Disability Experience

Ability to use a manual wheelchair, and can learn to drive a modified car adapted with hand controls.

Abraham Maslow once said, “In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step backward into safety.” My whole life I have had many medical issues typically preventing one from doing a lot of the “normal” things a child can do. But I truly believe that life is not about the circumstances you were given, but much rather how you choose to react to them. So growing up I have always managed to find a way to not let my disabilities hinder me from living my life like everyone else and defy the odds I was handed.

This project opened my eyes to the struggle that people go through every day. It was very difficult for me not to use my left arm, and I cannot imagine having to not use it forever. I have respect for people with disabilities, and it is amazing that they can overcome their disability. I am happy that I did this project because I learned more about the struggle that my friend goes through as well as what many people go through every

The definition of mobility among stroke survivors is significantly complex compare to those with no functional deficits. These physical barriers does not only affect participation in regular physical activities, it symbolizes deviation from normal in many aspects of daily living. For this project, my partner and I simulated a complete left (L) hemiplegia. While the experience may seem too short to fully gain a deep understanding of what life with disability truly entails, the temporary glimpse undoubtedly allowed me to see environmental, social, and attitudinal barriers that may contribute to the negative idea of disability.

I did my wheel chair day on March 11. It was the day of the anatomy practical. So I have to admit when I arrived at school I was more concerned about finishing my practical than doing my wheelchair assignment. I was in the wheelchair while reviewing the bones box before the practical and actually was not in my wheelchair for the exam. I didn’t feel like I really started my experience until after the practical. One thing I notice right away was how much shorter I felt. Though it was something I was expecting, when I actually experienced it I was still surprising. I found that I had to look up to talk to people. It was a weird feeling because I was so use to being on the same level as people, and the perspective shift was disorienting.

Working with the Special Olympics impacted my life because it made realize how much I appreciate being born healthy with all my limbs and no birth defects. I had the opportunity to play basketball with really bright people who just interpreted things differently than most people. Watching the disabled athletes enjoy themselves playing basketball helped me understand that we are more alike than we are different. It also strengthened the bond between me and my classmates as we completed this service together. In my opinion, the most valuable, meaningful, and enjoyable part of the service I performed was shooting hoops with some of disabled adults during their game halftime. I remember during halftime one of the disabled players named Todd thanked me for helping with the event and told me he would put on a show during the second half of the game. At the end of the game, Todd had accumulated 32 points with six of them being three pointers. That moment was indescribable because Todd completely forgot of all the physical things holding him back from life and balled out in the game. He was really encouraging towards his teammates and smiled throughout the whole

My parents had planned an fantastic trip to Alaska, but then I broke my leg. My first experience with being in a wheelchair was not what I expected. In the past I had been narrow-minded and thought that being in a wheelchair had its perks. For instance they got to go the front of the line of a roller coaster, they get to sit all day, and lastly they get accommodated first. However, it wasn't until I lived that lifestyle, did I realize that being in a wheelchair is hard, and uncomftorable. As we approached the airplane gate, I was wheeled to the entrance where I noticed how narrow and tiny the entrance to the airplane really was. The doorway, not to mention the aisle was so narrow that the wheelchair could not be boarded upon the plane. Luckily

I was born in a small third world country that didn’t have the resources we have in the United States. Because of this the doctors were not able to diagnose the problems I suffered from. With only a few months to live they decided that the only way I would be able to get the help I need I had to adopted immediately. In the end I was diagnosed with a spinal bifida , a mild version of hepatitis, and kidney problem. Later in life I would spend almost 60% of my elementary school years in the hospital and my family pillow was always with as a reminder that I wasn’t alone and that things would get better. I believe that being disabled from birth allow me to understand children who may have medical problems or learning and physical disabilities. I also that this has helped me realize how fragile life is and how important it is to take advantage of everyday we are blessed to still be

During the high school bowling competition I was fortunate enough to help athletes with various disabilities. I was asked to assist the students that were in wheelchairs. My responsibility consisted of escorting the students to the lanes that they belonged to. In addition, I had to help them with getting bowling ball that they were going to use. What I really liked was that there was the use of assistive technology. For instance, the students in the wheelchairs required ramps to bowl. The students placed the ramp in the position that they wanted and then they placed the ball on the ramp and release. This gave the students a fair chance to compete with other bowlers. At the end of the game, I escorted the students to the area in which

When we first received our syllabus and were told we were going to have to do a wheelchair experience, I was excited. I played in wheelchairs when I was young and had friends push me around. Additionally, in one of my classes last semester, I played wheelchair handball so I thought this wheelchair experience was going to be a simple and stress-free. Throughout the experience, it was more difficult than I anticipated.

There are things in our life that we should appreciate and thank god everyday for being able to do whatever we want. Living with a disability is a very hard thing to do, but also not impossible. I have seen several videos about people who are living with disabilities, some of them from the day of birth and some others from an accident in their life. It is hard to see how they are living their lives to resist the hard challenges, but it is even more admired to see how they fight those challenges. I think it is very important to support them. Especially their families, they are the ones who gave them the support and motivation they need to success in their lives. In one of the videos I saw, there is a man from Iraq despite being neglected by

Following the disability simulation, I have learnt that there are several challenges that can be avoided as far as facilitating the accessibility of people with disability. If these challenges cannot be eliminated, the person with disability is greatly impacted. The person with disability may indeed found that moving up the kerb is difficult and physically demanding. For example, when I was in the wheelchair, I felt like walking away from the wheelchair because my hands were burning from wheeling myself. This showed me that to accommodate people with disability in the community, the facility may be user-friendly. In addition, as for the facility design, accessing the lift is a major challenge. For example, there is a single lift in the Sturt

Being in the wheelchair was a very eye opening experience for me. When my son first seen me in the chair he was scared and didn’t want to come to me. Then he thought it was fun to ride everywhere in my lap. When I finished the experience I never felt happy to walk again. My arms and shoulders hurt from pushing myself around in the wheelchair. I do see now why people need to get out their chairs because it puts your body in the worst position. When I went to Walmart with my sister, she didn’t help me at all I had to push myself. I got very frustrated because I kept running into things; going through the ales was difficult with the way the cloths racks was places in the store. When people would look at me when I bumped into things I was really

I would adamantly acknowledge that I was very anxious to use a wheelchair for just one day. Curiosity of how it would be like kept knocking to my head. To my surprise, 5 minutes were enough to absolutely hate it! I was suddenly slowed down to a snail’s pace and I was limited to certain paths, where loneliness could creep in full force. I was lonely in the elevator, no one there to talk to owing to my wheelchairs occupancy there. It was quiet in the hallway with no other students around anymore as they all hightailed while others leaped over desks right when class was finished.

Another obvious physical disability is an individual's confinement to a wheelchair. People who cannot walk under their own power are usually at a great disadvantage. Many times there are no special considerations made for these people. Even some typical expressions demonstrate this lack of compassion, such as "I have to run to the store", or "I'm going for a walk." People in wheelchairs are often considered weak and unable to care for themselves. However, some advances have been made in our society that encourages the independence of these people. Wheelchair ramps, handicap parking, and cuts in the curb of sidewalks are just some of the more obvious changes that have been made to better accommodate these people. But some problems may still occur for people in wheelchairs. Some hallways and doors may not be wide enough for the chair to fit through and when it is icy outside it is very easy to slide if the pavement is not sanded properly.