We have all at some point had an encounter with a wheelchair user, maybe whilst at the supermarket or shopping centres, public parks or just out and about. There will have been a time when you haven’t noticed a wheelchair user because they’re not at your eye-level and this will have caused distress to you… how do you think the wheelchair user feels? It’s easy for an able-bodied person to move around and cut past someone and be clearly visible, but for someone who uses a wheelchair, they have to be on constant alert in case someone doesn’t see them coming from the side or even head on and end up getting walked into or having a bag swung close to their heads…. This shouldn’t have to be a worry for someone who is trying to live their life as much as the next able-bodied person.
So, my aims for this blog post is to find inspiration from other wheelchair users to see how they make themselves visible