Everyday: How to behave with canes, walkers and wheelchairs

[sparksals]

I'm not touchy and it's quite rude for you to imply I am for how I interpreted your post.  You could have simply stated that is not what you meant instead of name calling. 

No, I'm not a man. Perhaps b/c I'm not a big, burly man, people felt they could huff and puff at my slowness etc. 

[VorFemme]

Idjits will be idjits............just some people have the personality to deal with them and some people are intimidating enough in appearance that the idjits keep their mouths shut.  It can be harder to spot an idjit if they don't say anything idiotic.  Not impossible - they still do things - but harder............

[magician5]

I'm not touchy and it's quite rude for you to imply I am for how I interpreted your post.  You could have simply stated that is not what you meant instead of name calling.

If I have given offense, I apologize.

My comment was an attempt to demonstrate agreement with you. Describing how my set of experiences differs from your is in no way 'implying that you're not telling the truth.' I'm not quite sure how it can have been construed in that way, but I do apologize.

[JadeAngel]

Don't, as I saw one man doing last week, drive your motorized wheelchair down the left lane of a residential street with a small child sitting on your lap.

The poor little thing looked terrified and I don't blame her. It would only take one parent pulling out of the drop off area in front of the school on that street without looking and they both would have been toast.


Offer to hold doors, help with stairs, etc etc, but if the person says they're fine, take them at their word and move on.

[Wordgeek]

Sparksals, if you're unable to participate in the discussion courteously, then you need to remove yourself.  Take a Coke break.

Nothing in Magician5's post implied that you weren't telling the truth.  Different people have different experiences.  Please reread the forum rules about not taking offense where none was intended.

Edited because I can spell but not type.

[JonGirl]

If I'm entering a building and someone in a wheelchair is exiting I usually let them out first.

[paladin]

Don't insist on helping someone with a wheelchair if they refuse it, and treat wheelchairs as an exension of the person using them (i.e. resist handling the wheelchair without permission).  BF told me a story once about how he saw a wheelchair user attempting to enter a building.  BF propped open the door, grabbed the wheelchair by the handles, and pushed it all the way up the wheelchair ramp and into the building.  Of course, the man in the wheelchair was upset and gave BF an earful.  I had to explain to BF that the poor guy most likely felt manhandled the experience.  It would have been better if BF waited until he was asked, or simply offered his assistance if the guy appeared to be struggling.

Also be aware that some people with disabilities with who appear to struggle with everyday tasks may in fact be trying to teach themselves how to perform these tasks with their disability and may feel coddled by the assistance of others.