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When you have a physical disability wheelchairs are often required because some people cannot walk and would not be able to leave their homes without them but not all disabilities require them fulltime and sometimes you only need a wheelchair when you have to walk long distances or live with pain and are having a high pain day. I was born with the most severe type of Spina Bifida and a have never been able to walk because the muscles in my legs don’t work properly and without assistive devices walking would not be possible. Most people with the same form of Spina Bifida I have use wheelchair full time but after having many surgeries and therapies I have been able to learn to walk with crutches. As a part-time wheelchair user I have mastered navigating spaces with crutches because I use them most of the time but when it comes to my wheelchair I am not a nearly as skilled. I do not have the skills a fulltime wheelchair has because I am not in my wheelchair nearly as much and don’t nee d the same skills a full-time user has and I the only thing I need to know is what to do if my chair flips and how to drive it. In this post, I am going to talk about some things you may not know about being a full-time wheelchair user.
I don’t have the skills full-time wheelchair users have– Full-time wheelchairs spend more time in their wheelchair in day than I do in a week and sometimes can do a lot of cool tricks with their chair because they have to practice. People sometimes can assume that everyone who is uses a wheelchair can do a lot of tricks but that is not always true. My wheelchair does not come in my home because I primarily walk with crutches, and I need to walk as much as possible to maintain my strength and keep my skill up. I can do some cool twirls with my crutches and not whack myself in the face because I have had time to practice it but when it comes to tricks with my wheelchair I am not nearly as skilled. I cannot do a lot of wheelchair tricks that full-time wheelchair users can and the most you will ever see me do is a wheelie and I haven’t even perfected that. If you ask me to do a trick with my chair I will probably try because that is the type of person, I am but it will likely end in a complete failure. As a part-time wheelchair user small spaces are more difficult to me to navigate because you aren’t in your chair enough to master small spaces and sometimes, I will completely misjudge a space and hit a wall. I am better at navigating my wheelchair than an able-bodied person who never sits in a wheelchair but by no means would I call myself an expert.
I can’t recline my chair when I get tired- Full-time wheelchair users that use electric wheelchairs often have the ability to recline chairs when they start to experience pain or just want to take a nap. I wish my wheelchair had the ability to recline but it doesn’t and the only way I am getting any kind of recline is if I do a wheelie which isn’t a true recline because it does require some work. If I am in pain from sitting my wheelchair for too long I usually have to get out of my chair and find a more comfortable seat to get relief.
My chair is not as comfortable– When you are in your wheelchair most of the time often your chair has more cushion and is more comfortable than a part-time wheelchair. My wheelchair is not uncomfortable, and I can have a long day of shopping without being in horrible pain but it’s not as comfortable as a full-time wheelchair because they don’t put as much padding in a manual chair that is only used occasionally. . My wheelchair has some padding because I am more prone to pressure sores and need a gel cushion to prevent sores, but my chair can get uncomfortable. I do not have the fancy gadgets that a lot of full-time electric users have, and the back of my chair is too straight for my liking want but the only way to fix that is by getting a new chair which can only do once every five years. My wheelchair doesn’t need to be super comfortable because I am not sitting in it as much and it can get uncomfortable because they don’t make chairs as comfortable when you only use it some of the time.
My chair does not run on a battery- Full-time wheelchair user that primarily use an electric wheelchair have to charge their chairs on a regular basis because it runs on a battery that will die if you don’t charge it. I do not have that restriction and my chair will go as long as my arms have the strength to keep pushing and the only reason I might be stuck somewhere is if I get a flat tire which doesn’t usually happen because they don’t make the wheels on my chair easy to pop. When you use an electric wheelchair a lot of the time you can only go a certain speed but don’t have that restriction and can go as fast as my arms will take me which can be much faster than an electric wheelchair will allow.
I can get more tired- People with electric wheelchairs can drive their chairs for hours and not get fatigued because you are only hitting a button and are only exercising your fingers but I am actually doing a full upper body workout for my arms and will get tired if I have to go up a bunch of hills . If I am on vacation and sight-seeing a lot of the time I’m not alone and people are with me to help push if I were to get tired but if I was by myself and my arms got fatigued I’d have to stop and rest.
My chair doesn’t cost as much and lasts longer- My wheelchair is expensive and without insurance I wouldn’t be able to get one because it’s hundreds of dollars, but electric wheelchairs are even more and can cost thousands of dollars. I get a new wheelchair every couple of years but if for some reason I couldn’t get one I wouldn’t be at a complete lost because manual chairs last much longer than an electric one and you can get ten years or more out of manual chair. Electric chairs do not last nearly as long because batteries die, and you have to replace parts which you wouldn’t have to do with a manual chair. You can sometimes grow out of manual chair and do need to replace them every so often, but it will last longer than electric wheelchair as long as you take care of it.
As a part-time wheelchair user, I have developed some skills because anyone who uses a wheelchair more than once develops some type of skill for navigating small spaces but when you only use your chair fifty percent some things are harder for you. Full and part-time wheelchair users both face challenges in the public because we live in an inaccessibility world, but fulltime wheelchair users often are better at navigating barriers because you have had more practice. Full-time wheelchair users do not struggle as much with navigating a small space as much as I do but I wouldn’t want to become a full-time wheelchair user because I like being able to get out of my chair when there are stairs. I have a lot more skill with my crutches because I use them all of the time and need those skills. Part-time wheelchair users often have more freedom because our chairs are much smaller than an electric wheelchair and we sometimes can fit through smaller spaces that an electric wheelchair wouldn’t be able to. I hope you learned something about the realities of being a part-time wheelchair user but if you have any more questions, please leave a comment below.
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