I went with my wife to this Very Fancy Resort (details aren't important to this particular story) where she was going to attend a Fancy Something-or-other which, as far as I could tell (being as I wasn't part of it, I'm just going on hearsay here) turned out to be amazingly wonderful for said attendees. I'm very happy my wife could participate, and we both are psyched for her to do it again!
As for me... it was a world of "Handicap friendly? Oh, really...."
A roll-in shower! Wheelchair person rolls in, transfers to a bench, and shower away! Except... not. From said bench, the valve that activates & adjusts temperature of the shower was over six feet away. Sure I can roll in, but I can't use it.
Bathroom sinks that are wheelchair friendly, so you can roll up and wash your hands or brush your teeth or whatever you like! How nice! Except... the sink plumbing occludes the path of your knees. Wheel yourself under the sink and smack your knees hard. At which point, you're now in pain and blocked so you can't use the sink that hurt you.
The wheelchair-accessible desk, that is too low to allow a wheelchair to slide under. Calling something "wheelchair accessible" because you can wheel up to it but not use it doesn't count.
Lovely grounds! But all the paths are intentionally bumpy--big bumps, oh that tile looks ever so nice, doesn't it? Until you try to wheel yourself over it. Lots of stairs, lots of big bumps but no rails.
I could go on... but as many nice things there were to look at, they were often impossible for Guy in a Wheelchair to use.
I don't think I took effect from it, parts of it I did enjoy! But as long as I'm in this chair in the state I am last weekend and/or today...
As Finn the Human said quite often in Adventure Time, "I'm not coming back."
Be here now, as Ram Dass has reminded us for years.
Good advice, MS or not.
2 comments:
I so understand what you're saying. So many times, we read that something is "accessible" only to find that it really isn't. I still believe that anyone who is designing/constructing/furnishing the 'accessible' should sit in a wheelchair while doing so!
Oh yeah... You wanna call this "wheelchair accessible?" I don't challenge you, I ***DARE*** you... sit in a wheelchair, and try it. Then look me in the eye, from your wheelchair, and tell me that everything is just fine.
Yeah... Right...
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