You don’t know what it’s like…

I blog in the hope that it will make people less ignorant but the harsh reality is the world won’t change because no-one, apart from those who are also disabled, will ever truly understand the life of ‘Wheelchair Boy’. The fact that you read my posts is a start because it means you are willing to learn. However, until people begin to ‘walk in my shoes’ so to speak, me moaning about the location of the wheelchair platform at a Craig David concert seems quite trivial.  Only a disabled person will know why that is such a big issue and really got to me.

Now, I’m not wishing disability on anyone (even my enemies) because it is an awful thing and shouldn’t be taken lightly. My suggestion is a social experiment so people can find out what it is like to be disabled without being struck down for life. I feel that concept would make a great television programme because it would educate and give a valuable insight as well as being great entertainment. It would force people to think differently plus the conflict and added humour of having an able-bodied person confined to a wheelchair would make great viewing.

Obviously, the problems disabled people like myself face on a daily basis do not just come from being in a wheelchair. Anyone ‘normal’ could happily sit in a wheelchair for most of the day. If anything, the majority of people would like that idea because no walking is required. I’ve had countless people tell me that I’m “lucky” and “it would be so cool to have a wheelchair”. That’s sort of true. If you can walk, it would nice to have a rest from time to time but life is not like that.

That’s why certain stipulations would need to be made in order to give the full picture. For example, you could say people can’t just get up Little Britain style to use the toilet. They’d have to use a bottle (a man obviously) or a hoist to transfer. Another idea might be to tie weights to the legs and other limbs so that it’s difficult to reach out and perform tasks. Maybe have a miniature keyboard which is difficult to use. To re-create the tired feeling I get, people could do a full body workout before starting the day. They are a small selection of my ideas. Only then will those without a disability fully understand the difficulties I face.

Attitudes can only change for the better when people literally change point of view and realise disabled people are downtrodden in society. I don’t make outspoken posts on this blog for the sake of it. These words are all based on the truth and come from experiences in my life (good or bad) in my life. The constant looks of pity and being treated in a patronising way will become all too familiar after a few days of my experiment, proving that I’m not just whinging.

Bye for now!