r/YouShouldKnow • u/LtSoundwave • Jul 19 '20

Other YSK That many people with a disability consider their aides (wheelchair, etc.) an extension of themselves. You should ask before touching or moving them.

Read this article and was surprised to hear how many people struggle with this. Even if you are trying to help, you should ask first.

www.bbc.com/news/disability-49584591

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u/CocaTrooper42 Jul 19 '20

I just saw an ask reddit thread about a guy asking how to tell people not to move his chair for him. Makes me wonder why they don’t make wheelchairs without handles, specially for independent lifetime wheelchair users.

4

u/omgwtfbbq_powerade Jul 19 '20

They do!

But that doesn't stop some people.

1

u/CocaTrooper42 Jul 19 '20

Imagine just pushing the back of someone’s chair, despite there not being handles.

5

u/FrustratedDeckie Jul 19 '20

They do, but frustratingly it’s often a paid option to have no handles, and an expensive one at that! For my chair it’s £125 for each handle you dont want.

I wanted to go for flip down handles so that they are there if needed but not on show to tempt people, but they were around £400 to have added so I ended up with little stubby handles that were free, that way they’re there if needed but not quite as visible and tempting to ‘helpful’ people.

Even having stubby handles hasn’t stopped some people, one guy just wheeled me out of the way in a queue, not to help, just to get ahead of me..... I hope his foot never recovered from being run over after that!

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u/CocaTrooper42 Jul 19 '20

Wow! That’s a level of arrogance I can’t imagine