Facing some obstacles being wheel-bound

 Being oblivious of obstacles that one’s face is easy to do when you are not “walking in their shoes”. This has been the case for me in respects going from able-bodied to disabled as a quadriplegic from the shoulders down. Then to add to the obstacles we face, I am also overweight with an oversized wheelchair, it makes if even more difficult for me. The obvious obstacles we face is limited access to public transportation especially when it comes to the width of one’s wheelchair. We have limited options - public buses with specialized ramps to allow to enter/exit the bus from the sidewalk; or wheelchair accessible taxis which has a ramp which allows access; a specialized van which includes a ramp coming from the side of van to allow access; and the public Handicap-Van service. I can only use the last choice for transportation due to width of the wheelchair from wheel to wheel. Actually when I was in Foothills Rehab floor, the wheelchair I bought, they had to remove the inner wheel (wheel you use your hands to move your wheelchair) so that I could have the luxury of transportation. The kicker - I can only travel within Calgary city limits. I have accepted this is the way it will be and will make the most of it. 

Having to accept further obstacles in doing what seems “normal” things to do, can be very frustrating and need to do extra planning so I don’t waste anyone’s time if I can’t get through the doors. I have great friends who do go out and do detective work to see if the doors are wide enough or need to ask an entertainment centre, like Calgary’s Stampede Forum, to find out more about wheelchair access seating and are the doors width for me. I was excited as my friend Dana and I were able to have a dry run in February 2020 and we saw one of the last regular NHL games before being suspended due to Covid-19 global pandemic. It was a great game - Battle of Alberta - Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames. Definitely a highlight of 2020 for me. 

In two or three letters I have recently written, I described the challenges I have faced in my own facility with doors to rooms I can’t gain access to: the lounge room, the outdoor patio/sunroom, the salon, the dental clinic, and the flex room. My question is if my bedroom door width is wide enough for my wheelchair, why aren’t the doors to the common areas for residents are not the size width like the bedroom door? Only would make sense to me to have them all the same door sizes. Same goes at our hospitals where the door width is not large enough to have appointments, like at the Rockyview Hospital where I couldn’t get my eyes checked for glaucoma as I couldn’t get into the room. Or at PLC where I had to do my respiratory appointment in the hallway as again I couldn’t get into the room. Now, I can say, it is because it is an older building (70s/80s) so they weren’t thinking of those things. Our newest hospital - South Health Campus opened January 2013, so you would assume that the facility was wheelchair accessible. Well only partially. When I first went a doctor’s appointment at SHC, we were able to get through the external door from the street - success! Nope - whoever designed the hospital didn’t think this through as they made the width of the door smaller which prevented me to get into the lobby of the hospital. Irony - more able-bodied persons use the wheelchair accessibility doors then those with disabilities devices. I guess I need to add this to my list to advocate for.   :)