to do with a partner

[Lee]

This is a fun game to play with a non-disabled partner:

A couple of years back, when I was living with my then boyfriend, we had a wheelchair in the closet. Of course, I would have liked it if he used it, but I don't think he was completely comfortable with that. (I mostly used it.) But one day I came home and he told me that he had taken the wheelchair out by himself and gone around town in it.

The thing is, to this day, I have no idea if he really took the wheelchair out or did any of the things he said he did. But after he insisted it was true and described it to me, I didn't care if it was true or not.

[paul wheelie37]

Quite a few years ago, I went out with a couple of friends and my spare wheelchair. They both had a go at pushing around town. They followed me, and it wasnt only on flat easy areas. It is very easy to just go on flat areas. Unfortunately this is not real life!

It was a real eye opener for them. They even saw what it was like going in shops and how people treated them etc.
One of them saw someone they see every day on the way to work.
The person actually looked away and carried on walking. when my friend saw her a couple of days later, the woman said she had felt so bad, she didnt know what to say.

They also tried getting up and down curbs by themselves. It was a very good idea to have one of them standing behind as it was not safe as not used to it.
They both had a great day ( except for aching shoulders and knocked hands)

Was very educational for them and people who saw them.

It also helped us get closer as friends

I highly recommend others to try it if they get the opportunity.

[Lee]

I have a friend who is a social worker who works mainly with disabled individuals. When he was in training, he was "assigned" to spend a day working in a wheelchair, in order to get an idea of what his patients were going through. He told me it wound up taking him twice as long to get all his work done and he felt everyone was staring at him. (Although in the end, he really enjoyed the experience.)

[wheelie37]

They had a similar thing for physio`s and Occupational therapists at my spinal unit. having legs bound or arms, going out and about in wheelchairs. learning how to jump curbs etc