I love ideas like this. We've all heard the phrase, "Try living a day in my shoes." I came across this blog of a student who had to do just that and navigate her campus in a wheelchair.
Everyone in my class has an assignment: spend one day that we are on campus in a wheelchair. Most days we are only in two buildings that are practically next to one another, so it hasn't been a big deal. Today I had to go to another part of campus to hear a presentation (from a motivational speaker who speaks about being in a wheelchair) and it was challenging. On my way over a classmate offered to push me and I was so grateful because the sidewalk was so uneven and sloped in all different directions. Walking on it I would never have noticed, but being in a wheelchair I felt everything.
When I got in to class I met the speaker at the door who must have known immediately that I was doing an assignment of being in a wheelchair for a day and he asked me about what I had experienced so far. I told him frankly I was terrified because I was not in control of the chair all the time and the one I was in had a tendency to slope to one side so I could never really steer straight. He assured me this is not typical and more so the crummy chair I was using. He had great insights on what it's like for someone to suddenly be healthy and then have a spinal cord injury that leaves you paralyzed. He talked on the wheelchair being a mobility aid and that he is not hindered by his disability, but rather the environment. I was so moved by his talk that I decided to wheel myself back to my classroom.
Everyone in my class has an assignment: spend one day that we are on campus in a wheelchair. Most days we are only in two buildings that are practically next to one another, so it hasn't been a big deal. Today I had to go to another part of campus to hear a presentation (from a motivational speaker who speaks about being in a wheelchair) and it was challenging. On my way over a classmate offered to push me and I was so grateful because the sidewalk was so uneven and sloped in all different directions. Walking on it I would never have noticed, but being in a wheelchair I felt everything.
When I got in to class I met the speaker at the door who must have known immediately that I was doing an assignment of being in a wheelchair for a day and he asked me about what I had experienced so far. I told him frankly I was terrified because I was not in control of the chair all the time and the one I was in had a tendency to slope to one side so I could never really steer straight. He assured me this is not typical and more so the crummy chair I was using. He had great insights on what it's like for someone to suddenly be healthy and then have a spinal cord injury that leaves you paralyzed. He talked on the wheelchair being a mobility aid and that he is not hindered by his disability, but rather the environment. I was so moved by his talk that I decided to wheel myself back to my classroom.
Posted by JLO
Hi
ReplyDeletevery interesting! this phrase is wonderful: "Try living a day in my shoes." , thanks
Hi
ReplyDeleteTis is soooooooooooooo great
thanx 4 sharing it