Wheelchair Syndrome

vikki_louise

Your post made me laugh, I suffer from it too! Also I have never shop lifted anything in my life but I do think those stores who don't have enough space for wheelchairs and staff don't tidy up should let us keep free of charge all the stuff that gets caught in our wheels!

vikki_louise

Oh, does anyone have problems with able bodied people using the limited lifts instead of the escalators right next to it? Sometimes in shopping centers the lifts are so slow and you have to wait 5 or 6 lift arrivals to be able to get into one because they are filled with able bodied people. I know some might have an invisable disability but I doubt they all do!

Indie_Kid

littlerat wrote: »

A few years before I was born my grandpa had a bleed on his spine that left him paralysed from the waist down, and he always hated the people that seemed to think he couldn't talk - his top half worked perfectly well! :rotfl:

I've never understood people who do this. I went to a school where there were quite a few wheelchair users. I would talk to them and not the people they were with - including the girl who couldn't talk. (she has a talking computer to communicate)

A friends' son can't talk - I have never said to my friend "how is your son?" I will always greet and say hello to his son. (who then sticks his tongue out at me!:rotfl:)

longhotbath

My son gets very impatient with old dears who stick their posteriors in his face, and he tends to give them a strong right hook. These old dears turn round and then have a right go at him, and often rattle on even though I point out that he was stationary, and he really doesnt like their bottoms in his face.

So, We bought a fart machine - a childrens toy with little buttons that he can press. When they get too close, he pushes a button, and then proceeds to pinch his nose, and flap his arms around to disperse the 'smell'. Its hillarious, and they move away smartly!!!!! If they dont, then they get the right hook.

He is 7, and cant self propel away from them!

rosysparkle

littlerat wrote: »

I have a question for the wheelchair/scooter people in this thread - do you ever have issues with asking people to get stuff from high up shelves? Not sure if cornish are just horrid people, the amount of times I've seen someone struggling and nobody will offer a hand, or even them asking and people are ignoring them instead of taking 2 seconds out their day:eek: I imagine that must be annoying!

That's such a shame, some people can be so thoughtless. I've never gone to the shops on my own since I've had to use a wheelchair, so the problem hasn't arisen for me yet.

Dr_Cuckoo

Well - I was at Elephant & Castle yesterday and one of the bus stops is closed due to roadworks and a wheelchair user assisted by a "mental health service user" was waiting at an inappropriate place

Surprisingly a 148 from Shepherds Bush Bus garage picked them up after numerous South London garage routes ignored them

Oscar_The_Grouch

Mrs Grouch and I went out for a walk the other day..... well.... Mrs Grouch walked and I was in my scooter. We were doing fine until we came across a nurse in uniform who was sitting in her car, parked on the pavement (and I do mean ON the pavement - there was no way round her) texting. There was no option for me but to reverse back to the nearest dropped kerb and scoot round on the road to the next drop.

Surely a nurse should expect that people will want to use the pavement for its intended purpose....

Emmylou_2

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

Mrs Grouch and I went out for a walk the other day..... well.... Mrs Grouch walked and I was in my scooter. We were doing fine until we came across a nurse in uniform who was sitting in her car, parked on the pavement (and I do mean ON the pavement - there was no way round her) texting. There was no option for me but to reverse back to the nearest dropped kerb and scoot round on the road to the next drop.

Surely a nurse should expect that people will want to use the pavement for its intended purpose....

Did you (or Mrs Grouch) knock on the window and ask her to move?

I have ME and so use a chair when I'm out and about. I don't have my own yet so hire one from my local shopmobility - you can do overnight/longer term hire from Bristol - when I want to do more than just shuffle round my local T***o express.

I don't hire a scooter. I hire a powerchair. There's a couple of reasons for this - one of them is an image thing - I'm not the smallest person in the world and so would feel a bit like Kendra from the Cleveland Show if I was on a scooter. Also, I'm only young(ish). People see a scooter and think "lazy". People see a powerchair and think "disabled". They may think "Andy Pipkin" when I get up to get something from a high shelf etc.*

I get so militant when I'm in my wheels though. I can open doors for myself and press lift buttons and all manner of things. I also don't lose my brain capacity. Or the ability to choose what I want to buy.

However...I don't yet have a blue badge (am in the process of filling in a "change of circumstances" form for DLA). BUT...when I need to, I use a disabled space in a shopping centre (on the rare occasions when I don't, or when there's a suitably close normal space, I'll use that). There is NO reason why I shouldn't. It is only on council or other publicly owned land that blue badges for use of a disabled space are a mandatory requirement. I have not yet been given a ticket, and if I am, I will ignore it.

* I did do a "proper" Andy Pipkin the other week. I was wheeling through the town centre, minding my own business when this bloke almost pounced on me and gave me a leaflet. Strange, I thought. Usually I'm invisible when in wheels. I then looked at the leaflet. Apparently, if I "found God and let Jesus into my life" then I'd be miraculously healed. I just HAD to get up and run round in a circle...

nannytone_2

i'm not so sure that some of the bigger scooters should even be on the opavement. a friend told me that her 3 year old grandson was hit by one as he walked out of her front gat! luckily he wasnt hurt badly, just bruised and scared. just because they can travel at 8 mph doesnt mean they should !

Emmylou_2

nannytone wrote: »

i'm not so sure that some of the bigger scooters should even be on the opavement. a friend told me that her 3 year old grandson was hit by one as he walked out of her front gat! luckily he wasnt hurt badly, just bruised and scared. just because they can travel at 8 mph doesnt mean they should !

They shouldn't be travelling at 8 mph on the pavements. Class 3 vehicles are allowed to go at 8mph ON ROADS. All vehicles are limited to 4 mph on pavements, which is around standard walking pace.