My Scooter and Human Psychology
People are weird. So, I have my nifty little scooter and it is really useful for letting me go on trips without exhausting myself. I can ride it on BART into Berkeley. I can ride it to the grocery store and use it while I shop. I can ride it to the mall. It's a useful device.
I have gotten comments on my scooter. Primarily I hear people say things like, oooh cool. Or ooh I want one of those.
It's a neat little scooter, although it has several drawbacks. It can't go very fast, it needs a bit of space to turn in, it doesn't have a lot of power, which means you really feel every incline and sometimes feel like you're really trying to get up a curb or an incline, and it has a limited range for its battery charge. The primary reason I need a scooter is for its ability to come apart and travel in a car, so that I can visit people and take the scooter, then stick it in their car, but have it when I need it. Eventually I will be getting a power wheelchair that will be significantly better for all of the uses I mentioned above. I really wanted a better turning radius when trying to use my scooter on the bus. I really would like more power in general. A chair can go both slower and faster than my scooter. A chair in general gives you better control.
A power wheelchair is very, very similar to a scooter. There are a few differences in design, but for riding niftiness a chair is basically better in all respects. Chairs are just more expensive, heavy, and don't disassemble. For riding ability, a chair is going to be a better ride, plus a more comfortable seat.
So, why do I suspect that the very slight differences in design between a scooter and a chair are going to lead to very big differences in people's reactions? I haven't tested it yet, but I strongly suspect people will not be going oooh, cool, I want one of those to a power wheelchair.
The scooter seems to fall into the mental categories of device you drive and shiny and toy. Plus, I admit it, aesthetically the scooter is cute. But I am surprised at how much it isn't seen as a disability device. Like my hat or my pendant, I suppose. They are attractive disability devices and they are seen more as fashion (although it would be easy to have either of those without needing them, so it's quite understandable that they aren't immediately viewed as disability devices).
But I suspect if you stick the steering mechanism in front, it's a toy, and if you stick it on the armrest it's a disability device. There is some justification... there are disabilities that mean a person cannot use a scooter, but they can use a wheelchair. This means that many people in wheelchairs have less mobility than I do. But still... it's weird.
I wish we didn't have the divide as much. A car is often a disability aid. This whole spectrum is a bit silly. Something can be a disability aid and a toy. I think my cane is awesome as is my scooter. The only time it's really relevant that something is a disability aid is if you are trying to take it away from me, and then I'm going to have to point out that I need this and you're not prying it from me. But short of that, something can be useful and nifty. My pendant can be a disability aid and a decoration. And a power wheelchair can be a disability aid and an impressive, nifty, useful, and fun device.
Honestly, as reactions go, these are pretty easy to deal with. I'm not facing the negative reactions I worry about asking me why am I using this or trying to make me justify my need. I just didn't expect signs of envy that I have a cool toy. Honestly, I wish I could ride a bicycle, but that is simply not a safe, legal option. And the scooter is really giving me a lot more mobility than I've had in ages. There are a few downsides... I feel kind of dizzy and weird after I've been riding it a lot. And I need to be careful with it. But I'm choosing to go out and do things because I can go by scooter that before I would have had to pass on. And that's what a good disability aid is all about, giving me the ability to do more. This one just happens to be dressed up in a cute, shiny, red toy-like package.
I have gotten comments on my scooter. Primarily I hear people say things like, oooh cool. Or ooh I want one of those.
It's a neat little scooter, although it has several drawbacks. It can't go very fast, it needs a bit of space to turn in, it doesn't have a lot of power, which means you really feel every incline and sometimes feel like you're really trying to get up a curb or an incline, and it has a limited range for its battery charge. The primary reason I need a scooter is for its ability to come apart and travel in a car, so that I can visit people and take the scooter, then stick it in their car, but have it when I need it. Eventually I will be getting a power wheelchair that will be significantly better for all of the uses I mentioned above. I really wanted a better turning radius when trying to use my scooter on the bus. I really would like more power in general. A chair can go both slower and faster than my scooter. A chair in general gives you better control.
A power wheelchair is very, very similar to a scooter. There are a few differences in design, but for riding niftiness a chair is basically better in all respects. Chairs are just more expensive, heavy, and don't disassemble. For riding ability, a chair is going to be a better ride, plus a more comfortable seat.
So, why do I suspect that the very slight differences in design between a scooter and a chair are going to lead to very big differences in people's reactions? I haven't tested it yet, but I strongly suspect people will not be going oooh, cool, I want one of those to a power wheelchair.
The scooter seems to fall into the mental categories of device you drive and shiny and toy. Plus, I admit it, aesthetically the scooter is cute. But I am surprised at how much it isn't seen as a disability device. Like my hat or my pendant, I suppose. They are attractive disability devices and they are seen more as fashion (although it would be easy to have either of those without needing them, so it's quite understandable that they aren't immediately viewed as disability devices).
But I suspect if you stick the steering mechanism in front, it's a toy, and if you stick it on the armrest it's a disability device. There is some justification... there are disabilities that mean a person cannot use a scooter, but they can use a wheelchair. This means that many people in wheelchairs have less mobility than I do. But still... it's weird.
I wish we didn't have the divide as much. A car is often a disability aid. This whole spectrum is a bit silly. Something can be a disability aid and a toy. I think my cane is awesome as is my scooter. The only time it's really relevant that something is a disability aid is if you are trying to take it away from me, and then I'm going to have to point out that I need this and you're not prying it from me. But short of that, something can be useful and nifty. My pendant can be a disability aid and a decoration. And a power wheelchair can be a disability aid and an impressive, nifty, useful, and fun device.
Honestly, as reactions go, these are pretty easy to deal with. I'm not facing the negative reactions I worry about asking me why am I using this or trying to make me justify my need. I just didn't expect signs of envy that I have a cool toy. Honestly, I wish I could ride a bicycle, but that is simply not a safe, legal option. And the scooter is really giving me a lot more mobility than I've had in ages. There are a few downsides... I feel kind of dizzy and weird after I've been riding it a lot. And I need to be careful with it. But I'm choosing to go out and do things because I can go by scooter that before I would have had to pass on. And that's what a good disability aid is all about, giving me the ability to do more. This one just happens to be dressed up in a cute, shiny, red toy-like package.