International Wheelchair Day

March 1st happens to be International Wheelchair Day. The day is meant to be a reminder and opportunity for wheelchair users to celebrate the positive impact wheelchairs have on their lives.

While that is is the actual purpose of the "celebration", I thought, on this day, it would be a good thing for people to be aware of a few basic do's and don'ts while interacting or liaising with people on wheelchairs. 

I have been on the wheelchair for almost 10 years now. And the below points are based on my experiences and observations. 

1.   Terminology: Wheelchairs, for us, are tools of mobility and independence. When such is the case, usage of terms like “wheelchair bound” or “confined to a wheelchair” don’t really appeal to us.  We are anything but confined to our wheelchairs. They give us the freedom to go about many a thing that we otherwise can’t. So please change the perception that wheelchairs are restricting.  Please strike these terms from popular usage and if someone else were to use it, please let them also know about the same.

2.   Uncalled for help: Because many of us have been using wheelchairs for quite some time, we have learnt the art of maneuvering it and have really gotten used to it. And where we need help, we are really OK with asking people around us for help. But often what happens is, people see us on the wheelchair and assume that we need help and without even asking us, just come and start pushing the wheelchair. I mean, imagine you are walking and someone, out of the blue comes and holds your hand, starts walking along with you, assuming that you can’t walk and you need help!! The feeling is very similar! They perhaps don’t intend to but it only is demeaning for us. We wouldn’t want one to help us with things that we can manage on our own. For things that we can’t manage, we shall surely reach out and ask.

3.  Being stared at: Because we are on the wheelchair, more often than not, we stand out in a crowd (not literally though! As much as we would love to!!)  We are OK with this. What we are not OK with is, us being stared at. Many times, people look at us like we are someone from another planet. People don’t always realize that we are as normal as them but for our wheelchairs, which are more of an extension to our bodies. On a lighter note, many a time, I are tempted to say- keep staring, I might do a trick!! Sorry if that sounded cheeky!! :D

4.  Accessibility: Accessibility is different for someone who is visually impaired, for someone who is hard of hearing and is different for someone on a wheelchair. For a wheelchair user, access is creating and maintaining physical environments, in which people can participate in ways which are dignified, maximize independence, conserve energy and are safe. If you wish to invite someone who is on the wheelchair to join you somewhere, please ensure that you take care of the simple things. Ensure that there aren’t too many physical things in the vicinity which would make maneuvering difficult for the wheelchair user. It can be just a chair or stool kept at a wrong place. Might not much of a difference to others. But for someone on the wheelchair, it poses to be a hurdle.

5.  Ramps: If you are inviting someone on a wheelchair to join you somewhere, please make it a point to ensure that there aren’t any steps. And if even there are any, ensure you have the provision of ramps. You might say “ We are strong enough. We will lift your wheelchair”. But that is not the best solution. And trust me when I say this, it can be very belittling. And it not the safest option too. Let me give you an example: I had to go to a relative’s house for a function. There were a couple of steps there. So I was content sitting in the verandah area talking to people. But some of the rituals were happening inside, And my relatives thought I was feeling bad that I was being left out which was not the case at all!! So they wanted me to be more included and so just started lifting my wheelchair not being fully aware how to do it right. And in the process, I twisted my foot and that resulted in a fracture!! See what it does? And this was just my example. There are a whole lot of others who face a similar plight if not worse!

And even when you are having ramps built, please make sure that the dimensions are correct. I have gone to a few offices where they boasted of being accessible as they had a ramp. But the ramp was steeply built that I had to take help.  And even the ones helping me were struggling!! The purpose of the ramp, many a time stands to be defeated. The government and many organizations have worked on the required dimensions for ramps and the key features which are made mandatory and these make the ramps ideal for usage.

6.  Sympathy and Special attention:  We often see people giving us sorry looks or trying to make small talk with us. They claim to sympathize and empathize with us. This can be mood turner! Sympathy is the last thing that we would want. Please look beyond our impairments, we have come to terms with reality and would like it if you can acknowledge us for what we are. And also, because we are on the wheelchair, we are more visible. But that doesn’t mean that we expect special attention and treatment. We don’t like being in the spotlight. Treat us like normal. If you can expedite our requests that would be appreciated. But we wouldn’t want any special treatment. Another thing is, many a time, people fail to understand that only mobility is our issue.  We are very much capable of making a good conversation like others, may be even better!!  But people assume that we can’t talk and we see many people asking the ones around us about what we want instead of asking us directly. We might not be able to walk, but we can surely talk!!

S  So these are a few things that I believe one has to be sensitive about when interacting with someone on a wheelchair. 

Bottom line is: All we would want is not to be differentiated. Treat us as normal.  Be friendly and your usual self with us.  Sensitization starts from there.