I had no idea what you were talking about so I looked it up and my first reaction was a creepily realistic vision of child-me screaming, “WHOA!”
Look at this thing!
I wish my wheelchair looked like that when I was a kid. Hell, I wish my wheelchair looks like that as a 24 year old grad student!
I think you’re coming at this all wrong, not because you’re thinking too much about a children’s toy, but because you’re thinking too much about what would offend wheelchair-users when you’re a Walker. I mean, the last I checked, you Walkers all seem to like standing for some reason, but you don’t see me getting a bad taste in my mouth whenever I see one of those nifty hoverboard scooters that takes standing to a whole new level So why would you (or specifically, why would we as wheelchair-users) be upset that this toy takes sitting to a whole new level? A really cool level at that? It’s no different.
Besides these things are actually way cheaper than pediatric wheelchairs! Why aren’t we having kids use these instead of the hospitals chairs? Wait, I just read this article, people are beginning to use them as wheelchairs:
Yeah, this gets absolutely no criticism from me! On the contrary, this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, both from a toy standpoint and a disability standpoint. 10/10 PowerWheels! My fourth-grade-self-who-was-too-poor-to-afford-you-but-buttered-up-to-the-rich-kid-in-elementary-school-because-he-had-a-Chevy-Silverado respected you and my 24-year-old-grad-student-self continues to respect you! You get a Gatsby gif!
I am not confined to my wheelchair. More than half of wheelchair workers can stand and walk at least a little. Quit harassing us when we do. But even for those who can’t stand at all, a wheelchair is not a metal cage or medieval torture rack. It’s a custom medical device that frees us, that allows us to live fuller lives.
I had to fundraise for my wheelchair because my insurance didn’t cover durable medical. While I waited to get a wheelchair, that’s when I was confined. People had to come to me. The only place I could go was the grocery store, because they had scooters. Once a week I got to spend an hour outside the home. Other than that, I was unable to leave the house.
My wheelchair freed me. I could work until I got too sick (but many people work full-time in wheelchairs). I can visit friends, go grocery shopping by myself, go to the park or museum, excercise, go shopping. I can live life. It’s a changed life, but it’s no less full than an abled person’s life. I can’t work anymore, and I need more sleep. I’m in pain all day and can’t visit for long periods. I can’t spend all day at the museum anymore. But that’s my ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, not my wheelchair. I’m not confined. Without my wheelchair, I wouldn’t be able to do anything but sit on my porch.
In truth, the only thing confining me is lack of accessibility. Sidewalks that are more crack than concrete. Entrances that are non-ADA compliant. The lack of ramps and accessible parking. And society’s lack of care. The people who harass me for standing up in my wheelchair to grab a bottle of shampoo. The people who make disability benefits so hard to get. The businesses that ignore the e-mails I send asking for a $49 fix to their entrances so I don’t have to rely on two strong folx to get me through the door. The ableds who spread myth and misunderstanding. When I can’t get a parking spot, I’m confined. When there’s no ramp, I’m confined. When I can’t get the benefits I need to live, I’m confined.
Wheelchairs are not a prison sentence. The first thing I did after my wheelchair arrived was drive (all by myself!) to Home Depot. I bought a set of Allen wrenches for the chair I named Loka and then just rolled up and down Home Depot’s long, tall aisles. I rolled until my arms ached. I did it because I could.
Don’t ever look at a person in a wheelchair and pity them. They’re lucky to have a wheelchair. Could Stephen Hawking have done all the great, world-changing scientific work he did without his wheelchair and voice synthethiser? No, of course not. His wheelchair meant greater freedom; the opportunity to travel and spread scientific learning and inquiry. It meant getting around Cambridge, doing interviews, meeting the public. It meant being a more active father and husband.
Our wheelchairs drive our lives forward, literally. We are no more confined to them than you are to your sneakers.
not “confined to being behind frames” or “being behind frames” or “lens-bound.”
a wheelchair is a tool. a good tool. like glasses.
this correlation isn’t something i invented. disability communities have been saying these things for years. we keep saying it until it gets imbedded.” End ID]
Mobility aids, you know em, you’ve seen em. Wheelchairs, crutches, canes, buggies ect. They are great inventions to help people get around with better mobility, hence mobility aids.
Thing I wanna talk about though, is this awful problem that non disabled people have, stemming from the press pushing articles about people faking disabilities to get benefits. This has to be the most toxic thing that disabled people have to deal with on the daily and I need to talk about this, cause its not ok.
So some people (myself included) have disabilities that occasionally require the use of a mobility aid, like crutches or a cane. Some people use mobility aids all the time but can go without them if needs be (an example of somebody using a wheelchair who can stand and walk, but only for very short times). These people get looked down on so badly by judgey non disabled people and its awful to be there and there is no need for it because of this misguided belief that they’re just faking it
I had a bit of a rough time around Christmas. I had a fall, and with some serious back luck, fell on by back and a bottle in my back was in the worst spot, so it jarred my nerves and put me in a lot of pain. I also ran out of my painkillers, so was without for a good few weeks. I have a cane I will use if I need the support, but I hate using it and honestly the idea of having to use it again really hit me so hard, Like I cried cause I was so worried about what people would think.
I was lucky. at uni everyone knows about my leg and they were all ok and supportive about it. It really helped a lot, but it really hit me that I shouldn’t feel this way. Cause my leg problems are intermittent, when I have my bad days I keep having the feeling of “I’m just not disabled enough” and that’s never ok. I don’t take any benefits at all, cause the government made it so i cant apply, but still, I gotta grapple with that awful thought of “Am I disabled enough to use this”. The answer should always be yes. My doctor says I should use crutches on bad days, and that should be good enough but Im always so worried about other people claiming that im “faking” it cause i’m pretty active when my leg isnt bad. It still hurts but I can deal with it.
Im rambling, but my point is that there are people who need to use mobility aids occasionally, but not all the time, and people shouldn’t look down on them, call them liars or fakers or make them have to “prove” their disability constantly. We really need a change on how people view disabled people, especially ones with Hidden Disabilities because i’m noticing a nasty shift where people need to police disabled people constantly to “catch them out”. That needs to stop, its not ok.
I dunno how much sense this made, but yeah. I don’t like the way that things are going, where disabled people are losing benefits constantly, and people want to police disabled people so they need to prove their disability constantly. We need a change, a governmnet who cares more about disabled people, and the press to fuck off with their hatred of anyone who is disabled.
Sorry for the long rant
TL;DR, Some people dont need mobility aids constantly, and that doesnt make them any less disabled. Treat them with as much respect as anyone else
I’ve seen a post about first time wheelchair users guide. Since I’ve been using a walking stick for a while now, I thought I’d make one specifically for these types of aids. These will be in no particular order– they’re just things you probably don’t know about using a walking stick.
– if you’ve hurt you left leg/ect., hold the stick in your right hand (if possible) and if you’ve hurt your right leg/ect., hold the stick in your left hand. Trust me, your shoulders and back will thank you
– the pad of your hand will hurt– it just will. You’ll get used to it and your hand will develop more protection there eventually. To start out, look into a pair of fingerless gloves.
– a fold up/collapsable stick is good for beginners because you can take them on public transport/cars without too much hassle (they also fit nicely into desks and under chairs).
– When you’re using your stick, you only have one free hand. This may seem obvious, but it really impacts your every day life. Practice for a while around the house, so you get the feeling down.
-there are a lot of different types of walking sticks: fold up, one leg, two legs, three legs, etc.
(these are only a few of the many designs)
-if possible, go to a shop that specifies in walking sticks. ask to try a few out, they will also help make sure that you’re using on that’s the right height for you.
– a height adjustable walking stick is a miracle, especially if you want to wear high heels to an event.
– you don’t need a prescription to get a stick in most regions (but in some cases they may help get a discount)
– getting a stick that is the right height for you if very important (even with an adjustable one). Too short, and you’ll hurt your shoulder. Too tall, and you can’t put weight on it properly. The correct height is when the highest part of the handle reaches your wrist when the stick is standing straight up, as shown in this image.
– if you’re young (under the age of 60) people will stare, often they wont mean to– it is annoying but you’ll get used to it.
– again, if you’re young, people will ask why you’re using the stick, all. the. time. Even strangers will sometimes ask. You can use a really simple answer like “medical condition” and if they pry further, you can say “That’s all I’m comfortable saying”. If they don’t know you, or don’t know you well, they really have no business asking.
-Children will ask, a lot. Please be gentle with them, especially if they’re really little. I know it’s annoying but you can give children reallllllllly simple answers like “I just need it to help me walk” and most of the time they’ll be perfectly content with that and won’t ask more.
– don’t be afraid to use more advanced mobility aids if needed on bad days, or when readily available (eg. at a supermarket, when they have motorized wheelchairs for customers)
– You don’t have to use your stick every day for you to have a disability or for you to own a stick. Even if you need it once a week, once a month, you can still own one. You’re not less worthy or a mobility aid than those who need one everyday.
-Use backpacks, the ones with 2 well-padded straps that go over your shoulders evenly. Use them as much as you can. Bags that you hold in one hand or have one strap make you unbalanced or take up your only free hand.
– If you want to, decorate your stick, go all out.
Even if you don’t need/use a walking stick, please reblog this to let those who do, know this information.
More tips!
-Your cane will fall over a lot if you prop it against things; I fold mine if half and put it on my desk at work, and prop it against my body on the bus to keep it from falling out of reach and making a bunch of noise.
-Able bodied people will get weird when you are visibly disabled; You may feel like people are going out of their way to inconvenience you (People will cut in lines ahead of you more frequently, pull doors closed behind them, move/use accessible elevators just as you’re about to get on, walk close enough to you that they push you, snd generally pretend as though they can’t see you). Sticking up for yourself is scary, but everybody backs off the second you point out what they’re doing. Don’t let them walk all over you because they will, and it sucks.
-If you’re a transit user, don’t be afraid to ask for a seat if you need it! A lot of the time people sitting on trains and buses zone out or immerse themselves in reading, and they will legitimately not notice you get on. It’s better to talk to a stranger for a second than to potentially fall!
-Holding your cane in the opposite hand to your compromised leg will absolutely save your back and shoulders, however, if your leg is prone to collapsing, it won’t really help you. Holding the cane on the same side allows you to use the cane as support while walking.
I would say that the best way to use a cane very much depends on why you need it, and what you’re using it for. I finally started using one about 10 years ago, when I was having a lot of trouble with a knee unpredictably buckling out from under me–and in that case it’s not necessarily going to help you much in the other hand. Also from personal experience, using a cane on the other side made the situation worse with a not so stable pelvic fracture. Also too relevant sometimes, especially with something like EDS and/or a frozen shoulder thrown into the mix: which arm can reasonably handle it right then.
Basically, it’s important to figure out what’s the most helpful and comfortable approach in your specific situation. Where there may also be multiple considerations to juggle.
Just going to repeat this, as much as it continues to drive me up the wall where I’m living now:
-Able bodied people will get weird when you are visibly disabled; You may feel like people are going out of their way to inconvenience you (People will cut in lines ahead of you more frequently, pull doors closed behind them, move/use accessible elevators just as you’re about to get on, walk close enough to you that they push you, snd generally pretend as though they can’t see you). Sticking up for yourself is scary, but everybody backs off the second you point out what they’re doing. Don’t let them walk all over you because they will, and it sucks.
IME, not everybody will back off. Some will get mouthy and/or put on a show of aggrievement. But, they need the feedback anyway, because jfc. And you’re not the one in the wrong, either for taking up their precious sidewalk space or for having the gall to object to literally getting shoved around 😬
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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