Blog > Thoughts > Other's Thoughts > Elisabeth's thoughts > Tell Me, Where They Have Gone?
Tell Me, Where They Have Gone?
Written by Elisabeth on Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Where they have gone, all those young people with SCI? All those young people after car accidents? Where are all the manual wheelchair users? Those sexy, muscular, elegantly wheeling young people some of us want to be?
I was always attracted to wheelchair users. Yes, I might even follow one for a minute around a store. Some of you have been there. But how many occasions do you get to do it?
I grew up in a country that have all wheelchair users stashed in institutions or at home. They were no ramps on curbs, nothing was accessible. But I was told that it was different in the USA. Accessible. So many wheelchair users around. Ha! Wishing upon stars. I might see one in six months or so. Now, if I was a devotee turned on by power wheelchair users, no problem. You go to your local Walmart, and there is always at least one clinically obese person driving it. Sorry, no turning me on. If people need to use those, let it be. It’s part of American culture. People are used to it. Go to Disney world and next to the rental strollers, there are the power wheelchairs. But what happened to the young and strong?
I don’t know. When I started wheeling, I didn’t change my lifestyle. The only thing that changed was that I am not late for church any more. Other than that and finding different, meaning accessible, places for hikes, I still go shopping, to the library, for coffee with friends. The other day, in a thrift store, the store clerk, a sweetest lady with the best hugs, finally asked me about my chair. After my usual story that I need to use it sometimes, I added that I won’t change my lifestyle because of my wheelchair. Her answer was: "That’s great. Because so many do change it." Aha, that’s where they have gone. Or I should say, they just never leave their home, I guess. Why? I don’t have the answers.
So, for us with BIID, our wheeling presents a great challenge. We might be the first young (I mean anything before retirement age) manual wheelchair users many people, especially kids, will ever see. We need to build a path for those who come after us. We can show others that being a wheelchair user is OK. That we are just ordinary people they can talk to. That they don’t have to be afraid of us and they don’t need to feel sorry for us. We can teach them how to help and not to help. Whenever I get a chance, I talk to kids. If they stare, I will start a conversation. I ask them if they want to see a trick. They almost always do. I do a wheelie and sometimes that’s enough. Sometimes we talk more. I hope their memory will be a pleasant one and that perhaps one day, when they are adult, they will feel more comfortable around people with disabilities. Because I hope that one, I won’t have to ask where they have gone.
Tags: BIID, Children, SCI, Wheelchair
This entry appears in Elisabeth's thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
16 Comments
People my age (55+) who have used manual chairs most or all of their lives are now dealing with wrecked shoulder and arthritis. That’ll shove you to a power chair.
3 On 20 January, 2010, Phil said:
How many people do you see walking? Most prefer to drive in their cars, everywhere.
When I say that I go by foot somewhere (let’s say to the station, half an hour or so) most people are astonished, some even pity me, many offer me to drive me there. But they spend a lot of money for the gym or so.
People also use electric can opener instead of mechanical ones, they write with computers and not with pencils, they use MP3 players instead of singing…
It’s our time. Let electricity and fuel do for you what you are too lazy to do yourself…
I know quite a few people who have problems with their shoulders even thought they never have used a wheelchair. I think it depends a lot on the individual and on how one uses one’s body and how much one takes care if oneself.
I wouldn’t like to use an electric chair. Often my hands are really longing to feel the pushrims.
4 On 20 January, 2010, Phil said:
@ Gordo: For me it’s a bit like you say it:
I want to have two short thigh stumps, but I don’t want a disability.
Maybe because I really want to be able to do everything I like.
Maybe one reason is that I think I have to prove that I would still be able to do a lot of things and need no help?
Being weak or disabled or so is not exactly an ideal of society…
I have a huge mental block about using a power chair. It just doesn’t seem to fit with my self image at all. I have yet to acquire much understanding of this.
6 On 20 January, 2010, Sean said:
FWIW, using a manual chair won’t guarantee you can keep the weight down. keep in midn that the fat burning muscles are really the legs. There may be *apparently* nothing wrong with the arms, but they can be buggered still. my shoulders are buggered. Nobody can see it.
As for power chairs, I think it’s my eventual destiny. I don’t like it, but it’s inevitable. improved local mobility, reduced long distance mobilidy.
Where I live in the USA, I don’t see young people even in power wheelchairs, sometimes a young lady, that’s all.
As for me, I can’t imagine myself using power wheelchair, like Chloe can’t. But I can imagine using power system on my existing manual chair, like the Zinger I saw on youtube. But the sad fact is that it is not manufactured yet and when it is by Invacare, it will be way too expensive like anything concerning wheelchairs. But that Zinger is the coolest thing ever! Gives you both manual wheelchair and power.
8 On 20 January, 2010, Sophie said:
On the weight thing I was less heavy as a wheelchair user, but that was more to do with a body image thing than the fact that I was wheeling. I take better care of myself when I’m happy.
As a general rule I think it’s a good thing to stay active as long as possible. Good for the heart if not so much the shoulders! And there’s the ‘image’ thing. Looks do count. Vanity, vanity.
10 On 21 January, 2010, Phil said:
Hi Elisabeth, thanks a lot for mentioning the “Zinger”. I found the video and the web site. This is remarkable. Maybe in the future there will be even smaller and lighter versions?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=DE&hl=de&v=5MtzU4ZAd_o&eurl=
And the official web site is:
http://www.patentproducts.org/Site_PPC/Inventions/Entries/2008/1/15_Motochair_powered_wheelchair.html
They don’t say how far the battery will reach.
Like Elisabeth, I would not have a problem with using a power assist system on a manual chair.
12 On 25 January, 2010, Phil said:
There’s another option with these Sedgway things, which should be affordable as they are made in mass production, see for example:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SegSolutions#p/u
MUCH better than scooters!
Here I am, baby! I’m waaay to handsome to be using one of those electric thingies! Very sexy in a manual chair! ;{)
I’ll be 52 in March, but “Just For Men” hair color and a big fat moustache really brings a lot of youth back to me!
I know my friend uses a powerchair because she lacks the upper-body strenth to use a manual chair all day.
Post your comments
© transabled.org - 1994-2012 - All Rights Reserved.
1 On 19 January, 2010, Peter said:
You’re quite right Elizabeth, electric chairs and scooters are taking over and let me tell you, some of their drivers are reckless!!
On the subject of keeping active, I had a long discussion with a hairdresser the other day. As she moved her chair away to allow me to wheel into place she said “It’s nice to see someone using a manual chair”. I told her I prefer to keep fit. I actually prefer the image thinking that a manual make me feel younger! She went on to tell me about two of her customers who are quite young and have absolutely nothing wrong with their arms who have simply become lazy and have thus gained a lot of weight.