How My Wheelchair Changed My Life

This podcast is called "Off The Crutch". But, did you know that I ALSO use a wheelchair, a lot? In this episode, I share my first experience using a wheelchair and how that has changed my life for the better! 

Follow me on social media at @travismdavis

Transcript

Kenny : 0:05

Welcome to the off the crutch podcast, your home for disability related topics from a disabled perspective. Enjoy the show.

Travis Davis : 0:15

Hello, everybody. I'm Travis Davis. Last week was a heavy topic, also quite controversial. I don't see myself going in that direction often. I just felt the need to give my perspective in my opinion on that issue. I am surprised however, I did not receive any negative feedback from that episode, which is always a good thing. Staying on the topic of wheelchairs. Today I'm going to share with you how used in a wheelchair has changed my life. Again, no interview today, but I hope you enjoy my thoughts on wheelchairs. So today I want to talk about the four ways that my wheelchair has changed my life. Put it out there. It's given me community to give Give me the platform to educate allowed me to be more comfortable with my disability, and it's opened up my eyes to accessibility. So by now you should have some idea that I use crutches hence the name off the crutch. But I also use a wheelchair until I was 12 or 13 years old, my only wheelchair experience was in the hospital. This is the story on how I got formally introduced to using one around the time that I was 12 or 13 years old. My parents were coming back from a business trip when my mom noticed a bottom end of a crutch across from her on the plane and suggested to my dad that they purchased them for me. Immediately a young boy sitting near asked if I had a disability. My parents told them I did and he asked for me to come check out his wheelchair basketball team. A week later, I was at my first wheelchair basketball practice. I was so amazed at how a wheelchair can be so fast and maneuverable and artistic. Shortly after come into a couple of practice. It says, I met a young girl who offered to give me her wheelchair. She was waiting for a new one and was happy to pass hers along. I needed a wheelchair at that time because I was about to have surgery and needed something other than crutches to finish out eighth grade. That was the wheelchair I would use through the rest of middle school and beyond. My friends in high school, loved my wheelchair. And at times, I thought they liked it more than me. It was probably because I let them right in it all the time. Going back to community. Being on a team was great. And I traveled three or four times a year, I got to see so many parts of the country that I wouldn't have if it weren't for the sport played in a wheelchair. This also opened up my eyes to other adaptive sports that are played in a wheelchair like wheelchair rugby, wheelchair lacrosse, wheelchair tennis, all of those are really fun to play. But wheelchair basketball is my go to. I still wonder if my parents had been on that plane, how much longer I would have gone without that experience, if at all. As I got older and became more familiar with other disabilities, I realized not everybody who uses a wheelchair is paralyzed. This was evident at the wheelchair basketball tournaments I used to go to. It's an experience to be around a sea of wheelchairs and able bodied people who are the minority. I can't count how many conversations I've had with people about how I can stand and why I need to use my wheelchair. I remember one night when I lived in California, I was with some friends waiting to get seated. We were at a restaurant at Universal citywalk. As we were waiting, I stood up just because I needed to give my legs a break and the hostess, To her surprise, looked at me and said, Oh, you're one of those fakers, aren't you? So I thought that comment was funny, but my friends felt more offended by that than me. I can recall more times what I stand for. my wheelchair and I'm seeing with surprise and confusion. These experiences are bad for me. I'm given the opportunity to educate people in this instance because you all know what happens when you assume. Moving on. I was recently a guest on a disability podcast. At one point, the host made a comment how she would CP uses a walker. She's had many opportunities to use a wheelchair to get around, but feels like she would be misrepresenting herself. And when I heard that comment, it made me think it made me think about how and why I use my wheelchair. And I came to the conclusion that I don't look at my wheelchair as misrepresentation. I see my wheelchair as a mobility device. This also had me wondering who else with a disability is self conscious about using a different type of mobility aid, because of what others might think? My encouragement to anyone with those feelings is Is that it's okay to use whatever you want to get around. Disabled people in my experience can be very stubborn, myself included, that can be good at times and bad. There is a reason why I use crutches when I could just probably walk around without them. It wouldn't look very pretty or why is on my body. If anything, using a wheelchair has made me more comfortable about my disability because I have a better quality of life. Now, if I could be more consistent with my physical therapy, that's another story for a different time. And lastly, my eyes became wide open to the accessibility issues we face around the country. Two years ago, I traveled to Pittsburgh for the National ADA symposium that was part of my certificate training to be a certified Ada coordinator. Even with the ADA pass 30 years ago, access is still an issue. Even with Legos. It was exciting to meet people all over the country coming together to talk about these issues. My perspective is a little different because if I approach an area in my wheelchair where it's inaccessible, I can stand and pick up my chair. Depending on the distance or stairs. I have a titanium wheelchair, so it weighs very little. Most people who use a wheelchair don't have that opportunity. hearing stories at the symposium from people about the lack of accessibility where they live was heartbreaking. Fortunately, at a local level, I'm able to help. I am the Vice Chair for my City's Ada advisory board Council. It's given me the opportunity to learn about the local issues and how other people with disabilities and city leaders can come together for positive change to help fight in accessibility in your area. I would suggest researching to find out if your city has a similar Council and if not, gathers people together and start one to circle back to the beginning being introduced to a wheelchair. has brought me community. I have enjoyed the times that I was on my wheelchair basketball team. And the ability to travel as much as I did and make the friends that I did was such a memorable experience for me. And I can also educate on the assumption that if you are in a wheelchair, you can't walk. Also, if they stand, it's not a miracle either. Any disabled person has the right to use whatever they want to get around. However, if it's in your best interest to use one aid over another, do it, don't be hesitant to keep your body in the best shape possible. Lastly, if you see a building that may seem inaccessible for someone using a wheelchair, or if there's a button not working, that can open the door, call it out, talk to somebody about it. You may just be helping someone out in the long run. At some point, I definitely am going to talk more about my experience playing with wheelchair basketball. I've always loved playing the sport and I have so many stories and memories from that time, and I think it's important to share with you all the importance of adaptive sports to a wider community. Next week, I'll be talking about flying and what that looks like when you have a disability. As always, you can find me on social media at after krach, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can also email me at off the crutch @ gmail.com. Until next time. Transcribed by https://otter.ai