Sharing my life and areas of inaccessibility, as a full-time electric wheelchair user.
What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?
I know how that sounds but bare with me.
My phone, the internet, and social media, it is how I access the world. There’s no other way I can do so without help, there’s no other place I can be me the way I want to.
My phone also gets me help when I need it.
It’s not unfair to say that it’s my lifeline.
So don’t judge people who live through the Internet, judge the rest of the world for making it there only option.
It depends who you ask I suppose.
But it seems like the act of mentioning issues more than once is to much for some people on the internet. So much that they have to blindly threaten me on the internet, just because they don’t like the issues I’m talking about.
It’s almost like the issues I share on my social media are persistent problems, that aren’t just going to disappear because I post about them once. Funny that, isn’t it? What really gets me is that I would also be criticised for sharing issues that were only a one off, but sharing and resharing issues is just to much.
Societal problems are persistent, and if you think people aren’t complaining about anything important, you should just be glad that they’re not problems you have to deal with. That for now, the issues are distant enough, to be something that you see strangers talking about on the internet.
One day the silly little problems will be your problems. Disability is a matter of if, not when. It will be you one day. You should really care about disability issues, because one day they will effect you. But even if that isn’t enough of a reason, you can just leave the people you don’t agree with alone. If you don’t like it, scroll.
Anyway, to the person that left that comment, thank you. You not only made me laugh, but gave me content both for my other social media platforms as well as this blog.
What are your favorite emojis?
This one: 💜
That’s because purple is my favourite colour. But there are some other emojis that I really love.
There’s this one: 🩶 the grey heart.
There are two reasons I love the grey heart. The first is because my cat Ellis is grey, so I often use this emoji when posting about them. The second is because it means I can post all the colours of the Asexual Flag in emoji heart form: 💜🤍🩶🖤. That’s the purple heart, followed by the white heart, followed by the grey heart, followed by the black heart.
I feel like here I need to take a second to inform you that for my dogs Bella and Immy I also use coloured hearts. For Bella I use the brown heart: 🤎, and for Immy I use the yellow heart: 💛. And now just because I have an excuse to, I’m going to include a picture of all three of my furbabies below.
So back to emojis. Obviously as an aminal lover I love the dog and cat emojis: 🐕 🐶🐈🐈⬛️😺. I particularly the black cat emoji and the panting dog emoji: 🐈⬛️🐶, as I think they are similar to Ellis and Bella. Then we can’t forget the paw print emoji: 🐾, which is just so cute.
Then I’ve got to say that I love the wheelchair emojis:👩🦼👩🦽🦼🦽👨🦽👨🦼. I love that there are different types of wheelchairs included in these emojis, and this one: 👩🦼, is similar to my wheelchair, which makes me even happier.
I also have a family member who cannot read or write, but who uses the colour of emojis as one of there ways to communicate. Which is really nice.
I think emojis are both a great tool for accessibility as well as just being a bit of fun. It’s nice they can tick both boxes.
How do you use social media?
Many people criticise social media but I believe the criticism is firmly how some people use it, as apples to the fact it exists as at all.
I believe this because social media is a big part of how I access the world. It’s how I not only keep in contact with the people I know, but more generally the world around me.
For me social media is completely accessible, most of the time, and I recognise what a privileged position that puts me in. It means I am able to access the world of social media as if I were not disabled. Maybe that’s why I love it so much, because for me there are no barriers that exist in the real world.
So if you have a bad experience on social media, remember not to judge the platform but the individual people that were rude or mean to you. The platform can do so much good. And my blaming the platform for the actions of people you take the responsibility from people for there actions.
The most important invention in your lifetime is…
So I’m going to answer this question in terms of what invention I feel has had the most important impact on me personally. Not necessarily the most important global or social invention of my time. Basically I’m not doing any research, I’m just answering the question based on my life.
If you looked at me now, you’d think this was the most logically answer. And while I am grateful for the invention of the wheelchair, and in my case particularly the electric wheelchair, there are in fact other more important inventions to me.
I don’t think I’d be answering this question properly if I didn’t consider the inventions that undoubtably saved my life when I was born. Like many with my condition I was born extremely prematurely and should’ve died. So a small nod to the inventions that are the reason I’m alive.
Then it’s important to remember the ones you’re more likely to see me in, my electric wheelchair. There’s my electric bed and air mattress that I need to sleep, as well as my electric blanket which has to be the best pain killer for me personally. My comfy chair which just gives me somewhere else to sit and my shower chair, which I hope by the title is self-explanatory. Then you’ve got to remember the hoist, that gets me from a, to b, to c and sometimes d.
But the ones that I feel are the most important thing to me are those like the mobile phone, the internet, the computer. Now I know this sounds very millennial of me, if I’m getting the terminology correct. And someone’s somewhere is going to judge me for my reliance on the internet. But just remember where you’re reading this blog.
The internet, social media and the technology that exists to use them on. Provides me access and inclusion to the world around me in a way my wheelchair cannot do in such an inaccessible world. Steps do not exist on the internet.
I know social media gets a bad reputation and I understand why. But I always say it’s the way people use technology, not the technology that it is bad. While this doesn’t apply to things like guns which don’t have a good use. It applies to things like knives which clearly do, and in the case of this post, social media.
Social media lets me be the me I wish I could be in the real world. It lets me meet new people near and far, and learn all about them. It lets me keep in touch with people, that would be even more difficult to do without social media due to my lack of mobility. The internet truly is a wonder. And phones can do so much, provide so much access beyond what I use them for.
Inventions truly are a wonder. They can often be used by people in ways the person who invented them likely never imaged. They are never to be underestimated.
How do you manage screen time for yourself?
I don’t honestly believe in the need to manage screen time in the way, I believe most people view it. I think screen time should be more about what you do with technology rather than how long you spend on it
Technology has acted as a window for me to accessibility in an inaccessible world. so to limit how much time I spend using it, honestly seems bizarre. To me, it seems like I would be limiting how much time I spent in the real world, which I am aware, is the complete opposite to how most people see the situation where screen time and the related technology is concerned.
Now, as I write this, it might be obvious that I am thinking of technology as a mobile phone or a computer. and therefore pre-labelling screen time as meaning time spent on such devices, using social media specifically. As social media has definitely been my biggest window to the world. I personally level criticisms at the way people use social media as opposed to the platforms themselves, but this is a point of written about previously and something to save for a further post.
I make this point, purely as I want to make it clear that I’m aware that screen time can refer to things other than social media and the use of mobile phones and computers. it can also refer to, and often does refer to watching TV or perhaps listening to music. Again, if this is something you enjoy, I don’t believe it is something you should limit yourself to a certain time period. Why should your joy be limited by other peoples perceptions of it?
No, I make such statements of somebody who is able to make my own decision in the world and free use of technology. As somebody who understands what others might say, I would ‘be giving’ up in order to spend my time using technology. In other words, I’m fully aware what I could be doing instead of spending my time looking at his screen, others may not be. By others, I mean young children, not simply somebody you disagree with, people can spend their time, however, like whether you like it or not. Children are however a different story.
It is my firm belief that children should be given access to as many different things as possible throughout their childhood. This includes social media and other sometimes tabooed websites, when children have been educated correctly on their use and safety, as well as other screen focused technology. I don’t agree with banning use of any type of technology with appropriate considerations. In fact in modern society, given how prevalent the use of technology, and the Internet is, I actually think doing this would be cruel.
I could write about this topic forever, but I should get back to the initial question asked.
I don’t actively manage my screen time, I don’t see any need to. I live my life as close to the way I want to, as I can, and don’t listen to arbitrary faults the people place within it.
And to anyone reading this, you think I should be limiting or at least monitoring and managing my screen time in someway, I say this. Make the world accessible first, and then we will talk.
This climate, this post was written using both a screen and voice to text. I apologies for any mistakes in it that may affect the clarity of this post, please do let me know if and we change any such mistakes.
What are your favorite websites?
If you ask me the greatest, and most dangerous, thing about the internet is the range of what you can do on it.
The beauty of the internet is that you can do anything you want on it.
It’s hard for me to say what my favourite websites are, but I would have to say it’s probably those that connect me with others or help to access the world. Social media, like Facebook or Instagram, apps like Google and Google Maps are a god send for accessibility and independent travel.
The world is incredible inaccessibility, in ways I don’t really notice as I am simply so used to live in it. But the internet helps me find my way through it and make it more accessible.
Perhaps unsurprisingly I know a lot of disabled people. Society does love to push us altogether, but you honestly don’t really want to get me started on that I swear.
But here’s my question, what’s the type of mindset that some disabled people have where they feel like they can just throw in the phrase “I’m disabled” and then that gives them a right to say whatever they want or for what they say to have some sort of extra power.
I’m seriously asking someone to explain it to me if you can because I just don’t get it.
The use of reusable cups in places is not something new, or something which I object to at all. Reusable cups are clearly great for the environment. The problem comes with how you wash them, and the fact that washing these reusable cups is a task left to the customer.
This can often make these reusable cups and inaccessible to disabled people like myself. meaning that we run into problems when trying to clean up so they can be refilled in places. Personally this is not something I am able to do, in my experiences places will not refill cup that has been used without your cleaning it first. I even explained that I would be very happy to have the cup simply rinsed out, yet they didn’t want to do this. And while I understand there reasoning for this it resulted in a reusable cup becomes a single cup for me. So then I wonder what the point on me even carrying a reusable cup is if I can’t reuse it?
I do understand the concerns with refilling used cups that are not clean, but if someone is unable to clean their own cup, I don’t see how you can have it both ways. How you can expect them to use something that’s inaccessible to them and not help them to use it.
Let me see if I can explain for those of you reading this who may not understand why I cannot wash a reusable cup. The biggest reason for me is the spoons involved in cleaning it. It is simply energy I can’t afford to use every day. Then we are talking about having to do this multiple times a day. Including finding somewhere to wash the cup out that is also accessible, it all costs more spoons I don’t have.
This is a bigger problem at least for me personally than it may appear. I have struggled for a lot of my life with chronic dehydration, and if I was restricted to the use of only cups require more spoons I can very easily see myself further restricting my liquid intake, and becoming more dehydrated.
If places are only going to allow the use of reusable cups instead of single use cups, this makes Ann accessible to someone who can’t clean their own reusable cup.
Ideas of sustainability seem to cost accessibility, the removal of plastic straws are a perfect example of this. A small improvement in sustainability that was implemented with little or no consideration for the impact on disabled people. It didn’t change anything for non disabled people so the argument was lost.
This example is more easily made accessible. Simply, allow restaurants and coffee shops to rinse reusable cups for customers. It’s not a perfect solution but it is a solution this could work.
All I am really asking is can we please consider disabled people in movements of sustainability. We often need single use products, straws, cups, ready cut fruit, to make the world accessible to us. I’m not asking for sustainability to be forgotten, but simply for accessibility to be considered as part of sustainability to. Disabled people live in the world to.
Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
I know computers, the internet and social media can often get a bad reputation, mainly due to bullying. But in all honesty, for a long time, social media was how I accessed the world around me. For all the bad I struggle to see how computers can be anything more than a positive.
I’m fortunate both in my ability and living where I live, that I now have much more of an active in-person social life, than I did when I was younger. However, there were many ways to make friends online.
So to be honest to put it bluntly, my life without computers, looks boring and isolating.
My Inaccessible Life 