Er… some people (though not all) in wheelchairs have, shall we say, equipment to deal with incontinence issues. This is often concealed by clothing and such. Taking a such a person out of his or her chair when you don’t know what you’re doing can result in, um, accidents of a socially embarrassing nature. It is possible there might be other forms of equipment that could be dislodged, disconnected, spill, or otherwise cause problems if handled incautiously.
Yet another reason to let the person in the wheelchair retain command of the situation - that is the person who is most aware of his/her capabilities and other facts that may factor into planning on how to get around an obstacle. Someone like Ambivalid is best left to tackle most obstacles on his own. Others with less strength and athleticism might require more or different assistance.
Being new to a wheelchair, this thread scares the willies out of me.
I choose to not go anywhere that isn’t acessaible. A few of my favorite old eateries are now only a pleasant memory. As is camping, hiking, swimming and all that stuff.
I understand this feeling, I absolutely do. However, after you’ve experienced the world from the perspective of a wheelchair for a while, you’ll start to understand that there are ways to solve many of the seemingly un-solvable pitfalls that come with navigating through life on four wheels. Besides, many of the establishments that are supposed to be accessible simply aren’t. And many that “are” are not done so in a way that truly allows a wheelchair-user to exist on equal ground with that of their peers.
There are some things are just not going to happen again, but those things are a lot fewer that it seems when this world is new. Just don’t forget who you are.
Gah, I know. I have decided that I am going back to school to reeducate myself as an architect and go forth to consult as an accessibility consultant. I am already a paralegal so the whole CFR/regulatory side is handled, I just need the practical side of structural engineering, architecture and materials.
I am still just on the knife edge between crutches and wheelchair. I have noticed I am slowly spending more time in my chair and less willing to actually go places that are ‘inconveniently inaccessible’ :rolleyes: I now have a form to include with mail in response cards for motels and restaurants that I rearrange depending on the exact reasons some place is not accessible. I really blew a casino in Reno that we recently stayed with out of the water. Talk about the room being inaccessible:smack: it was more inaccessible than some nonaccessible rooms we have stayed in.