Tag: Electric Wheelchair

Why are accessible services so complicated?

On By Katy DalyIn Blog, My Disability TruthLeave a comment

So I’ve been trying to get on to a transport service in my local area, specifically aimed at those who would struggle to use public transport or drive for whatever reason. While they are technically accessible if you use a wheelchair, like most of the things in society, they are still extra complicated for wheelchair users.

I expect things to be more complicated when I try to access them as a wheelchair user, but there’s something that little bit more annoying when trying to access a service specifically aimed at people like me. You would just think they’d be more prepared, that they would know what they were doing. That there would be less steps, if anything,,but definitely not me.

I know I’ll get through all the extra nonsense yet again and be able to use the service. But there’s just so much of it, and it keeps happening. It really feels like society is punishing me sometimes for being disabled.

My chair cut out randomly today.

On By Katy DalyIn My Disability TruthLeave a comment
Video Description: The video is of me in my electric wheelchair on the ramp outside my house. I am waving as I speak.

So this wasn’t the post I was planning to scare today. I’m still of two minds as to whether it’s time to start writing on this blog again yet. Does anyone else get the feeling after you loose someone that’s it to soon to start getting on with life? But at the same time it’ll always be to soon and you’ll have to start getting on with things anyway?

Today my chair cut out on the ramp outside my flat. It has temporarily been fixed and I am waiting on the engineer to get it fixed properly, so don’t worry I am no longer stuck on the ramp. And thankfully I had people that were able to help me with this situation.

But it kind of ruined my plans for the day. Which was only going to get my flu vaccine, so it’s not the end of the world, but still. It’s really frustrating when something to do with my disability ruins my plans for the day. It reminds me that I’m not really in control of my life, my condition is, or the technology I use is, I suppose.

This is the reality of a life spent relying on technology. Some of us have no choice in our reliance, but that doesn’t stop the technology being fallible. Something can always brake, something can always go wrong. And it stops my life in its tracks when that happens.

When it happened in all honesty I just didn’t know what to do, because it had never happened before. One advantage of this, other than at least for today not having to get jabbed in the arm, is I now know what to do if this happens again, though obviously I hope it doesn’t. And it happening today it’s not the end of the world.

My chairs being fixed now as I finish this post. But here’s an important reminder if you or someone you know is reliant on technology to live there day to day life. Technology will have faults. It will most likely stop a person being able to do what they want to with there day from time to time. It’s not their fault and they feel bad enough about it, so don’t make them feel worse about it.

Reliance on technology

On By Katy DalyIn My Disability TruthLeave a comment

I am reliant on a lot of technology to live my life. One of the most important pieces of technology and reliant on is my wheelchair, but this can break like any other piece of technology can. At the minute I am dealing with a few different wheelchair related problems including footplates that are the wrong height, alongside cushions that are no longer functional and batteries that do not work properly.

When I went to have a the cushion looked at recently I was told that not only do I need a new cushion but my foot plates were the wrong height. If I’m honest, I was confused by that because I’ve had a foot plates at this height for many years. But although I use these chairs, I don’t know a lot about sitting in them correctly so I believe the professional who saw me at my appointment and allow them to fix what they saw as the issue. They were hired but now my feet no longer stay on the foot plates.

While waiting for the cushions to be replaced, I found it was causing too much of a problem for me that my feet would not stay on the foot plate anymore, so I contacted them for a solution. But as if that wasn’t enough of a problem while waiting for solution to these two issues, I developed a problem with my batteries.

Again in trying to be helpful, I did something I’ve done many times before, I picked up some prescriptions for others and took it to them. By the time I got to the house, which isn’t all that far from mine, I had very little battery left in my wheelchair. I had to get someone to walk me home to make sure I got there okay without my chair stopping like it often does when the batteries are really dead. The only way to tell when the batteries is on my wheelchair are going is when they no longer last the distance that they previously did. There’s no indicator on the chair, or any way to really predict the batteries going before they start to go.

This means I had to call the wheelchair services that provide maintenance to my chair and book an appointment for them to replace my batteries as soon as possible. This was something they were able to do quicker than the other repairs I am waiting on, both because batteries are obviously more important but also because they are standard and more easily replaceable than other parts of the chair. But it means I have to put my life on hold to some extent until the batteries are replaced. I have plans tomorrow for example, but I may not be able to follow through on them depending how well my battery wants to work between now and when it will be changed on Monday.

While some people might understand a little bit about what it is like to be reliant on technology in modern society, as tech technology needed a lot. You can’t really understand what it is like to need technology like those with disabilities often do unless you’re in that situation. Technology doesn’t just make things easier, when you’re disabled, it makes things possible.

It can make life difficult, as I promise you it will usually brake at the most inappropriate time for it to brake. But in reality, there’s no good time for something that you need so much to brake. You just have to learn to get by as best you can, and wait for it to be repaired. But I really wish I didn’t have to rely on technology sometimes, especially when it doesn’t work properly.

Hopefully I’ll get my batteries changed on Monday, and the other problems fixed as soon as possible. Then nothing will go wrong with my chair, and I can get on with my life without having to stop it for broken vital technology, for a good while. 

I haven’t worn shoes in 10 years, but that changes tomorrow.

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Okay so there were a few times I’ve worn shoes over the last 10 years. But I did stop wearing shoes with any kind of regularity after an operation I had after high school, so that was 11 years ago. There was the odd occasion where I was made to wear shoes in order to appear “professional”.

But I haven’t willingly or consistently worn shoes, for longer than I’ve had Bella, who is 11 thus years. And that’s all about to change if these shoes are able to keep my feet on my footplates tomorrow.

My footplates were recently quite dramatically highered, becauae apparently they were in a very wrong position for me for a few years. However no one decided to tell me or my body that. To avoid going straight to straps I’m starting with just adding some grip in the form of shoes, or shoe like slippers, and seeing if that solves the problem.

Technically I’m starting with slippers because you’ve got to start somewhere, right? And they won’t change the position of my feet, this is particularly scary for me on my right foot an ankle which was wrongly placed in the cast after that surgery and so is now no longer straight.

This feels like a dramatic change to my life, and the way I relate to my disability. But hopefully it works and ends up being good. And at least I won’t go through shoes, or slippers, that quickly, as they won’t touch the floor.

Wish me luck.

Sometimes you’ve got to try different, right?

Check out my brief Tiktok about it here – if you like.

Two wheelchair users, one bus.

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It always surprises me, but it probably shouldn’t anymore, that public transport is generally only designed for one person in a wheelchair to use at a time. We don’t in fact all know each other and coordinate when we need to do things together, contrary to popular belief.

As I write this I’m on a bus on the way to pick up some medication for a family member, I like to be useful and it’s not often I can do that without actually being in the way, but today happens to be one of those days.

There was someone else that wanted to get on the bus in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t because I’m already on it. I feel bad as if somewhere it’s my fault, even though logically I know that it isn’t because I didn’t design the buses. But can you imagine if the roles were reversed?

If public transport was only designed to take one non- disabled person at a time? How annoyed would they be at having to wait for a bus with a space on all the time?

But it doesn’t matter that disabled people have to wait. It doesn’t matter that wheelchair users can never go out with other friends in wheelchairs when they need to use public transport. We almost always have to meet them at the place we’re going. We don’t get the full experince.

This is made even worse when you realise that society actually pushes disabled people together. They think it would be easier for us all to be friends at a young age, because no one who isn’t disabled should have to be friends with someone who is. But then don’t create a society where you’re actually able to do things as friends. It’s just weird to me.

Learning Routes.

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Due to a lot of the world around me being massively inaccessible, I almost always learn specific routes when I travel in well known areas. This is something now do without thinking because I’m so used to doing it, and I often don’t realise I’ve done it until I route I take has to change for some reason.

I only have to do a regular route a few times before I find ways that are comfortable to me. These are ways that are often so specific, they include travelling on a specific side of the road. I’ve even missed shops that are on the other side of the road to the route I’m taking, because I’m so focused on the way I have learnt to go.

When I have to change a route it can actually be quite scary and sometimes disorienting. One reason for this can be because I don’t know the condition of the pavements I will be on, or where drop curbs are. Sometimes I have to just change curbs that are new to me, because I can’t always tell how big a drop is going to be when I’m on the pavement. And as I can’t always see exactly where my wheels are, sometimes I hit pot holes, that I was unaware of previously.

To put it simply, I have to pay a lot more attention and take more risks when I travel on routes that are unfamiliar to me, so I obviously don’t like to do this.

Now I am able to manage better than some, when changing routes, despite my difficulties. For some being able to follow specific routes that they have learnt is more important than it is for me.

The point of this post is to hopefully remind anyone reading it that sometimes people have learnt routes for specific reasons, and they can’t just change them. Some obstructions like road works are unavoidable, what I mean by that is they require the say of the council not individuals to prevent. But individual pavement obstructions, such as where you park your car, is a different story.

It is worth remembering that people can’t just change routes. They can’t always just cross over to the other side of the road, to pass the obstruction you create.

So have a little consideration for where you park or leave things on the pavement. Just remember you may be blocking a path that is someone’s only way of travelling somewhere independently.

I am aware that this post may be considered slightly ironic given my current situation which makes travel difficult. But as I’ve had to explain this recently to others, after sharing pavement obstructions by hedges and vehicles, I thought it was worth also going over here as well.

Discomfort.

On By Katy DalyIn My Disability TruthLeave a comment

It’s a common thing when you’re me. I don’t know what’s worse knowing the cause and not knowing there isn’t a fix or knowing the cause and knowing the fix but not being able to fix it.

It’s got to be knowing there is a way to fix it and not being able to do it yourself.

I’m waiting for the cushion to be fixed on my chair, it can take up to 6 months just for the appointment, who knows how long to actually fix it. So that’s (at least) 6 months of extra discomfort, often and eventual pain, with a solution I’m stuck waiting for.

Don’t get me wrong I know I’m luckier than some, to get this eventually and for free. But its still hard.

Discomfort can be more difficult than pain for me. The pain I am used to, it’s my normal. But the discomfort is new, and I don’t know how to deal with that. It’s going to be rough

Wheelchairs do not move sideways.

On By Katy DalyIn My Disability TruthLeave a comment

See underneath all images for Image Description all credit to the original content creator.

Frame 1
Frame 2
Frame 3
Frame 4

COMIC STRIP
A Day in the Life of a PWD (Person With a Disability)

Frame 1:
A wheelchair user is traveling down a sidewalk. A man and woman are walking towards her.

Frame 2:
As the wheelchair user approaches, the man steps to the side but the woman doesn’t.

Frame 3:
The woman almost walks into the wheelchair user, and is startled.
WOMAN: Oops…I didn’t see you there!

Frame 4:
They all continue on their ways.
WHEELCHAIR USER (thinking):
What am I? Invisible?!

Backdated post. I’m making a half hearted attempt to keep this blog sort of going, and keep my streak.

Disability Pride Month 2024

On By Katy DalyIn Disability Pride ♿️Leave a comment
Image Description: Straight diagonal lines from top left to bottom right. The colours from top to bottom are red, yellow, white, blue and green, all on a faded black background.

Now I want to say that I will be doing various posts related to Disability Pride over this July which is Disability Pride Month. And I will do my best to share information, but as always I make no promises.

But for now, let’s start with the flag. All of the colours have individual meanings so let’s go through them.

  • Geen is for sensory disabilities.
  • Blue represents emotional and psychiatric disabilities.
  • White stands for non-visible and undiagnosed disabilities.
  • Gold is for neurodiversity.
  • Red represents physical disabilities.
  • The faded black background commemorates and mourns disabled people who’ve died due to ableism, violence, negligence, suicide, rebellion, illness and eugenics. The dark background also represents rage and protest against the mistreatment of the disabled community. According to the creator’s statement, black is also a connection to the pirates’ Jolly Roger flag, a general symbol of rebellion.

As I’ve said I will try to post more about Disability Pride this month. But plans can sometimes be difficult, so don’t blame me if I fail.

♿️HAPPY DISABILITY PRIDE♿️

It’s a bit much.

On By Katy DalyIn BlogLeave a comment

A bad experience at a concert can really through me, and that’s what happened last night.

If you want to know more specifics about the experience you can see the TikTok I made here. A poor inaccessible experience, and that’s putting it lightly, throws the entire image I have of myself as a disabled person into question.

It makes me wonder why I even try, if I’m just going to be treated like that. It makes me wonder why I even try. It makes me feel more disabled. 

It shows me without a doubt that it’s society that makes me disabled, and that makes me sad. It makes me sad because I know there’s nothing I can really do about the way they want to treat me.

I just want to enjoy a concert. I don’t understand why that’s to much to ask.