Educational Article
Educational Article
Educational Article
Educational Article
Educational Article
Educational Article
Educational Article
Educational Article
“She’s now wheelchair-bound.” “They’ve been confined to a wheelchair for three years.” When we wheelchair users are spoken of, phrases like these are sometimes used — reflecting the way that some feel about this vital piece of equipment that we rely on. It is seen an instrument of imprisonment, holding us down, keeping us from living full lives. In reality, it is our chairs that give us mobility and independence. Examining the genesis of the wheelchair and how far it has come may help change the way that it is perceived.
The first time I went swimming while disabled was about three years after my spinal cord injury. By this time, I had sat in several clothing-optional hot tubs in the little hippie town we lived in and I was getting more comfortable with being in the water, so trying to swim while disabled seemed to be the obvious next step. It would be years before I got into another pool and tried swimming while disabled again.
We fully believe in
and support patient (or client)-centred practice where the patient is at the centre as the most
important and in control of what happens next. A key part of this and a part of you being in
charge of your own healthcare, is being informed. So today, we are going to review patient
rights in Ontario including some real-life examples!
I watched my first disability documentary in 2005, about five years after I became a wheelchair user. I was riveted. I barely moved my body for the next hour and a half, my transfer forgotten as people who looked like me filled the screen. I had never seen so many wheelchair users on screen at one time before. I felt like I was gorging on something I hadn’t even known I was starving for. My worries about what the film would be like were swamped by how good it felt to be immersed in a world of media where I didn’t feel like I was a square peg fitting myself into a round hole. I thought, Why didn’t I start watching this stuff earlier?
