A note on International Wheelchair Day
Did you know that yesterday was International Wheelchair Day? I only found out yesterday, myself! But I think it's a great day to have.
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that I shared a lot of posts on my stories of people celebrating the day and writing odes to their wheelchairs. It was so cool to see the swell of wheelchair-positive content on the app — especially when we usually see so much garbage on social media.
In this newsletter, I'm going to share my own reasons for loving my wheelchair and talk a little bit about why a day like this is still so important.
Why I love my wheelchair
Just like my relationship with my disability has evolved, so has my relationship with my wheelchair. For a very long time, I saw my wheelchair as just a means to an end. It was the tool I needed to get around.
I also had a lot of resentment for it, too. To me, my chair was a very visible representation of all the things I couldn't do. It was a passive invitation for people to look at me, invade my personal space and privacy, pity me, and project their assumptions of what it means to live as a wheelchair user.
These two views of my wheelchair meant that I didn't put a lot of thought into the type of chair I was using, how comfortable it was, or how functionally it met my needs. Even though my chair was clunky and sometimes caused me back pain, I was certain that that was how it had to be. It was almost like I fuelled the negative relationship I had with it.
This changed about four years ago, when I finally went through the process of getting a new chair that was modern and completely tailored to me. Once I was in a chair that was entirely mine, I was able to start reframing what it actually means to me.
My chair is my freedom.
It enables me to independently get around and interact with the world. It gives me power and agency. It is something I can decorate and show off as an extension of my body. It protects me. IT's a conduit to fun and joy.
And yes, sometimes I do still battle with it. Sometimes I want to beat at it with closed fists in frustration. Sometimes it hurts. But that doesn't stop it from being all the other things it is to me.
Why do we need this day?
There are many trolls on the internet who will ask “why the heck do you need a wheelchair day?”
And while I don't tend to engage with trolls, I think there are many good reasons to have a day like this one.
For starters, it helps to reframe the societal narrative around wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are seen by so many as negative things. They represent a tragedy or an illness or a lack of ability — and the people who use them are seen as less than.
If you look at all the posts I shared on my stories yesterday, and the many more that flooded the community, you'll see that there is a completely different story to tell. Wheelchairs were celebrated — and so they should be. They are an enabler.
I also think it's important to tell these positive stories in order to identify what the actual barriers to physically disabled people are. Our wheelchairs don't limit us, but lack of accessible and universal design does.
Another reason I think this day is important is that there are still huge amounts of people who feel the same way about their wheelchairs as I used to. My hope is that seeing all the wonderful content that came out yesterday will start to change some minds. And that some disabled people will be able to start healing their relationship with their disability as a result.
Lastly, if we reframe the narrative around wheelchairs, my hope is also that it can encourage more innovation and investment in the development of new wheelchairs. I think we're severely lagging in the potential for innovation in wheelchairs — we haven't seen many shifts in design or function in decades.
To my wheelie peeps reading, I'd love to hear what you love about your wheelchair. Feel free to send me an email.
