Leadership - Wheelchair Companies

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The sore arms were bad but there was something that hurt more than that. That was people staring. It was really embarrassing to have people just stare at you for no reason. If I was just walking around half the people wouldn’t even notice me. When I was in the cafeteria getting my food people were staring left and right. Going into this challenge that was the last thing I was worried about. But it is crazy how much people just stare at you can make you feel different and insecure about yourself. I felt like some special species that just landed on earth.

Out of all the people staring at me like I was an unknown creature some were staring to offer me some assistant. A lot of people were pretty generous to me thru out the whole time I was on a wheelchair. It kills me that I have to be in a wheelchair to have people be nice to me and offer me help but I am not complaining better than them being mean. There was a time in the cafeteria I pretended that I was struggling to grab silverware and almost everyone helped me out there. I also went by the union and made it look like I was struggling to get up the ramp. A lot of people helped me there to but others were scared. I can see them give me the, I’m not sure if I should offer this guy help look.

It’s crazy how unless I felt yesterday. I struggled with all the little things, simple things that I would do without even thinking about it when I am not on a wheelchair. When I dropped things it was almost impossible for me to pick it up. Using the restroom was just as bad. Trying to lift myself onto the toilet without using my legs. Luckily I didn’t have to take a shower but I can’t even imagine trying to strip my cloth, get showered up and put my cloth back on. Every little thing was a struggle.

Spending some time in a wheelchair definitely opened my eyes and made me realize you never really know what one person is going thru until you live in their spot. I feel really sorry for people that have to deal with those issues on a daily basis. Kids, elders, soldiers who went to go serve our county and came back crippled, or even some people who were born with disorders that would force them to use a wheelchair on daily bases. This project was an eye opener and I am glad I participated in this.

References

Joe, H. (2015, September 11). [Personal interview].

James, M. (2015, September 13). [Personal interview].

Wheelchair Facts, Numbers and Figures [Infographic]. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2015.

Disability, disabilities, convention, UN, rights, accessibility. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2015.