What Counts as Wheelchair Use?
Wheelchairs are vital mobility aids for many people, and their use is often life-altering for the person in the chair. Wheelchairs may be used due to injury, illness, congenital condition, or any number of other reasons.
Wheelchair use may be full-time or part-time, depending on the person’s disabilities, medical care plan, or any number of other reasons. However, the person using the chair determines when they need it.
All wheelchair use is valid, and no one using a wheelchair should be stigmatized.
Understanding Terms for Wheelchair Use
Wheelchair dependent refers to someone who is entirely reliant on their wheelchair for movement. Typically, someone who is wheelchairbound is unable to walk at all and may not be able to transfer out of their chair without assistance. Historically, the term would have been wheelchairbound or confined to a wheelchair, but these terms are no longer appropriate.
Ambulatory wheelchair users may be able to walk but use their chairs to address specific concerns. An example of this is a POTS patient who uses a wheelchair to minimize their fall risk. These wheelchair users may be able to stand, walk short distances, or even go for a length of time without using their chair. This kind of wheelchair use is often stigmatized.
Transferring is the process of moving from one’s wheelchair to another surface. For example, someone might transfer between a wheelchair and a bed. This process looks different for everyone, so it’s vital to ask people what they need.
A manual wheelchair is moved by the person in it. Typically, this is accomplished by the person manipulating the chair’s wheels. This type of chair may or may not have handles on the back where another person can push the chair.
A power chair has a motor that drives it. Power chairs come in many unique configurations and can be extensively customized depending on the person’s insurance. In many cases, a power chair is a significant investment in quality of life.
Referring to People Who Use a Wheelchair
Generally, wheelchair users can refer to people who use wheelchairs. It’s best to ask how someone would like to be referred to, but identity-first language is usually appropriate until told otherwise.
Wheelchair users represent a distinct subculture, especially if someone grew up using a wheelchair. There are slang terms for wheelchair users as well as some regionally distinct jargon.
Wheelchair Etiquette Notes
Please note it is never appropriate to touch someone’s wheelchair without express permission, even if you think you’re helping. Many wheelchair users feel the chair is an extension of their body, so touching it without consent is a violation of their autonomy.
It is also important to always address the person in the wheelchair in an age-appropriate manner. Wheelchair users are typically fully mentally competent, so treating them like children, talking about them like they are not present, or talking only to the person with them is rude.
It is also impolite to ask someone why they are in a wheelchair. No one should have to share their medical history to be treated with courtesy and respect.
Creating an Accessible Environment for Wheelchair Users
Ensure Smooth Access to All Areas
One of the primary barriers to wheelchair user participation is often the event spaces themselves. Modern buildings must meet a certain set of standards as part of the building code, but that does not mean those requirements were implemented in a friendly way. For example, the building might have a ramp, but it’s located in the back and not marked in any way.
When choosing venues, it’s best to select options (when possible) that provide ramp access to the same entrances and areas those who can walk use. Additionally, it’s important to ensure enough space is available for a wheelchair user to navigate.
Additionally, check for unevenness, thresholds, and small steps that most people overlook. These factors can make an enormous difference in how navigable a space actually is and how welcome someone may feel at an event.
Check on Old Buildings
Older buildings are generally required to remove barriers to access, even if they were built before accessibility standards were implemented. Unfortunately, enforcement often occurs only after someone brings a problem to light, so never take a facility’s word that they’re accessible.
It’s best practice to visit any venue and bring something wheeled to this check, even if it’s a simple rolling bag, to see how navigable it is. This method provides valuable information that helps you see potential problem areas.
Accommodate the Different Eye and Ear Levels
The sight and sound of events are often designed with the typical person sitting in a specific area. Wheelchair users in their chairs are often at a lower vantage point than those around them and, consequently, may have a different experience of the event.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to solve the eye level problem. Designated wheelchair seating (or at least planned options) can be set up with the different sightlines in mind. For example, you might choose to designate the first two tables at your chapter meeting as accessible seating.
Ear levels can be more challenging to solve, especially with sound systems. If there is no option, it may be easiest to provide a written agenda for the whole meeting or event.
Remove Hazards
Hazards for wheelchair users can take various forms, from things on the ground to objects that restrict navigation pathways. Whenever possible, remove obstacles such as extension chords from the floor.
Generally, wheelchair users can comfortably navigate straight pathways of 36 to 48 inches. This can affect how chairs are set up in a room, for example, or what’s placed near a doorway. It’s best to provide direct paths wherever possible.
Check the Bathroom
Bathrooms are a necessary part of the human experience. However, they can be challenging for wheelchair users because the practicalities can be overlooked in design. For example, a disabled toilet stall may not offer enough space for a wheelchair user to turn around.
Note and Address Access Problems Preemptively
It’s not always possible to find a completely accessible venue. Preemptively noting and sharing where the shortfalls are can help wheelchair users make informed decisions regarding their participation.
Consider Getting Creative
Some accessibility problems can be solved with some ingenuity, time, and investment. For example, your chapter may decide to engineer several safe, mobile ramps you can use at any venue without their own. There are countless resources for this online.
Feel like this guide is missing something? Let us know at sfcoa@sfi.org.
Want to know more about accessible communication? Check out Accessible Communication 101.