A development initiative for South Asian Dance in the North West

The wheelchair experience

On reaching Toronto I took the Wheelchair assistance.Within seconds I clearly experienced that some power was taken away from me. I rushed to get out of the plane quickly to catch the connection. Had to look out for the assistance and walked outside to find a few wheelchairs and two people to manage six chairs. There was waiting without knowing what is the next step. One gets talked to with an attitude verging on the border of making one become invisible.

Had to shift the attitude. Learned to think of h wheelchair as something that is helping to achieve more than a symbol of loss and inability.

Access service is quite different in USA and Canada. On the whole good and caring. I was surprised to see how many people use the service these days. It seems that people are more undaunted, more keen to travel lot less inhibition and stigma about the wheelchair or may be the concept of ability and dis/under ability.

Initially there comes an ardent reluctance to give in, to give up the ability to move freely. To move when I want to and where I want to go.
Because I can still make to the gate or to the plane it feels frustrating to sit and wait when I see everyone walking passed me. Being at the mercy of someone else's convenience challenges my independence. I get the urge to get up and move .However, the fact is that even if I am the first to come out of the plane, I will not be able to reach the next point of the journey well after the last person out.

Can not deny that it felt somewhat like a closure Without a beginning to celebrate. That is where I needed to think what must have been the real purpose of the wheelchair surely the main reason for its invention was to increase mobility not to steal it away.

If I can not walk to a destination to a friends house or to the next city or the tp the city centre and I decide to drive it does not necessarily affect my self esteem . Even when I get a lift instead of having to drive myself. When I buy or change my car I actually feel good. We talk about make and model and colour and design of the car. That intervention is power.

I thought to myself, can I then reprogram my attitude ?

Mamata, a fellow dance artist from Montreal advised me to take a wheelchair, saying that many out of vanity do not avail of this facility Which is offered by the airlines but without that how can we travel through these large North American airports with long walks from one part to another ?

The stewardess in the plane ignored me when I said that I can walk if the gates are not too far. She firmly said "Save your energy for those you know, don't waste it for those you don't. Stay at your seat till I come for you".

I agreed. I remembered a very good reason for me to use this facility.
Given the choice, I would rather save my knees for dancing.

 

 

 

 


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Page last updated 03-Dec-2013 - Comments on the website welcome by Eric Foxley at the Dunkirk Arts Centre
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