A wheelchair brings a lot of positive changes in the life of its users. It gives them increased mobility, helping to reinforce a sense of freedom and independence. But using a wheelchair is not without its own set of challenges. While some of these challenges are inherent to the limitations of using a wheelchair, others are created by people’s ignorance and misperceptions on wheelchair users. This article will present common difficulties people on wheelchairs face in their day to day life.

# Maneuvering in Small Spaces

While wheelchairs do provide increased mobility to users, navigating through places with people or maneuvering in small spaces such as corridors and small doorways can be challenging. In places with people constantly moving around, wheelchair users are often unnoticed because of their lower profile which makes it difficult for them to move along. In places with small passageways, moving through openings can be difficult especially when there are other people to mind.

# Limited Usability

Manual wheelchairs generally have slightly slim and slick tyres. While these are good for indoor and paved surfaces, they are almost impossible to use in uneven and rough terrains. This makes it difficult for wheelchair users to enjoy the fun of outdoors with the same sense of freedom and independence they have in controlled environments. One way of overcoming this limitation is using equipment such as a motorized track system such as the Freedom Trax FT1 Pro that enables wheelchair users to traverse over all kinds of outdoor terrains such as sand, snow, mud, and gravel.

# Using Public Transit

Although many public transit have accessibility features, using them can still be quite challenging for people with disabilities. For instance, getting on and off an accessible bus can be tedious and time consuming for wheelchair users especially when they are on their own. In addition, there’s always a risk of tipping and falling with sudden jerky movements of buses. Accessing different levels of the public transit system can also be a real difficulty especially in the absence of elevators.

# Getting Unnoticed

Since people on wheelchairs have a low profile, they are often below the normal line of vision of other people around them including motorists, pedestrians, and other road users. This puts them under more threat of getting hit or bumped, which can be very dangerous especially when they are in the streets or sidewalks exposed to moving cars and vehicles running at high speed. This has been a cause of multiple accidents involving wheelchair users.

# Dirty Hands With Blisters

People who use manual wheelchairs often have to deal with dirty hands and blisters from pushing the wheels. While this may not come off as a much of an issue, it is not comfortable to have dirty hands in public places where taps for washing are difficult to find. Blisters on the fingers and palm can cause discomfort, making the experience of going out in public places worse. A solution to preventing these problems is using gloves with appropriate cushioning and cover.

Conclusion

In addition to living with certain disabilities, people who use wheelchairs further face multiple challenges in their day-to-day life. It is important to bring as much awareness of these experiences that people with disabilities go through to help create a world that is more accepting and manageable for them.

If you’re looking for equipment that provides more versatility to a wheelchair, the Freedom Trax FT1 Pro can transform a wheelchair into a sort of outdoor vehicle that can go over any kind of terrain. To learn more about the product, visit Living Spinal and check out its multitude of features and benefits.