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  • International Wheelchair Day 2021

    Posted by danielle-dani-liptak on March 1, 2021 at 12:26 pm

    Today, March 1, 2021, is international wheelchair day. I like to tell people that my wheelchair is my freedom chariot. Without it, I would not be as independent or as social as I am. I used to be scared at the thought of needing a wheelchair, but that changed at the age of 27 when I got my first powerchair. It took some time to get used to, but it really opened up a world of opportunities for me!

    How has your wheelchair bettered your life? Were you nervous or scared at the thought of needing a wheelchair? Do you get bothered when non-disabled people say they “could never be in a wheelchair”? Does society fear wheelchairs and disability instead of seeing the value and worth for the disabled community?

    leah-leilani replied 3 years ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • pete-barron

    Member
    March 2, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    This is a topic I love and I’ve already shared a lot about the freedom my wheels give me. So many people get stuck in the sad end of being “wheelchair bound”, but it’s not like that at all! I deferred the decision to get a power chair for years for all the typical reasons, but when I finally fell into one and found out how much freedom and less strain I get from it, I have never looked back. Instead of limiting me, it has freed me from many limitations! It goes without saying that the chairs and steps and all the architectural  nightmares we encounter, all have their limiting factors, but I really feel that I regained a lot of my life that I thought was permanently lost when I got my first chair. Also, with most muscular dystrophy the old saying “use it or loose it” is backwards. When I can stand up out of my chair and shuffle a couple of steps and people are confused, I tell them “I can still walk because I mostly don’t!”

  • leah-leilani

    Member
    March 4, 2021 at 4:27 pm

    I can also attest to the fact that the stigma around wheelchairs is completely false. I clearly remember when my mom got her scooter and I got my first wheelchair. Those were some of the best and happiest days of our lives. Those devices have given us back our lives, mobility and independence.

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