting along after an individual has lost the use of his or her hand."

Advance for Occupational Therapists June 8, 1998 Vol. 14/No.24

'Can I Do It One-handed?'

by Miriam Struck, OTR, ATP

I often get requests for information on sources for one-handed typing. The requests involve both the hardware (keyboard) and the tutorial software to teach it.

Long time readers have read my opinions about software tutorials and know my position is that initial instruction is best done with written materials as these can be easily modified to meet the needs of the client. Software is best for drill and practice, to keep the skill up.

There are many programs available. Some examples are Half-QWERTY from Matais Corp. (416-749-3124) and Five-Finger Typist, from Mayer Johnson (619-550-0084)) for which demos are available upon request.

I have modified the AlphaSmart key arrangement for one-handed typists by popping out the keys and replacing them or relabeling standard keyboards with stickers.

But I have never truly known what it is like to live with only one hand, nor do I have a wealth of knowledge to draw on to adapt and modify and adapt for one-handed use quickly and spontaneously.

Tommye-k. Mayer has taken care of all that in her book, One-Handed in a Two-Handed World. The book is even bound in such a way that it can be easily manipulated with one hand.

Mayer has the use of one hand and shares all her tips and encouragement in a handy (no pun intended) volume. Her solutions are mostly low tech, but she does give some ideas for making the workstation easily accessible. We will get to that later on.

Mayer shares her three secrets to single-handling. These are body positioning, perception of "one-handed" and gadgets. Readers know that I have often described situation in which positioning is key to successful use of adaptive equipment, especially computers.

As Ms. Mayer describes in her book, positioning, or "reorganizing your limbs" can be more important than any gadget. throughout the book, she gives ideas using body positioning to get things done, including dressing, grooming, food preparation, and managing paper.

Recognizing that one has not just one hand, but four fingers and one thumb is a revelation that can be liberating.

Gadgets are also discussed throughout the book. These include everything from cutting boards and roller knives to appliances such as can openers and higher tech aids. She discusses chord keyboards, voice recognition software, accounting software, foot pedals for computer control, scanners, and headsets for phone use.

the chapters cover all aspects of daily life: personal care, dressing, (including how to tie ties), eating, dining out, cooking, cleaning up, household chores, managing a checkbook, office work, traveling, household repairs, leisure activities, sports, sexuality, and managing things outside the house such as opening/closing mailboxes and carrying things.

This book would be very helpful to clients and to therapists. It is available from Prince Gallison Press, P.O. Box 23, Hanover Station, Boston, MA 02113 at a cost of $18.95

People sometimes prefer adaptation strategies that don't involve technology. My father-I-law has a hearing aid but doesn't always turn it on.

He explained that while it does help him hear better, it isn't the same as having full hearing ability. Sometimes he would just rather go without the aid.

A reader recently wrote to me that 'when things (AT services) didn't pan out, I often reflected that part of the problem is that few 'patients' are aware of the technology available and many have trouble gaining access to or keeping up with new innovation."

Our job is only to show the possibilities. When clients make choices not to use AT and not to incorporate it into their lives, we must respect those decisions. That is why resources such as One-Handed in a Two-Handed World are so important.

Miriam Struck has worked with assistive technology since 1988 both in the school and home setting. She is a certified assistive technology practitioner (ATP). Miriam has presented at various professional conferences, both national and international, and conducted workshops on assistive technology. She also provides consultation and training in AT

you to feel that you're not alone in addressing the challenges of one-handedness. -Review by Mary-Louise Piner


OT Practice May 1998(The monthly publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association)

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World … stands on it's own merits as a step-by-step guide to one-handed use by a woman who has been living this way for 16 years. It is divided into sections on all aspects of daily living and provides useful, practical information.


OT Practice April 1998 (The monthly publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association)

It has been endorsed by former U.S. Senator Bob Dole, former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, actress Patricia Neal, Senator Max Cleland and many others. It is One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, by Tommye-K. Mayer, a step-by-step guide to managing just about everything with the use of a single hand.

Mayer wrote the book based on her own experiences after losing the use of her left arm following a cerebrovascular accident at age 23… . She recently appeared as a guest lecturer in one of [now AOTA President] Karen Jacobs' classes at Boston University where students use Mayer's book as a textbook… .

Enable Magazine March/April 1998(The monthly publication of the American Association of People with Disabilities)

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World (Prince Gallison Press (Fall 1997) -$16.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling 229 pages - One-Handed is a step- by-step guide book for anyone finding themselves temporarily or permanently one-handed. The book is written from personal experience and brings practical how-to solutions to everyday chores from pantyhose and cutting boards to cribbage and ties. Step-by-step illustrations are also included. One Handed received rave reviews from C. Everett Koop, MD, Senator Bob Dole, actress Patricia Neal, and former Veterans Administration Chairman Senator Max Cleland (D-GA). To order, Contact Prince Gallison Press at (617) 367-5815, e-mail: princeg@gis.net.

For more information or to order a copy of One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, contact Prince-Gallison Press, PO Box 23, Hanover Station, Boston, MA 02113-0001; 617-367-5815; 617-367-3337 (fax) www.gis.net/princeg .

OneStepAhead March 1998
on-line version at http://www.osanews.com

More than half a million Americans are permanently unable to use one hand, and over four million more are temporarily without the use of one hand because of repetitive stress disorders, sports injuries, or other mishaps. For all these "one-handers," and in response to her own left-arm paralysis, Tommye-K. Mayer wrote One-Handed in a Two-Handed World. If you are without the use of a hand either permanently or temporarily, this friendly book-spiral-bound to make pages easier to turn -gives you practical advice on how to mange everyday tasks.

Topics that are covered range from personal care - showering, dressing, shaving - to leisure activities including knitting, golfing, and performing repairs around the house. Some of the nuggets in this book are common sense, others are inspired; some involve gadgets, others, clever body positioning. All help

OT Week February 5, 1998(The weekly publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association)

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World ISBN 09652 80500 229 pp. softcover

This is a how-to book, par excellence, with step-by-step instructions on managing every imaginable task single-handedly, from tying a tie to playing gin rummy. Bathing, grooming, cooking, and eating all have their own detailed sections, amply illustrated with drawings and photos. The author knows her subject first-hand, having been paralyzed on one side after a cerebral hemorrhage at 23. She also benefited from watching her grandfather perform after losing his hand in an industrial accident. One-handers, Mayer points out, can find plenty of company among the 3 million stroke survivors, 350,000 Americans missing a hand or arm, and 450,000 with a paralyzed upper extremity.

The book is endorsed by such well-known one-handers as Bob Dole, Max Cleland, and Patricia Neal.

Mayer's three secrets for one-handed success are body positioning, treating the hand as four fingers and a thumb rather than as a single unit, and taking advantage of such readily available assistive devices as suction cup pads, bottle sponges, and electric can openers. Phone headsets and computer foot pedals can be invaluable at work and there's even advice on how to operate an office water cooler.

The book does not ignore the trying emotions most newly disabled people share. The author's purpose is not only to offer pragmatic solutions, but to promote self-esteem and a positive outlook that flows from genuine self-sufficiency. One can still accept help from a two-handed person when necessary; discussions with an OT are also recommended.

ABLED Winter 1998

When I was working as an occupational therapist, I always liked books such as this one [One-Handed in a Two-Handed World], works written by people with disabilities to teach people how to cope . Being able to share a resource written by someone with a disability with my clients helped them adapt to new ways of doing things as well as helped them realize they were not so alone with their acquired disability. As a woman with multiple disabilities, I also like to see "how-to" books written by us; in addition to providing practical information, they serve to empower both the authors and those who read them.

So I was happy to come across Tommye-K. Mayer's One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, an informative guide to performing activities of everyday living for people with either no or restricted use of the upper extremity. Mayer's book…is a good resource. In addition to explaining each task in a clear step-by-step method, she often includes illustration of the task or one particular step in it. Topics covered include personal care, dressing, eating, cleaning up, household chores, office work, travel, household repairs, getting along outside the home, leisure activities, sports, and sexuality. Review by Mary Louise Piner.

Be Stroke Smart Winter 1997 (The quarterly publication from the National Stroke Association)

Bookshelf

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World: A helpful and thorough collection of tips for one-handed stroke survivors so they may complete activities of daily living. Mayer covers a variety of topics, ranging from tying shoes one-handed to using cutting boards to opening butter tubs. The spiral-bound book also provides insights for those who provide care to one-handed survivors. Internet users can find more information about the book at http://www.gis.net/princeg/
onehand.html.


NCRTM NEWS (National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials) Winter 1997

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World $16.95 By Tommye-K. Mayer (© 1996) 229 pg. A step-by-step guide for anyone needing to manage with one hand temporarily or permanently, this manual covers cooking, cleaning, and household chores. It also includes tips on travel, dressing, personal care, office Management, and household repairs.

Accent on Living Fall 1997

ONE-HANDED IN A TWO-HANDED WORLD: A step-by-step guide on how to manage everything with the use of one hand. This book covers cooking, cleaning, household chores and much more. It will give you tips on travel, dressing, personal care, office management, and household repairs too. Endorsed by Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop. $16.95

Disability Resources Monthly Winter 1997

Author Tommye-K. Mayer's One-Handed in a Two-Handed World: your personal guide to managing single-handedly (1996) is a prime example of a "how-to" book born of personal experience. Having lost the use of an upper extremity in her twenties, Mayer has drawn upon her own experience to come up with a good resource for amputees and others with diminished hand use. Her step-by-step guide of common activities of everyday living is both simple and practical….this 229 page spiral-bound paperback is a much-needed addition to the field. Send a check or money order for $16.95 +$2. p/h to Prince-Gallison Press, PO Box 23, Hanover Station, Boston, MA 02113-0023; (tel) 617-367-5815 (fax) 617-367-3337 e-mail princeg@gis.net on the world wide web http://www.gis.net/ princeg/onehand

Advance for Occupational Therapists

August 11, 1997 Vol. 13/No.32

In One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, Mayer writes that self esteem comes from knowing you can accomplish the tasks you performed with two hands even if you choose not to perform them. Her book reveals the three secrets of successful single-handed living: body positioning,-reorganizing your body and the limbs you can use to accomplish what you want; four fingers and a thumb-using the digits on your functioning hand to maximum efficiency; and gadgets-helpful tools.

Sometimes you can use your trunk and legs to accomplish tasks that your other hand is unable to do. If you take account of what you have, and think of what you want to accomplish, you can figure out how to do what you want," said Mayer.[One-Handed in a Two-Handed World is] loaded with helpful hints for mastering everyday tasks. Dressing, cooking, bathing, grooming and other ADL are addressed, as well as travel, household maintenance, managing in the rain, leisure activities, and more. One-Handed in a Two -Handed World is loaded with hints that occupational therapists would likely pass on to their clients.

One-Handed in a Two-Han-ded World ISBN 09652 80500 is available for $16.95, $2.00 shipping and handling through Prince-Gallison Press, P.O. Box, 23, Hanover Station, Boston, MA 02113-0023

Abilities (Canada's Lifestyle Magazine for People with Disabilities) Winter 1997

BOOKS

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, by Tommye-K. Mayer, is a guide for managing a wide range of everyday tasks with one hand. Offers how-to's on cooking, dressing, tooth-flossing, giftwrapping, golfing, playing cards, driving a car and more. Provides exact instructions on opening coffee creamers, and putting a fitted sheet on a bed.One-Handed in



Update (Family Caregiver Alliance Newsletter)

November 1997

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, ISBN 09652 80500 Tommye-K. Mayer, © 1996

An insightful book geared to persons who have lost the use of one hand or arm. Written by a woman who survived s cerebral hemorrhage, the book offers a wealth of practical suggestions-from dressing and filing nails, to cutting fruit, doing laundry, and more. Helpful for survivors of brain injury or stroke as well as those with an amputated limb.

GeriSource: the multidisciplinary clinical bulletin for long term care "Every issue's like a mini-inservice....." Vancouver, B.C. V6G 1N2 Canada November '97

Resource of the Month One-Handed In A Two-Handed World, ISBN 09652 80500 "The step-by-step guide to managing just about everything with the use of one hand" is how author Tommye-K. Mayer describes One-Handed in a Two-Handed World.

"I've written the book I wish had existed when I awoke from a nearly fatal cerebral hemorrhage sixteen years ago," Mayer says.

Endorsed by Dr. C. Everett Koop (former US Surgeon General), Senator Bob Dole (one-handed US Senate Majority Leader) Senator Max Cleland (D-GA, and one-handed former US Veterans Administration Chair) and actress Patricia Neal (massive stroke survivor and founder of US & British rehabilitation hospitals),One-Handed in a Two-Handed World is also a Tufts University textbook.
One-Handed in a Two-Handed World by Tommye-K. Mayer. © 1996 229 p.p., illus. ISBN 09652 80500 $16.95 USD plus $2.00 s&h. Available directly through the publisher at Prince-Gallison Press, P.O. Box 23, Boston, MA 02113 WEBsite http://www.gis.net/princeg/ E-mail princeg@gis.net

The Boston Globe Magazine January 24, 1999, page 39

Hot Lines Edited by Vicki Hengen

LENDING A HAND

Tommye-K. Mayer's world changed forever when she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at 23 and was partially paralyzed. Instead of being defeated, Mayer learned to cope using only one hand. Her book One- Handed in a Two-Handed World ($16.95) is so practical that it's inspirational. Mayer tells how to put toothpaste on a brush, how to uncork a wine bottle, how to apply suntan lotion with a flexible spatula, even how to knit or fish. She points out many reasons why people have use of only one hand. From sports injuries to repetitive stress injury (RSI). Her book is invaluable for many and a fascinating read for all.

__________________________

Alison Arnett

Physical Therapy: Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association, January 1999

Reviews of books, computer software, and videotapes are written by invitation

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World

Tommye-K. Mayer, the young survivor of a stroke, has written a practical guide on how to use only one hand to complete most activities of daily living. Whether functionally disabled by stroke, amputation or developmental disability, any person (including friends and family members) will find the author's suggestions clever and creative, and the obvious by-product of trial and-error. Mayer's common-sense low-tech adaptations to accommodate 1-hand use in a 2-handed world are based on her experience of combining body positioning, dexterous use of the remaining fingers and thumb, and gadgets to solve everyday inconveniences.

The numerous chapters involve every area of daily life imaginable-personal care, dressing, eating out, traveling, household chores, unshelling a peanut, or unfolding an umbrella-all with one hand. The directions within each chapter are very specific; each step of a specific task is described sequentially. Additional pictures would have been helpful in order to clarify the author's written instructions. This 2-handed reader marvels at Mayer's creativity and has successfully attempted many of the instructions, such as tying a shoelace.

The gadgets are often pictured and are inexpensive and readily available. Readers, whether they are healthcare professionals or not, will enjoy the humor and the can-do attitude of this very determined lady

Dianna Goldstein, PT

Concord, NH

Reviewer Diana Goldstein is a pediatric physical therapist practicing in a variety of school settings in central New Hampshire.



Different Strokes - Brighton & Sussex

Newsletter

March 1999 Reg. Charity No. 1057472 No. 13

Different Strokes newsletter of the Brighton & Sussex, England Stroke Support Group

Book Review.

One-Handed in a Two-Handed World

by Tommye-K Mayer

ISBN 0 9652805 0 0

The following review is written by your editor Peter Allen.

I should start by declaring an interest. Since meeting on an Internet stroke discussion group some months ago, Tommye has become a firm friend. A lady who at the age of 23 was dealt a very tough hand to play by a stroke, she has fought her way back to become a true stroke victor. No mere survivor, she. Producing this book, and sharing her learning through it, has been a part of that way back process, I think. By the way, the stroke was only the first of several major challenges she had to face. And all were tackled with the same will to win through. I guess they all contributed to producing one of the great characters of my post-stroke world.

You open this book, and it stays open - flat. Clearly, it was produced by one of us, the one handed. If only all books did that.

It is organised. The chapters include personal care, dressing, eating, dining out, cooking, cleaning up, housework, office work, travelling, house repairs, outside the home, leisure activities, sports, and sexuality. Each chapter then has from three to ten items which are given detailed descriptions.

Male and female approaches are dealt with separately, where they are different.

As usual, I thought I knew it all. I had worked out most things for myself. Decided there were some things that were just "not worth doing," and others that were just "easy." After reading the book, I found I was doing much more. Clearly, left to myself, I'd drawn the dividing line in the wrong place.

The author takes the stance that she will work out how to do everything for herself and do it least once, no matter how hard, and then decide if the gain is worth the effort. Knowing she can do it, if she so chooses, empowers her to ask a two handed person to do it for her. So she not only shares her methods, but her philosophy too. And since she has made a success of her life, that is well worth having.

There a three key elements to successful one-handed living. First, use your body and its position - not just the hand. Secondly, realise you've got more than one hand, you've got four fingers and a thumb that can all work independently (two handed people use these so wastefully). Thirdly, seek out and use gadgets to help.

Having set the basics, the author then gives a practical solution for just about every activity of living in her supremely well laid out book. Overall, an inspirational book. I commend it to you.

Peter Allen

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