35. Emoji of a Wheelchair

My physio was having big ideas the other day, about cutting out my wheelchair in the next few weeks, and the staff using my walking frame to walk me to breakfast and to the lounge, going with me down the stairs in between. I easily managed to do the stairs with her this week, so it's a technically feasible plan. The main issue is, it would involve training 20+ care staff, who have not signed up for being physio assistants, and who just don't have the time to be at my beck and call. Then there would be the issue of me having to sit in place all day in a normal chair, with physio sessions maybe for half an hour. What do you think I'd do all day? Then I'd need the toilet, which I use in my room. I firmly put that plan to one side. While physically it wouldn't be a problem for me, socially it would be a disaster.

I'm at a paradoxical stage at the moment where it would be great for me to be practising walking all the time, but I'd prefer to be in a wheelchair. I can nip about then, minding my own business, undisturbed. When I've looked up wheelchair meme pages, there's always a post saying, "Who else hates being in a wheelchair!" I totally get it, as I'm all high and dry with my escape from the chair planned. I can make jokes, knowing I won't be in the wheelchair for ever. Fankly, it's a lot better than lying in a bed. (Even if the bed can go up and down.) Scooting around in a wheelchair can be quite empowering, especially when a venue goes out of its way to be accessible.

The wheelchair (it's called Hermes, by the way), sometimes cuts me up. Like today, I wobled in standing, because the wheelchair moved. Joanna caught my keel forward, but I had to be lowered to the floor because we were in a tight space, and the wheelchair was in the way.  I easily knew how to kneel and get back up, just the wheelchair was being awkward. The brakes on wheelchairs are such a pain. The chair still manages to move around with them on, but also the chair is impossible to adjust once they are on.

Another awkward thing I find is that in all disabled toilets, the drop-down bar for holding onto is always way too low down for me. Too tall, I don't even bother putting the bar down as it will let me down physically and emotionally. It's tough when a place is trying so hard to be accessible, but will still fail for me. I've really become a toilet connoisseur. I was very impressed by one that had a large ceiling hoist in it, and one which was a family room, so had a little loo next to the big one for someone's child to use.

Other news...I recently realised that there isn't an emoji on my phone of a person in a wheelchair. I'm shocked, I must say, given the unecessary number of sports and vehicles emojis. All I found was the accessibility symbol ♿ . Apparently, new accessibility emojis have been proposed for 2019. What a time to become disabled.

An introduction to my auto-biography written by my 14 year old self. I thought it would be good to start the book early incase I was hospitalised later in life. It's absolute self-infatuated drivel.