Things I can’t do in a Wheelchair.

I have always been an optimistic person, if someone told me you can’t do this, it made me feel like I wanted to prove them wrong. I never liked the feeling of being defeated. Well, some things in life, especially when you are in a wheelchair will defeat you. It’s one of those many things you learn to accept over the years of being paralyzed. I will for the rest of my life hate stairs! They are at homes, restaurants, downtown old buildings and of course government buildings. When, I want to go to a place and it has stairs, I have to call them and ask do you have another way to get in for a person that is in a wheelchair? That is when, they tell me to go all the way to the back and come through the back door.

If anyone knows their history, you will know those poor black folks back in the day when owned were not allowed to use the front door but had to go through the back door. I feel like that is the treatment poor wheelchair user folks get. Or we get told no, there is no other way in here. This causes anxiety for a lot of people; I know friends in wheelchairs that refuse to go out because of the fear of stairs or curbs that you can’t pop over. I overcome this, by scouting out the places first. I make sure I can access them and if I can’t they don’t deserve my business or my company. I change my way of thinking, instead of feeling sad and left out. I stop caring if they don’t care to make their business accessible or to help someone bound by a chair.

Bathrooms! This one will always be a battle, let’s start with people using the handicap stall when they have no disability. I understand if the bathroom is full, but if the regular stalls are empty and you feel the need to have extra space, is selfish. I have had to wait so many times on that one special person who felt the need to take the stall. More times they have said sorry, but yes, there have been those women that come out look at me and don’t say anything. Heck, I have had to go bad so many times, that I started to pee in a bottle out in the open! I told women, this is what I do when others are selfish and take that stall! I lost all cares and started telling people my peace of mind. Then there’s the bathrooms in gas stations and restaurants that are way damn skinny, and you cannot get into them. I still get mad to this day when I have to deal with these situations. I always have a bottle with me when I travel, the perks of using a catheter, you can pee anywhere. Is it still frustrating though, hell yes, it is! I wish all these older buildings were forced to be made up to code for people that do have disabilities. What if you had to poop really bad, common that’s not fair to anyone. To ever be made to feel like you can’t use the bathroom like a normal person.

My tip, make sure you have a bottle or a bag just in case of emergencies. Call a head and make sure they are wheelchair accessible and if you are spontaneous like me, don’t be afraid to explore and hopefully someone is around to help you.