Wheelchair users regain the confidence to return to society

Wheelchair users regain the confidence to return to society

For the average person, going out shopping is a commonplace event, but for those with spinal cord injuries, it entails a lot of learning and overcoming various psychological barriers. With public facilities and the environment mainly directed at able-bodied people, is disabled access really that friendly towards those with disabilities?

A course in Taoyuan’s Zhongli District called “City Jungle Adventure” requires students to communicate with strangers and exchange business cards with shopkeepers. In addition to promoting general knowledge on the prevention of spinal injuries, the course equips wheelchair users with the skills to conquer the myriad obstacles one may face while traversing the city streets, including slopes and doorsteps. Wheelchair users can’t always rely on the help of others and therefore need to pay strict attention to the steepness of slopes in order to avoid falling out or overturning. Some wheelchair users are in the habit of raising the front wheels in order to negotiate obstacles, a maneuver that is quite risky and has resulted in many people falling out of their wheelchair.   

Though there are currently over 60,000 people with spinal injuries in Taiwan, it is rare to see any of them out shopping or buying vegetables alone. It is hoped that through making society more aware of all the hard work people with spinal injuries invest into getting on with life, we can help facilitate their swift reintegration into society.

URL: https://www.peopo.org/news/345477

(以下為中英文對照)

輪椅都市叢林探險 重拾信心重返社會

逛街對於一般人來說稀鬆平常，但對於脊髓損傷傷友來說，要出門逛街需要學習，而且還要克服心理障礙。然而我們社會中的無障礙環境與設施，對傷友來說是友善的嗎？

在桃園市中壢街頭的「都市叢林探險」課程，要求學員們與陌生人交流並且與商家交換名片，傷友除了要宣傳脊髓損傷的預防常識，還要面對馬路上的障礙，斜坡、門檻，不論是否有旁人協助，都應注意坡度是否過斜，以避免從輪椅傾倒或滑落，有人喜歡以翹起前輪的方式越過障礙，其實是相當冒險的動作，因此而後仰跌倒的例子也不少。

以台灣目前來說，有超過將近6萬多名脊髓傷友，但在路上卻很少看到傷友獨自出外逛街或採買，我們希望能夠讓社會多多看見傷友的努力，也希望他們能夠早日重返社會。