Wheelchair

I read an article last night describing the practical problems faced by a person with an impairment who uses a wheelchair. 

Wheelchairs come in all shapes and sizes these days and we can include in the genre mobility scooters of all kinds. Wheelchair users can also drive cars that are wheelchair accessible though these are expensive and higher than ordinary cars.

There are thus many things that technology can do for a person of limited mobility BUT much of the environment in which they have to move is in the control of others. They can do little about it. So

• Access to all premises is better these days but for some buildings a wheelchair user will have to use a separate entrance round the back
• reaching from a seated position is difficult so items high on supermarket shelves are inaccessible. As are the contents of chest freezers in stores
• toilets for disabled persons may meet standards but are useless if they have to be accessed by a route that includes a step
• counters in banks are at a height for standing customers
• if a wheelchair user is driving a car they may be at a height that makes using the ticket machines in a car park impossible - and they can't just hop out!
• lifts should be good but old style lifts can have heavy sliding doors/gates that are difficult to open and close from a wheelchair
• Parking spaces wide enough for getting in a wheelchair are frequently used by non wheelchair users
• visiting a restaurant means doing research beforehand to see if it has disabled toilets and access to all parts
• There is often a lack of planning - a rail station with disabled facilities may not have disabled parking places!

 It was a good article in that it helped me see the world through another persons eyes and understand the frustrations that they often feel as they try to live the normal sort of life that I take for  granted.