Ivylad has a screwed up back. Three surgeries have resulted in three fused vertebrae and a morphine pump to deal with the pain, which it doesn’t always do. On good days he needs a cane. On bad days he needs a walker. On very bad days he can’t get out of bed.
We went to Sea World yesterday for my niece’s birthday. Ivylad decided to spring for a motorized wheelchair rental, knowing there was no way he was going to be able to walk around the park all day. I cannot tell you how many rude people he ran into to (some literally!).
People stopping dead in front of him. People shoving their strollers in his path. Stupid teenagers dancing backwards, so close that if Ivylad and I hadn’t put out our hands to stop him, he would have landed in Ivylad’s lap. One small child who darted out of nowhere right in front of Ivylad’s wheelchair, forcing him to stop dead so he wouldn’t hit him. People kicking the wheels as they walked by with nary a “Excuse me.”
Is it too much to ask for pedestrians to be a little more aware of their surroundings?
I don’t know what to do at SeaWorld - avoid it? Maybe the wheelchair was a bad idea, as the rental are mostly used by people who get exhausted and need to sit down, not the physically fragile.
I was the designated “fixer” for my husband. He couldn’t stand any jostling or hugging (god forbid) and someone backing up into him would have been really bad.
I would gently explain or let him use my body as a shield in small crowds.
If it was a supermarket or something, I was the ‘HEY! WATCH IT’ person. Go ahead, make my day, I’m taller than most women and about half of men. Righteous anger, you know.
Related story - I was driving him from the doctor and someone rear ended us. He was livid because the tap hurt so bad. He got out and started yelling at the guy - making the guy back up, make lots of apology noises, and look terrified. I had to point out to my husband later that he had been charging a 6’6" 350# truck driver (I had his driver’s licence) with no front teeth. He hadn’t noticed at the time because it hurt so bad. I don’t recommend that to Ivylad.
Not to be judgemental, but I saw some (what appeared to me) obviously healthy 20-somethings who seemed to be using them as racecars. Certainly the one who tried to squeeze past Ivylad near a curb did not seem to be physically impaired. He certainly wasn’t driving like he was. :dubious: (Caveat: Of course, I know the kid may be recovering from leukemia or something. But sometimes I wonder how many really need the wheelchairs and how many just don’t feel like walking.)
Well, I guess if you want to plunk down $35 for a motorized wheelchair rental, that’s your choice.
I hate to think we have to avoid the theme parks, especially since we got annual passes this year for Christmas. Do those of you in wheelchairs find that pedestrians are oblivious?
I think you’re wrong in thinking that people are especially inconsiderate of people in wheelchairs. In my experience, some people are inconsiderate of all sorts of people. For example, when I’m walking down the sidewalk, keeping to the right as I think one should do, I’ll often encounter three or four people walking towards me, shoulder to shoulder so that they are occupying the entire width of the sidewalk. Ideally, one or more of them should step to the right, but sometimes they feel that they own the sidewalk. (But I’m only one person, so where should I go? Melt into the building? Walk into the street?)
I don’t think pedestrians are any more oblivious to those in wheelchairs than they are to anyone else. Similar incidents have happened to my family, and none of us are in wheelcahirs. I do think that you find way more oblivious people in theme parks than in other places.
What seems to net me the best result is, “EXCUSE ME! PARDON ME! WATCH YOUR FEET, PLEASE! THANK YOU!”. Then again, I’m loud & can be louder if I so choose. If that doesn’t clear the way, a slight nudge with the wheelchair with a subsequent, “Oh, I’m so sorry! It’s just so crowded!” will do the trick.
Some people are blatantly inconsiderate, others are simply clueless.
You are probably right about the theme parks. I think someone called it the Dazzle Effect. There’s so much going on, and so many things to see, that one can easily overlook some things.
There were some very helpful people, don’t get me wrong. The folks in the restaurant who stood and moved their chairs in so Ivylad could get through. The woman who held her family back so Ivylad could maneuver through a break in the crowd.
Would a bicycle bell help? They’re loud enough to be heard, but not so obnoxious as to cause offense. Wouldn’t solve all the problems you describe, but might help cut through some of the obliviousness.
I think people are oblivious to other people anyway. Being in a scooter or wheelchair doesn’t make them suddenly more aware. And, some people just can’t grasp that other people exist in the world also. They can only think about themselves. Therefore, you have to be the one to remind them that you’re there. I also suggest either a bicycle bell, or one of those Harpo (?) Marx horns that you can beep every few seconds. A few loud “Coming through!” shouts might help too.
Another thing to add into the mix is that most people don’t understand that a wheelchair should be considered as an extension of the person’s body. I didn’t know that until I read it in a thread here recently. So, in a busy, crowded environment, people probably won’t say “excuse me” if they do something like brush against your bag, and they might view a wheelchair as the same sort of thing.
Add into that, that people in wheelchairs are a couple of feet below most people’s immediate line of sight, and it gets really obnoxious, really fast.
My mom works at Disneyland, and they have a huge problem with able bodied people renting wheelchairs and motorized scooters. They finally ended up disallowing the handicapped from entering the line for rides further up than everyone else. Now everyone has to wait in line. That cut down on some of the abuse, but you still have the people who rent such conveyences for the “thrill”, which I really don’t get.
I’m healing from a broken leg right now and had to go grocery shopping and use one of those damnable motorized buggies a couple weeks ago and I have an all-new respect for the disabled despite growing up with a very handicapped sister and working as a caretaker for a disabled friend.
In addition to being a pain in the ass to operate, having to dodge people (who weren’t any more oblivious than usual… I hate shopping anyway because of that) with it, and getting mild looks of pity or disdain was just adding insult to (literal) injury. You and Ivylad have my empathy, Ivylass.
I have been using a wheelchair since August.(Car vs me on bicycle,crushed left leg,still attached, just useless.) I haven’t noticed any more rudeness,just that wheelchairs are so rare around here that its not part of the usual picture in crowds. If anything most people are overly polite ,asking if I need help on the simplest things or scrambling to clear the aisle when their carts are blocking the way. I am not aware of any obvious or deliberate rudeness or distain though there have been several who have told me how brave I am or want to pray for me. I know they mean no harm although mis guided,I just thank them and go on my way.What I do find a musing are the people who SPRINT across the parking lot to open a door for me that I am having no problem with and I wind up holding the door for them.
Brief hijack: runner pat, will you make an eventual full recovery? My broken leg is from getting hit by a car as well but I suffered far less extensive injuries
Continue hijack: I don’t know at this point about a full recovery,I’m missing the left side of my hamstring and the sciatic nerve with extensive damage to the nerves in the rest of the leg. If the nerves heal it could take as long as 2-3 years for full recovery but at this point there is no way to know how much will heal.The bone is healing well and my doctors are pleased with my progress so far. End hijack,back to the thread.
I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with some people. I’m always watching where I’m going. I never expect anyone to move for me (especially not someone with limited mobility!); If someone’s in my path, I move aside.
But yeah, there seems to be a staggering number of morons out there who carelessly walk into people like they have an inner ear problem or something.
