[Ansteorra] re Period Wheelchairs and mobility issues

[Her Ladyship Arabella de Montacute]

Greetings Arabella here,

Wow what a great web site Xene.  You all should go check it out!
Wheelchairs are period!

I have one of the same unique perspectives, as Fearghus is also a
life-long-wheel-chair-abled adult.  I being a non-handicapped person, had to
learn all the ins and outs of the handicapped world.  Most people who have
never been around a wheel chair for any length of time have no clue about
what to watch out for.

When we were first together I used one of his extra chairs to do several
outings as a handicapped person.  I went to a concert, (The Who at the
cotton bowl) went to the parks mall and shopped.  I learned a lot.  My arms
felt like noodles when I was done.

Rosalia covered many of those things, so I will not bore you with the same.

I would like to point out there are words that no one has mentioned,
adaptation and  "acceptance."  Wheel chairs are a fact of life for some
folks and acceptance is very important.

Instead of gripping about how things are set up at a feast, court, site, you
have to accept that it is out of your control and make do with what you
have.

Move the standard chairs that are in the way of your wheel chair and take up
that extra space. No one will question why.  I had to do this all the time.
(It was my job to set up our things for feast.) If there was no room between
the tables, move the table.

If it is a long way to travel to get where you are going, do not forget that
most able-bodied people are willing to assist if they are asked.  WE have
been trained that handicapped people may times have a stubborn streak and
can be offended if you offer to help, (I always offer anyway).  Do not
forget it is ok to ask for help. There is not much mind reading going on in
the world today.  If you need help, ask!

As far as court being on a dais.... That makes it better for people to see
what is going on and to make sound travel further.  If you are called into a
court and you are in a wheel chair, I would expect any Honourable King and
Queen to leave the dais and make themselves available for the person who
cannot climb the steps.  I have never seen anything else each time Fearghus
was called into court; there have been many times.

As far as camping and parking spaces, many times all you need to do is call
the Event steward,liaison,autocrat,coordinator as ask about the facilities
so you know in advance what the site is like.  They should be able to assist
you.

Even at Gulf Wars there is a handicapped area for camping.  We never have
camped there because we wanted to be with our friends.  I have been told the
new shower-house close to the ansteorran camp is now handicapped accessible.
That took a few years to get organized. (At one point the only shower
Fearghus could access was all the way on the other end of camp in the Lodge.
That walk sucked, as we had to figure out how to get his wheel chair,
scooter and shower chair there.  He ended up pulling his wheel chair
one-handed with all the clothes and shower stuff and the shower chair in the
seat of the wheel chair.  It helped he has gorilla arms, He is good at
adaptation.)

Remember adaptation and acceptance are the words of the day.

Arabella

Subject: RE: [Ansteorra] Period Wheelchairs


Having sat in a wheelchair off and on for several years, I totally
understand what you are saying. It's already no fun to have a crotch eye
view of the world, and even worse for someone to ridicule your only means of
getting around. What does she expect you to do?  Crawl around on the floor?

I just tried to laugh off the insensitive remarks and call it a byzantine
invention. After all, they had a throne chair that would rise up out of the
floor - why not a wheeled chair? At one Gulf War, when I used a motorized
scooter, friends gave me a stick horse, which I then decorated with pearls
and jewels, as befitted any horse of mine:)

And yet, another instance of an ignorant person who never took the time to
do any research. I went to my bookshelves and found a picture of a chair
(1595) designed for King Philip II of Spain. I went on Google and entered
"History of Wheelchairs" and found this page:
http://www.wheelchairnet.org/WCN_WCU/SlideLectures/Sawatzky/WC_history.html
which includes the picture of Philip's laz-y-boy with wheels.

So there....research can be fun!

Xene