Yesterday I found out . . .

. . . how it feels to be in a wheelchair and I didn't like it. Just so nobody will worry, I didn't get hurt (or sick) . . . I was one of the "disabled" participants for a Red Cross course on shelter operations -- specifically how to make it easier for people with disabilities. There were four of us with a "disability": myself in a wheelchair, one lady who worn a mitten to simulate having neuropathy, one lady who had gauze placed over her eyes to simulate having a cataract, and one who had cotton placed in her ears to simulate being hard of hearing. The first thing that I noticed was how I (or, more specifically, the chair) stuck out and it made me feel SO VERY SELF-CONSCIOUS! Even though the folks in the room where co-workers - and friends - I couldn't help but feel like they were watching my every move. Then, there was the matter of moving around in the chair. Not so much the actual propulsion - because that was MUCH easier than I thought - but navigating between tables, chairs, podiums and the like. I found out that when you're in a wheelchair, the easiest way to travel is like electrical current, and find the path of least resistance. That means - usually - going up the center of the room as if you we're making your way toward the front and then turn right or left as needed. You still encounter obstacles, but not nearly as much so as you would trying to get between tables and chairs!

About the only difficulty I encountered was when I tried to do those "little things" that, up to that point, I'd taken for granted. By "little things" I mean stuff like getting into the men's room, getting on an elevator, and the like. Our instructor said "try getting in the restroom," and I was amazed how difficult it was to do something so simple as getting the men's room door open . . . then, once you got in, finding a urinal that was the correct height. All of a sudden, those "little things" weren't quite so little anymore . . . as a matter of fact they become daunting! By the time that the class was over, I had a whole new outlook on what it's like to be in a wheelchair and the challenges faced by those in them on a regular basis!

Until next time . . .