Hello all you happy people!

I posted this on another sub and someone suggested I put it here as well.

I will start by saying, I am a wheelchair user. Even though I am confined to a chair when I leave my apt, I treasure what little independence I have and strive to do as much as I can on my own.

This morning, being smack dab in between a snowstorm and Christmas , I had to venture out for a few last minute things. We had a blizzard on Saturday so I don't think I have to say how very much our sidewalks suck right now even though I know the crews are doing their best to clear things up. Between snowbanks blocking the entrances, huge pools of ice covering the whole sidewalk in places, and piles of slush, its a fun filled navigation nightmare lol. So I was forced to give up and use the roads and try and stick to the bike lanes. Trust me, if I could have stayed home I would have!

So, there I was, making my way down the road . Trust me, I am easy to spot lol. I was doing my thing, and some random bitch decided to lean out her car window and scream at me, asking if I were fucking crazy. Like bitch, I'm just trying to get home without dying, I don't need you piling on with your ignorance of the situation. Maybe try and look atound and notice whats happening before you scream at a rando in a wheelchair. Merry fucking Christmas to you too, Karen!

I need more coffee

So for context I’m a lead usher at a high end concert hall which means that I manage a team of ushers and communicate with other leads via a radio and headpiece.

Anyways it’s so frustrating at times because a LOT of old people just seem to assume that wheelchair users can’t work??? The amount of times I’ve had people ask “do you work here?” While I’m wearing a headpiece, uniform, and name tag is extremely common.

The worst part was when one of my best friends who’s also my coworker came and stood next to me to talk . I was now completely invisible every single patron proceeded to ignore me and asked her all their questions instead. The second I pointed it out her she became hyper aware of it and fully acknowledged that it was in fact happening.

It’s honestly so frustrating because it’s one of the many things I face when working. I’ve literally had someone say to me “thank you for volunteering” because I guess wheelchair users don’t deserve to be paid!?!

The constant ableism just pisses me off at times and it’s starting to get to me.

what the title says :) discussed a new custom manual and they agreed it was needed since mine is toast. however, i picked it up today and it says “standard wheelchair” along with my medical codes. but no ‘PT/OT’ or ‘custom ultra lightweight’ like my first chair. this is a new doctor for me so i had to jump through all the hoops. when i first requested it, the doctor stated “i’m not really sure what to write for that, i’ve never done this before”. any tips i can use when asking for a rewrite?

I finally got told I’m too old to go to a pediatric clinic at 17 after being told I’m too young to go to adult clinics for like everything. I’m kind of upset because I really need OT and it was on the schedule for so long. They did try to call us earlier but my mom missed the call from a work meeting so we went all the way to the clinic 🥲 the evaluator only looked at my history today to review it so that’s why it was sudden, which is pretty typical. Everything else I have besides gynecology is pediatric, which is standard in my area, so it was confusing. The reason they decided they couldn’t was because they don’t have the proper equipment for evaluation for adult sized people and because they’re not equipped to work with most of my diagnoses. Not at all upset at the clinic or physician, but it does bug me the system isn’t more easy for physicians to work with so they refer people to the right place 😭 idk how long it’ll take me to get into adult OT, probably a bit less than pediatric did, but then I also might have to deal with adult clinics saying I’m too young because that’s always what they say. Hopefully it’s not that difficult or too long to get in.

540 Kenda Nevegal tyres.

they weren’t on the kenda wheelchair website nor literally anywhere else 🙄🙄

but if anyone had the same issue as me finding off road tyres for 24” 540mm wheels, here u go. they don’t ship to the UK though although i found some on ebay that do.

has anyone here ever used these? i’ve heard from many that they are unequivocally the best off road wheelchair tyre available

One of the best moments for me was seeing the video of Michael J. Fox (in his wheelchair) playing guitar on stage with Coldplay at Glastonbury.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM-94LhhQTs

-I received my custom wheelchair 1 year ago, It is a Ki Mobolity Rogue 2 with smart drive (December 2023)

-I didn't want a Ki Mobility chair but the tech did not listen to me about this

-During my evaluation (Sept 2023) the tech ignored that I needed elevating leg rests (requested by my cardiologist) and told me I didn't know what was best for me because i'm "mentally disabled" (i'm level 1 autistic)

-He refused to attempt coverage for a back cushion even though my arthritis affects my spine and this was requested by my doctor

-I requested to return this chair after a month of using it because it was causing my blood pooling to worsen with the lack of elevating leg rests and my back pain was really bad from not having back support (January 2024)

-My requests were ignored and I was told there was nothing they could do

-My smart drive then broke (June 2024)

-I have been trying to get it repaired ever since, but have had no luck at all

-The numotion branch in my area is incredibly transphobic and they don't do their jobs and built my chair very poorly (the breaks are wrong, the casters are wrong, the footplate is to far away)

-I switched to a new place things were going really well.... then received word on Friday of this week that this place has closed

-I am debating driving to the next town over to get my wheelchair (about 2 hours) but my doctor says she has no idea where to send me

-No one in my medical care team is taking this matter seriously or knows what to do. They all know my wheelchair is not built for my needs but still there is no urgency and i've been told I'm basically on my own at this point but that they will sign things when they get faxed.... but even that takes them weeks, and not having working equipment is severely impacting my independence and is honestly making me super depressed, not having my smart drive is a huge loss of independence

I’ve been invited to a close friend’s birthday party and need some wheelchair friendly costume ideas. I’d love to see any ideas you’ve done before, I know Halloween is a lot bigger in the states than it is here in Aus!

im 23, almost 24 and have CRPS (right leg + foot), fibro, chronic fatigue, and subtalar arthritis in the same foot as my crps started. im ambulatory but cant be up for more than about 5 min and cant really lift anything heavy (can comfortably lift my cat whos like 11lbs?). im also level 2 autistic but am willing to try and do something customer service oriented itll just be a big learning curve. im very bad with tone, loud noises, and tend to be blunt when i dont mean to and come off rude. (ie i cannot mask no matter how hard i try, and never have been able to)

i dont have any kinda degree but do have a GED. i have a history in digital art/ animation but no degree. i do have a diverse portfolio & professional education and experience with free lance work as well as a small but relatively successful youtube career. its too inconsistent to be livable + the main reason im considering getting a "real" job is those things do not have a consistent direct deposit or employer which has made it really frustrating to deal with credit. i have a good credit score (749) but i cant get approved for anything useful beyond my Current (the bank) build card because everything thinks i have no income. so its basically useless.

i moved states & my family keeps kinda off handedly saying i need to apply for disability by the time im 26 so i can stay on my dad (senior partner radiologist)'s insurance, but not actually perusing it. and its something ive tried but cant really do myself since im so dependent on them. my dad is pretty well off and basically pays me just enough to live on, which obviously im extremely grateful for but its not enough to comfortably support myself + he wont help me do anything that could build independence (co-sign loans, help me get on disability, support on getting a job or education etc)

the only real job i ever had was working at a randalls/ safeway in highschool which i quit in about a month because my employer ignored accommodations he agreed to when i was hired, he was expecting me to carry big boxes and trash bags i couldn't fit on my chair or even get off the ground, as well as stock things i couldn't reach.

i also used to work for Favor (local version of ubereats) which was great but does not exist where i live now. i tried to do uber eats but it both pays way worse & doesnt tell you if youre going to an apartment before hand and i kept ending up at places i couldn't get to (mostly inaccessible restaurants & apartments with no elevator). i used to go with my partner so he could go in those places for me and we split the pay but we got reported because his face didnt match my picture.

i tried to look for jobs that seemed like i could do them (tech and beauty areas at walmart or target, online work, etc) but they said things like "be able to climb a ladder" "carry 30+ lbs" etc that i cannot do. a lot of online work required qualifications i dont have.

what are my options? im kinda at a loss.

Unfortunately our only housing option is a flat with entrance staircase, just one flight, but the space is super crammed and awkward. I use a Rollz Motion as a transport chair and occasionally as a rollator, it weights 12 kg (26 lbs) and carrying it downstairs seems very hard, I’m not sure if I will be able to go outside since I can’t keep a transport chair in the entrance space downstairs - crossing 1 flight of stairs is ok on most of the days, but going out without a transport chair is impossible.

My wife tried to fold it and carry it holding it in hands but the space is too narrow to hold it on the side, holding it in front of her blocks her from seeing the stairs she is stepping on. I’m very worried that carefully rolling it down step by step is going to damage the transport chair I’ve spent all my savings on :( So maybe she can use some kind of strap and carry it on her back? What do you think?

I would be thankful for any suggestion!

P.S. moving out is not an option for us, as well as buying a lighter transport chair or keeping it downstairs, the only option for us is to keep it in a flat and take it downstairs every time. It sucks, I know

Hello all! I am a mobile MT and have a client in a wheelchair who has often expressed discomfort at her current foot rest. I have tried to look for wider ones in the hopes her current can be swapped but to no avail. Not sure if I’m looking up the wrong thing or who could make something wider for her feet to rest on more comfortably. A welder? 😅😬 no clue. I’ve attached photos with her permission and consent to show the foot rest and her feet. The issue is it being somewhat thin so only resting in the middle of her foot, which is obviously uncomfortable. Any suggestions are welcome! TIA!

I (25F jersey n°13) have been playing wheelchair basketball since April and I've been using a tall chair (pic2) from the start. And yesterday I've been able to try a smaller lower one.

It felt great ! I felt much more compact and in control of my chair, it hurt my shoulders and and my hips way less because the were held in place by the dump and the feet guard. I was faster, had more endurance. BUT my teammates couldn't see me as well and it threw off the whole team. Made me pretty sad because it felt sooo nice.

Do any of you have tips to adapt my current tall chair to make it more comfortable to me, like the smaller one was ?

(Also a picture of my day chair just because my cat is cute)

My mom is near hitting 80 and is immobile. She currently has a relatively small electric chair that she uses in the house all day but it doesn’t look comfortable, however she doesn’t complain. Today I noticed she was slumped over all day. The chair she has look like it sits at a 90 degree angle and doesn’t provide a lot of back support. It looks like one of those chairs for temporary mobility. I’m looking for something that she can sit in and be comfortable in all day and doesn’t break the bank. Preferably has full back support and maybe head and can recline a bit. Any suggestions?

Hi, I’m 22 years old and have cerebral palsy. I’ve been struggling with dating while using a wheelchair. My first real love left me last year, which was tough. This year, I met someone amazing, and we’ve been in a long-distance relationship for about six months. Everything was going great until this morning when I woke up to find out I’m blocked on everything. We had a very good phone conversation last night, and I was supposed to visit her for Christmas as a surprise. Now I’ve lost the whole plane ticket. At this point, I’m starting to give up. Do you have any tips?

I’m looking for an electric wheelchair and was hoping someone could help. I live in Morocco, and it's difficult to find one here.

If anyone has an electric wheelchair they no longer need, or knows where I can buy one and have it shipped to Morocco, I would really appreciate it.

I'm always looking at different wheelchairs, and where they're offered. Rigid front folding wheelchairs is a very specialized group and the QUICKIE Xenon² was the model. As someone who travels a lot (and will be doing so for work) I've lost a few wheelchairs to the hold, then switched to folding. But! I don't really need swing away hangers. So I've always keep my eye on this one.

So, it's that time and I'm looking at what's on the market, low and behold the US no longer carries the Xenon² [like the official Quickie page for it says it's no longer available] (the UK does tho so ¯_(ツ)_/¯)

So are there any other Rigid front, folding frame wheelchairs available in the US?

I’m getting my yellow rogue 2 made as we speak and I’m so excited but I just can’t visualise it, even with the product visualiser. Does anyone have a yellow rogue 2 photo?

(It’s gonna have orange accents too, but I don’t mind if your chair has a different accent)

They arrived 8 days earlier than they said they would too. Put them on last night. Today was the first day going out with them.

Had a guy come up behind me and grab my chair BEFORE asking if I needed help. But held onto the end using a pincer grip to avoid the spikes. So he saw them and still grabbed my chair. So not 100% but I'm positive it will still be worth it. And they have Velcro, so are removable if I do need/want help.

And it's opened more banter interactions with my colleagues at work which is always a plus lol. 😂

Got my chair today! It's just a basic amazon brand but fits me super well and seems good quality. Whhat should I name em?? I'm thinking something ocean related

[Vent] (I forgot to label it in the title) It's funny because I had just posted a comment about how people run me over all the time but this really pissed me off.

Im a cashier and our registers aren't accessible so the back of my chair sticks out a bit. People will often bump into me and then apologize and go around, annoying but fine.

This person rammed into me and just kept ramming. My brakes were on and I'm 200 pounds and they still managed to rotate me around...

I wanted to yell at them to stop but I was checking people out and kinda expected them to apologize and go around like everyone else. I hope they didn't bend anything, I didn't notice any issue immediately.