MY ENDURING SKEPTICISM WITH STAIR-CLIMBING WHEELCHAIRS
People without
disabilities always seem to being (foolishly, arrogantly) staking their claim as
those that know what best for people with disabilities.
I am
able-bodied, but a third of a century of being married to (and warmly serving
as the caregiver to) a spouse who uses a wheelchair for mobility, has informed
my opinions.
While I
wouldn't stop research into super-human, super-costly mobility devices, I
loathe the idea of "fixing" people with disabilities.
My wife is a
Person with a Disability (PWD).
She is not
broken.
Rivers bend,
trees twist -- they are not considered disabled, they are considered beautiful.
Diversity is
seen throughout nature.
It makes
life interesting, rich and worth living.
PWDs are a
significant portion of the population and buildings, parks, transit, streets,
sidewalks, crosswalks, mobility devices and civic space should be designed to
accommodate them.
About those
I-Bots, exoskeletons and super wheelchairs sold as solutions to barriers for
PWDs
I knew a
wealthy person with a stair climbing wheelchair.
It cost him a
fortune.
It performed
about 8 hours per day.
That meant
he had to have a backup standard power wheelchair and could never rely on the
stair-climbing super chair to meet his daily work and living needs.
The stair-climbing
gyroscope of a wheelchair not only cost more than 95% of the population could
afford, but it also was subject to very expensive repair and maintenance.
Something
that works 1/3 of the day and is out of price reach of nearly all -- IS NOT A
SOLUTION.
