This week I completed an orthopedic impairment where I spent 2 and a half hours in a wheelchair. With this assignment I was not allowed to tell people I was doing this for my class and I had to do specific assignments.
The first assignment I did was go to another building on campus and ask a question. As I left the third floor the elevator was under maintenance and so I asked a teacher if I could lift the chair and carry it down the stairs and then begin the assignment. She said yes, but I realized someone with a real orthopedic impairment wouldn't be able to do that. As I went down the hill to the Kimball building, It was a breeze and I was able to turn. I went across the cross walk and couldn't get over a bump in the curb that was fairly small. Someone offered to help me which was another part of the assignment to accept help once. I accepted his help and continued to the Kimball and asked about admissions and my track. Then I had another assignment. I needed to open a door by myself without help from the automatic door or a person.
At first when I tried to go through the door by myself, I was struggling so a man opened it for me. On my way out of the room I did it myself but I was bumping into the door and struggled. My next assignment was to use the automatic door and go uphill. I used the automatic door which was much more simple than doing it myself. As I began to go uphill to the Hinkley building I really struggled and realized it would be a while before I made it the short distance up the hill. Many people stopped ans asked to help me up the hill and it was hard to tell them no and also not to tell them it was for a class. Lots of people asked if I was sure I didn't need help because they could probably tell I was struggling. I was very appreciative of their offers, but part of the assignment was to be as independent as possible. My arms hurt so bad and when I was almost to the Hinkley two girls stopped and offered to help. the talked to me like a baby and I told them I was fine. I felt dumb that they talked to my with a tone someone would talk to me as a baby. When I finally got to the top into the Hinkley I was exhausted and sweaty and just stayed outside for a bit to cool off.
When I got inside I had a few more things left to do. I needed to go get a drink form the drinking fountain, and use the restroom in large stall and transfer myself to the toilet and back. When I went tot he drinking fountain I was glad no one was around because the water ran down my face and made a mess. It was really hard to get the right angle without getting in the wheelchair. By this time the elevator was working again so I wiped off my face and went in the elevator which was another part of the assignment. Once I got upstairs I had a hard time opening the door to get into the bathroom and then once in the stall it was very tight. I wasn't allowed to use my legs and my wheelchair didn't have brakes. I got up close to the toilet and bars an pushed myself up. As I finished in the bathroom I went and did homework in the hallway and saw someone else doing the assignment.
As I reflected on my time in the wheelchair I realized how hard it would be to get around if we didn't have simple things like automatic doors, elevators, slanted curbs, and larger stalls in bathrooms. It was very eyeopening to see who some people wanted to help and how I also needed to be independent. It gave me the ability to empathize with those in a wheelchair and see how hard it would be to have people talk to you like a baby all the time. It helped me see how I can help others with orthopedic impairments and also help them be independent.
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