Diving into the deep end

When no one teaches you how to use a wheelchair, every day is a trial and error

In last week’s post, I wrote, “I’ve never been 36 and in a wheelchair before. I was never 8, or 12, or 16, or 21 in a wheelchair. I don’t know what it’s like to be a child or a teenager in a wheelchair. I’m still learning about this mobile transition without actually being taught.”

I’ve been playing around with a short story on how I’ve had to teach myself to be active as a wheelchair user. When I used crutches, all of my exercise was the act of using crutches, tiring out my arms and causing sores on my hands and my elbows. When I switched to the chair, I wasn’t exerting so much energy, but I was introduced to a whole new means of being active that I simply couldn’t manage on crutches.

I remember when I had spinal surgeries, physios would try to teach me how to use my crutches, even though I had devised my own way of standing up, sitting down and getting around with their help. My move to the wheelchair was gradual. No accident, no decision. It just happened, and I had no guidance on how to actually exist as a wheelchair user.